If you’re planning on moving to a new house, you’re probably already aware that it can be a stressful time. Therefore, to help things transition more smoothly, we’ve put together a guide to what size moving van you will need to hire when moving from your old house to your new one.
Medium wheel based transit
As the smallest van size available for transportation, this may not be your first choice if you’re moving an entire house. However, it could definitely be an option for people who don’t want to move everything at the same time.
If you’re looking to store some of your less essential items in storage while you move all the furniture around and settle into your new home, this van could be the perfect choice. It can carry up to 30 boxes, which is equivalent to the number of boxes that a 16 square foot storage unit at Titan Storage can hold. These vans can also be used to transport one large item of furniture, which can be handy if you want to get rid of some of your old furniture after the move.
How long is a medium wheelbase transit?
Taking the example of a Ford Transit L2 Medium Wheelbase Van, this vehicle has an overall length of 5.531 metres. For moving house and loading furniture, you’ll want to know the interior load length – this is 3.044 metres (to put that in the context of furniture removal, the standard length of a bed is just under 2m). The Ford Transit L2 Medium Wheelbase Van is the shortest of the 3 Ford Transit Wheelbase types, with the Ford Transit L3 Long Wheelbase Van and the Ford Transit L4 Extra Long Wheelbase Van both offering you longer moving van sizes.
High roof & standard roof medium wheelbase van options
Ford Transit L2 Medium Wheelbase Vans come with two size options for the roof. The standard roof size (offered with the L2H2 models) has a loading height of 1.886m for the FWD (front wheel drive) model and 1.786m for the RWD/AWD models (that’s the rear wheel and all-wheel drive models). The high roof size provided by L2H3 models have an increased height of 2.125m (FWD) or 2.025m (RWD/AWD). The high roof size may be better if you have a lot of furniture to move with longer dimensions, and it will also increase your overall storage space by at least 1.2 cubic metres.
Long wheel base transit
If you need more space in your moving van, this is the next size up from the short wheel base transit. These vans are ideal for those moving out of a single or double bedroom, with a small amount of furniture and white goods, or several items of furniture alone. For example, this van is perfect for a young adult moving out of the family home and into their own place.
How much can you fit in a long wheel base transit van?
With an average loading capacity of 12 to 14 cubic metres and a length of 6.9 metres (sizes vary between different makes and models), this van is the perfect size to either transport possessions and furniture to your new home, or transport everything to a storage unit if you’re planning on travelling or not moving into a new place straight away.
The capacity of the long wheel base transit roughly equates to a 25 – 35 square foot storage unit at Titan Storage.
3.5 tonne Luton van
We now move onto the transit vans that can move entire houses or flats. This van is perfect for a single person or couple looking to move out of a one or two bedroom flat, or even a small two-bedroom house.
How much furniture fits in a 3.5 tonne Luton van?
This van can hold up to 40 boxes of personal belongings, along with a number of different furniture items, such as a dining table and chairs, a two or three-seater sofa, double beds, wardrobes, chest of drawers, and all kitchen white goods.
As you may only need to make the one trip, the 3.5 tonne Luton can make your move a breeze. These vans are also perfect if you’re looking to move the contents of a one or two bedroom flat, or a small two-bedroom house, into storage, due to downsizing or moving an elderly relative into a residential care home, for example. Our 50 square foot and 75 square foot storage units should comfortably fit the contents of a van of this size.
Can I drive a Luton van?
With a standard UK driving licence, the 3.5 tonne Luton van falls into category B and is the largest size Luton van you can drive without an HGV licence.
7.5 tonne Luton lorry
This is the biggest vehicle normally used for moving and is perfect for anyone moving out of an average two-bedroom house, or a small or large three-bedroom house since. These lorries can accommodate 40-50 boxes of personal belonging, three to four beds, two to three sofas, dining tables and chairs, two double and two single wardrobes, and even all your kitchen appliances.
Again, if you’re looking to downsize from a larger two or three-bedroom property, this van could be the ideal way for you to transfer the possessions and furniture you don’t initially have space for into a storage unit.
At Titan Storage, our 100 square foot, 125 square foot and 150 square foot units can all easily accommodate the amount of possessions and furniture that fits in a 7.5 tonne Luton lorry.
How big is a Luton lorry?
A 7.5 tonne Luton lorry has an external dimensions as follows:
- Length: 8.35 metres (27.4 foot)
- Width: 2.5m (8.2ft)
- Height: 3.5m (11.5ft)
And to give you an idea of what you can fit in a 7.5 tonne Luton van for your house move, here are the internal dimensions of the loading area:
- Length: 6.1 metres (20 foot)
- Width: 2.35m (7.7ft)
- Height: 2.4m (7.87ft)
Bigger properties and alternatives
If the house that you’re moving out of is bigger than a large three-bedroom property, you’ll need more than one hireable van. To accomplish your move, you will either need multiple vans or to use a large removals company belonging to the BAR (British Association of Removers).
For people who don’t want to do their own removals, there is also the option of hiring a man with a van to load and unload your belongings and drive between your old and new properties, without you needing to hire a van yourself.
If you’re looking to store the contents of your home while you go travelling, or if you’re downsizing, why not get a quote from Titan Storage to see what we can provide for you. Or, take a look at our storage estimator to see how our units size up next to rooms and contents of your home.
More questions and answers about van sizes for moving house
Can I drive a van?
It’s important to ensure you can drive then van you are planning to hire for a house move. A standard full UK driving licence will typically allow you to drive category B vehicles, which includes vans up to 3.5 tonnes. This makes transit vans and 3.5 tonne Luton vans the most suitable option for most people, compared to a larger 7.5 tonne Luton lorry for which you would need a special HGV licence to drive. If you do not have a suitable licence to drive these larger size vans, but need their storage space, then a removals company is probably worth looking at.
Is hiring a van right for your house move?
When moving house trying to decide whether you should hire a van for self drive or take up the services of a removal firm can be a tricky decision, particularly if you have a lot of furniture which is difficult for you to move.
Here are some of the pros and cons you should think about when weighing up whether to hire a van for your house move, or to go with the services of a removals company.
Hire van for self-drive |
Using a removals company |
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Cons:
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Pros:
Cons:
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How far in advance should I plan my move?
Ideally you should start planning two months ahead for moving home – check out our moving house checklist for what you need to think about getting organized and when.
Editor Note – Content originally published back in September 2017. Content has been updated and is correct as of August 2020
