A guide to choosing the right welfare van for your needs
A guide to choosing the right welfare van for your needs
December 23, 2021
When it comes to welfare van rental, there is certainly plenty to choose from: type in ‘welfare van hire near me’ to a search engine and you’re sure to find any number of rental companies within easy reach.
So how do you sort out the good from the bad and the downright ugly?
First, some basics.
Make sure you choose a company offering welfare vans that have up-to-date Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) Type approval. This guarantees that the process to convert a simple panel van to a fully functioning welfare van has passed the stringent checks needed to ensure the vehicle is safe for all users. That’s not only a legal requirement, it’s just the right thing to do.
Enable Welfare’s welfare vans are all VCA Type-approved and have seven crash-tested M1 seats, including the driver’s. (M1 standards are for vehicles carrying no more than eight passengers: different rules apply to larger M2 and M3 vehicles.)
When choosing your welfare van, it’s best to avoid older vehicles showing signs of heavy use. Enable Welfare’s fleet of welfare vans is less than two years old: reliable and smart, they won’t let you down and, importantly, they will definitely be a credit to the image of your business.
With London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) now covering huge swathes of the capital, and other cities following suit with their own Clean Air Zones, you’ll want a low-polluting van. All Enable Welfare’s vans comply with the latest Euro 6 emissions standards, allowing them to avoid ULEZ’s hefty daily charges for non-compliant vehicles.
Increasingly, customers in all kinds of industries are looking to implement more environmentally friendly solutions in their day-to-day operations. Enable Welfare’s Eco and Premium welfare vans have been specially designed to help meet this need. They come with a roof-mounted solar panel and upgraded batteries, which together greatly lessen the need to run the engine to provide light and power, not only cutting the vehicle’s carbon footprint, but also reducing noise, too.
While most firms’ welfare vans will provide the basics, it’s worth considering the extra touches that can make such a difference to your staff.
Like us, many of our competitors now provide as standard a water boiler for that all-important cup of tea. In our experience, having a way of warming up or cooking food is also a sure-fire winner with welfare van users. You’ll find a microwave in all Enable Welfare’s welfare vans.
Another small touch that’s certain to go down well is the provision of USB sockets, so that users can keep their mobile phones charged during the day. USB sockets are included in our Eco and Premium vans.
Finally, it’s also worth considering how to keep welfare van users comfortable and their food fresh on hot days: for just a small increase in price, our Premium van comes supplied with both air conditioning and a fridge.