The best sites for valuing your van

When you run a business, you probably have several important and valuable assets. Your premises, tools, equipment and your van (or fleet) are among these.

It’s good to keep track of these assets’ worth, and there are several reasons why you might want an accurate valuation on your van, and not always because you are thinking of selling it.

You might not want to move it on yet, but it’s still good to have a reasonable idea of its potential worth, even if that’s just to be in a better position when it comes to doing a deal with a trader.

But if you are thinking of parting with your van privately in the near future, you could benefit from an accurate value so you can consider your options when someone makes you an offer. Similarly, if you are buying a van, a valuation will help you check that you’re paying a fair price before you do any deal.

For others, an estimate on value is useful when your van’s insurance renewal time comes around. Knowing what it’s worth is better than just accepting your cover provider’s valuation. Or perhaps other business financing applications require a valuation of all your assets.

With the explosion of home delivery services across the UK, there is currently a huge demand for near-new, low-mileage vans in good condition. So if your business is considering offloading one or more vehicles, you might be pleasantly surprised at how much money you could get.

Here are The Van Expert’s top choices if you want to know your van’s worth.

Motorway*

URL: www.motorway.co.uk

They say: “5,000+ verified dealers ready to buy your van”

Motorway advertises heavily to consumers selling their cars, but the company also buys a lot of vans. You provide the details about your vehicle and agree a reserve price before Motorway offers it to their network of 5,000 dealers who compete to buy it. Of course, to do this you need a value.

Motorway provides a free valuation service which is simple to get, and you start by entering your vehicle’s registration number and mileage. Then pop in your own details such as phone number and email address before the site returns an up-to-date valuation.

The Motorway site has several other useful sections such as a value tracker, showing how quickly things can fluctuate in the used LCV market, and a ULEZ checker to see if your van meets London’s impending emissions regulations. There’s also a guide section containing useful information including buying, selling, depreciation and emissions.

• Get a free valuation on your van or pick-up from Motorway*

Parkers

Parkers has been a source of vehicle valuations for half a century – since 1972 – and although the printed valuation books have long gone, there is still a very useful online tool.

On the landing page, you’ll see a section devoted to vans and pick-ups, alongside a section for cars. Among the drop-down menus there’s ‘Van valuations’ and from there you can go to ‘Free van valuation’, which does exactly what it says.

From this point you have the choice of inputting any make, range and model of van or for a personalised valuation, type in your registration number. You’re asked if you are buying, selling, arranging insurance or just curious before receiving your valuation figure.

UK Best Van Buyer

A small family-run business, UK Best Van Buyer specialise in valuing vans individually, taking into account any special features and equipment so that they can give an accurate valuation. The site points out that every van is different, so their underwriters price each one separately with a free estimate.

From the landing page, enter your registration number and mileage and click through to the next page. From there you add details of service history before supplying your personal details such as email address and phone number. The site also asks for an image of the van to be uploaded.

As a small independent, they say they can’t give an immediate valuation but with the details you provide you know that you will get an accurate value uniquely for your vehicle.

The site includes some helpful tips, advice and answers to frequent questions plus there’s a section describing what the UK Best Van Buyer team purchase – it includes vans of most sizes, 4x4s, minibuses and even motorhomes.

We Buy Any Van

Part of the webuyanycar.com family, the van division promises to give you a straightforward valuation, with a view to buying your van from you. But even if you don’t sell, you can still have the free 30-second valuation, which is based on the current market price together with the specific details you provide.

Enter your van’s registration number or input the details manually, including mileage, colour and fuel type and you’re given your valuation. You also have to provide your name and contact details.

The price is guaranteed for four days while you consider your next move. If you were just curious about value, there’s no obligation to go any further. There are help and support sections, advice on how the service works, and they also buy motorhomes and campervans, so you could get valuations on those too.

We Buy Broken Vans

The word ‘broken’ might be in their title, but We Buy Broken Vans will purchase commercial vehicles in any condition – new, old or damaged.  They provide a valuation that is guaranteed for seven days as long as the details you give match the condition of the van when the company’s experts do their inspection.

The format is similar to others: first enter the registration number for the vehicle to be instantly identified. You are then asked about the mileage, type of body and condition of bodywork and mechanics. It’s here that you enter ‘major issues’ if the van really does need some attention.

Provide your personal contact details on the next page and the valuation is sent to you. This is a site worth considering if your van is ageing and in need of attention (or selling on). If that’s the case, they will come and collect it. There are some interesting tips and advice sections which make good reading.

We Want Any Van

Formed in 2010, We Want Any Van is an online van buying service. You first get a valuation and, if you decide to sell, the company’s representatives will visit to do formal inspection before arranging a free collection of the vehicle.

Enter your van’s registration number followed by vehicle details including mileage, number of previous owners, colour and whether the vehicle is a write off. It’s then on to personal details on the next page before you receive your free valuation.

The process takes about three minutes, says the site, adding that it’s easier and more accurate than trying to figure it out for yourself.

There’s lots of helpful advice including which colour gets the best values and the benefits and draw-backs of having racking installed in the van. There’s even a section on how to increase your van’s value which could be useful if you did decide to sell.

Regit Cars

Regit offer a wide range of services including ULEZ checker, finance settlement calculator car and MOT history checks, carbon offset calculator and free instant valuations for cars and vans.

You can buy or sell vans through Regit so the valuation tool is useful. Click on ‘Vans’ from the drop-down menu on the landing page and choose ‘Free Van Valuation’. More than 5000 dealers can compete for your van so this could be a good way to get a higher price.

Enter the registration number and you’re asked for mileage and the reason why you want the valuation. You have to enter something here to continue – ‘Thinking of changing’, for example, is among the choices. Add your personal details and the value is sent back.

It’s a slick, professional looking site with lots of interesting reading including advice, news, features and even a quiz.

Arnold Clark

One of the largest car dealer groups in Europe, Arnold Clark Automobiles Ltd opened in Glasgow in 1954. Today they sell, service and rent cars and commercials, and with that progress has come this good website where a lot of business can  now be done – including getting a valuation for your van.

From the landing page go to ‘Find a van’ and when you are taken to the next page click on ‘Selling your van?’. From here you enter your registration number as usual and add in mileage and your personal details to request the valuation. Arnold Clark have been buying vans since the mid-1950s, they say, so there’s plenty of experience when it comes to valuations.

The busy website contains details of all of Arnold Clark’s services and there’s interesting reading too, courtesy of a ‘news room’ containing features, news and reviews.

We Want Vans

Another van buying agency, We Want Vans expect an honest appraisal of your van in return for a ‘top rate’ valuation.

Trading for 35 years the company has national coverage to collect vehicles and will consider all vans including left and right hand drive, high mileage and damaged models. From the landing page there’s the option to click on ‘Free valuation’.

The valuation form doesn’t ask for the registration number – instead there is a list of questions including make, model, mileage, date of registration, level of service history, mechanical condition and outstanding finance. It even asks how much you would want for the vehicle.

Send off the form and a valuation is returned to you. It’s a simple site with no frills, but is another way to gain a useful value figure.

GoodBye Car

Part of the Peter Vardy Group, the Scottish automotive business, GoodBye Car offers a way to sell your van online, which includes getting a valuation on it.

From the drop-down menu on the landing page select ‘Sell my van’. From here you enter the registration number and vehicle details to gain a valuation. GoodBye Cars uses market data along with details including age, mileage, condition and number of owners, to produce the valuation.

You are asked to rate the van’s condition and you have to answer other questions related to service history, MOTs and insurance loss before you receive your figure.

Interesting reading and advice can be found in the site’s ‘Guide Hub’ which includes newsworthy information on selling vehicles, price guides, insurance, driving and roads.

• More LCV ownership advice from The Van Expert

*Motorway is a commercial partner of The Van Expert. If you click on one of the links above and end up selling your car via its platform, we may receive a commission. This does not affect the price you receive for the car.