What is a van?
A van is a car with a cargo area that is primarily designed to transport goods and/or work materials. In most cases, a van serves for business use and is used by couriers, tradesmen and rental companies, among others. However, vans are also used to transport animals or people. Think of a dog walking service or wheelchair transportation. If your car is considered a delivery van by the tax authorities, you are entitled to tax benefits. This is because a van has a lower road tax rate than normal cars. In addition, when you purchase a delivery van, you can get exemption from BPM (passenger car and motorcycle tax). If you perform VAT-taxed activities for your company, you can deduct VAT on the purchase of your van.
What are the van requirements according to the IRS:
- Large van (large van, moving van and the like)
The cargo space of the van is at least 200 cm long and 130 cm high over a width of at least 20 cm and a length of at least 200 cm. Are you going to measure the cargo area? Then put the driver's seat in the factory rear position. The back of the seat may be upright.
- Van with open cargo box, single cab and 1.5 cab (Xtrcab)
The open cargo box of this van is at least 125 cm long and 20 cm wide. No folding seats or benches may be fitted behind the front row of seats. Note: If the open cargo area is covered, the car must meet the requirements for a van with an enclosed cargo area. However, a tarpaulin or flat lid is allowed with this type of van.
- Van with raised roof (combi vans, small vans and the like)
In this type of van, the roof of the cargo area is at least 25 cm higher than the top of the driver's door opening. There may be 1 side window on the right side of the cargo area, but there may be no side windows on the left side. The cargo area is at least 98 cm high over a width of at least 20 cm over a length of at least 125 cm.
- Medium-sized van without a raised roof (space vans, minivans, off-road vehicles and the like)
In these vans, the roof of the cargo area is less than 25 cm higher than the top of the driver's door opening. There may be 1 side window on the right side of the cargo area, but there may be no side windows on the left side. The cargo area is at least 125 cm long and 98 cm high over a width of at least 20 cm and over a length of at least 125 cm.
- Double cab van (with closed cargo area or open cargo box)
The height of the cab in a double cab is the largest vertical distance between the floor and roof of the cab, measured over a width of 20 cm. In addition, only 1 additional row of seats is placed. The cargo box or cargo area is at least 150 cm long and, in addition, at least 2/3 of the length that the cargo area would be without the additional seating space. At least 40% of the actual length of the cargo area is placed in front of the center of the rear axle. On the right side of the cargo area, 1 side window may be fitted and the cargo area must be at least 130 cm high over a width of at least 20 cm and over a length of at least 150 cm. There may be no side windows on the left side of the cargo area.
Type of vans according to the IRS:
Not every car used to transport goods is a van under the tax rules. You can use the chart below to determine if your car meets the requirements for vans.
| Type of van | Van construction | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Large van (Large van, moving van and similar) | Cargo area (block) | at least 200 cm long, at least 130 cm high over a width of at least 20 cm and a length of at least 200 cm |
| Side windows | allowed in the cargo area | |
| Fixed wall | no need | |
| Additional requirement | For measuring the cargo area: the driver's seat is in the factory rear position, the backrest may be upright | |
| Van with open body, single cab and 1.5 cab (Xtrcab) | Open cargo box | minimum 125 cm long and 20 cm wide |
| Fixed wall | is the rear wall of the cab over the full width and height no more than 115 cm behind the rearmost point of the steering wheel the fixed wall may have 1 or more fixed windows side by side of maximum 40 cm in height and with provisions for safety | |
| Additional requirements | no folding seats or benches may be installed behind the front seats if an open cargo area is covered, the car must meet the requirements for a van with an enclosed cargo area. A tarpaulin/flat cover is permitted | |
| Van with raised roof (combi vans, small vans and similar) | Roof cargo area | at least 25 cm higher than the top of the driver's door opening |
| Side windows | there may be one side window on the right-hand side of the load compartment there may be no side windows on the left-hand side of the load compartment | |
| Loading space (block) | at least 98 cm high over a width of at least 20 cm over a length of at least 125 cm | |
| Fixed wall | directly behind the driver's seat and at least 30 cm high over the full width of the cab | |
| Medium van without raised roof (space vans, minivans, off-road vehicles and similar) | Roof cargo area | less than 25 cm higher than the top of the driver's door opening |
| Side windows | there may be one side window on the right-hand side of the load compartment there may be no side windows on the left-hand side of the load compartment | |
| Cargo area (block) | at least 98 cm high over a width of at least 20 cm over a length of at least 125 cm | |
| Fixed wall | directly behind the driver's seat and at least 30 cm high over the full width of the cab | |
| Delivery van with double cabin (with closed cargo area or open body) | Cabin height | the height of the cab in the case of a double cab is the largest vertical distance between the floor and roof of the cab, measured over a width of 20 cm |
| Booth | only 1 additional row of seats has been placed | |
| Fixed wall | is the rear wall of the cab, and placed directly behind the rear seat placed over the full width and height of the cab the fixed wall may have 1 or more fixed windows next to each other of maximum 40 cm in height and with provisions for safety | |
| Cargo box or cargo area | at least 150 cm in length and, in addition, at least 2/3 of the length that the cargo area would have without the additional seating space. The original cargo space begins at a notional bulkhead placed at a distance of 115 cm behind the rear point of the steering wheel at least 40% of the actual length of the cargo area is placed in front of the center of the rear axle on the right-hand side of the load compartment there may be one side window and the load compartment must be at least 130 cm high over a width of at least 20 cm and over a length of at least 150 cm There may be no side windows on the left-hand side of the load compartment. | |
| Additional requirements | cab lower than 130 cm: the remaining cargo space must also be at least twice the length of the cab. For the van with a double cab, the length of the cab is the distance between the rear point of the steering wheel and the bulkhead between the cab and the cargo area if an open cargo area is covered, the car must meet the requirements for a van with an enclosed cargo area. A tarpaulin/flat cover is permitted |
The right insurance for vans
When buying van insurance, you will encounter the same choices as when buying standard car insurance. Again, the choices between only WA (third-party liability), WA with casco, and all risk. The premium for WA is relatively low, for WA with casco slightly higher, and for all risk high. When insuring a new commercial vehicle, all risk is the recommendation, despite the premium being high. With all risk, the insurance covers the damage to your own company car, even if you were the one who was not paying attention and therefore caused the collision. A unilateral accident is also covered. If the van is already somewhat depreciated, then third-party liability insurance is usually the best policy. The insurance pays out if your van is stolen, used for joyriding, windshield damage, and damage from natural disasters. But if you are the perpetrator of a collision, the damage to your commercial vehicle is at your own expense, which is not the case with all risk. Once the company car is really written off, perhaps already has some wear and tear due to use, then it is interesting to have only third-party insurance. You then comply with the law, if you cause a collision, the insurance will reimburse the injured party for damages, but you yourself must then assume that you have to look for another van. It is then a sum of the age of the van, the mileage, if there is also damage, then the van is for scrapping. So much for van insurance overall. If you dig deeper, you will also find options for additional insurance. Think of legal assistance to recover damages, roadside assistance, passenger insurance, and so on. Because such additional insurance policies are inexpensive, it may be smart to take them out. Online, all policies and their premiums are easy to compare. You can then choose between the insurance companies with the best conditions and the lowest premium. Thus, you can insure your van inexpensively at a low price.
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