There are lots of things to take into consideration when purchasing a new vehicle for the family. Cost is a major factor as well as convenience, reliability and lots of other things.
Many people opt for a van as their vehicle of choice rather than a car. There are lots of advantages to this which we will look at if you are thinking about purchasing a new mode of transport.
They are great for big families
If you have a large family, then it could be that a van is a perfect choice. Not only will it allow for extra room for the children and any pets that you may have, but you can also guarantee that there will be extra room for shopping and of course all of the accessories that come with children.
It can make your journey a much less stressful experience when you aren’t struggling for room. It also means if you are taking bikes, scooters or camping equipment you can do this much more easily. This is perfect for any adventure trips you have planned with the kids, especially in the summer holidays.
More versatility
Although a van may look big, bulky and rigid from the outside – actually you can get some pretty sleek models that also allow for versatility that a car doesn’t have. Depending on the size of the van, you can even sometimes change how many seats are in certain rows making it suitable for most journeys. You can fold the seats back if you need more storage, or else you can keep them up if you have more passengers. You can even organise the back of a van so there is shelving etc, to keep the space organised. This level of customisation can be very beneficial for large families.
It has better towing capacity
Vans are specifically built to be able to take stresses and strains, which makes them great for towing. This means if you want to transport a caravan or trailer for a family trip – you can normally support that even with a medium-sized van. In order to compensate, a lot of vans don’t have rear-view mirrors, but what they do have is incredibly large door mirrors which means drivers can still see everything behind them.
Vans with sliding doors allow easy access for kids
If you do have little ones, it can be difficult to get them in and out of the car. You are always worried it might jump back and hurt your child, particularly when there are heavy winds. A van with sliding doors can make this process much more hassle-free, though. It’s also incredibly helpful when you are hunting for a parking space and there is little room as you don’t need to allow for the space you would normally need when opening the doors. It also means you are far less likely to scratch someone else’s car.
Insurance isn’t as expensive as you might think
There is a common myth that van insurance is incredibly expensive, but if you use a price comparison site to compare the top UK providers it may well be cheaper than you might think. The van insurance market is a competitive one, which means as long as you do the research you can get a good quote. Make sure you do the appropriate research before signing up to anything and read the terms and conditions carefully.
They Can be More Reliable
When you are looking for a family vehicle, you need to make sure it’s reliable. Vans are arguably more reliable than cars due to how sturdy they are. This is increasingly important when you have children – the last thing you want is your vehicle off the road when you need to do the school run or the weekly shop. It can also be much more costly to have to constantly repair a vehicle, rather than pay a little bit of an outlay at the beginning and save in the long run.
They are Often Wheelchair Accessible
This may not be a benefit that is required for everyone, but a van is much easier to modify than a car should you need to make it wheelchair accessible. This means that the person in the wheelchair can enjoy a much more enjoyable travelling experience. There are also lots of options when it comes to modifications too.
If you are thinking of buying a new family vehicle and are considering the prospect of getting a van – then hopefully this article will have given you some of the advantages of it and allowed you to make a more educated decision.
We had one when we were little – no such thing as a people carrier for 11 of us
Nice idea and certainly vans can be more practical sometimes, but not sure that they are more reliable as all parts are common now and many MPVs are based on the van equivalent.