Also read: Most fuel-efficient large vans
Also read: Best van for payload at 3.5t
An often overlooked aspect of a vehicle that can have a serious impact on the overall running costs is the price for parts and fitting. The prices varied an incredible £600 (50 percent) in the large van segment, which means it varies more than fuel costs.
The way it works is we presented a list of items (front, nearside headlight, front bumper, front windscreen, nearside mirror and a replacement key) to the nine major players in the large panel van sector that needed replacing, and asked each of them how much it would cost.
The average repair bill came to around £1,400 but there were a few discrepancies. For example, in the case of the Citroen Relay, Fiat Ducato and Peugeot Boxer, their front bumper is made from three interconnecting panels (nearside, central and offside) instead of just one piece, so replacing all three panels is far more expensive, but would be cheaper in the more realistic scenario of just one panel needing replacement.
9 – Citroen Relay – £1,894.75
Weighing in at just over an eye-watering £1,850 is the Citroen Relay. Remember, just like the Fiat Ducato and Peugeot Boxer, the Citroen Relay’s front bumper is made up of three panels and, unless it’s quite a bad accident, it’s unlikely that all three panels will need replacing.
Read the Citroen Relay review.
8 – Fiat Ducato – £1,621.00
The Fiat Ducato is the most fuel-efficient van in its class, but the incredibly expensive parts means that its overall running costs are only average. It was the combined price of all of the parts, at over £1,300, that proved the most expensive, which is surprising considering that Fiat manufactures the parts.
Read the Fiat Ducato review.
7 – Peugeot Boxer – £1,609.00
Despite the Peugeot Boxer being built by Fiat in Italy, the French manufacturer is able to offer replacement parts cheaper than its Italian counterpart. The three-part front bumper, for example, cost £303 (compared with £448 on the Fiat) and £124 for a wing mirror (compared with £234 on the Fiat).
Read the Peugeot Boxer review.
6 – Vauxhall Movano – £1,525.08
Vauxhall’s Premier Van Centres now compromise of over 100 dealerships nationwide, and offer a more van focussed approach to repairs and servicing. Overall, the prices are fairly average, apart from the windscreen replacement which is a costly affair, though, at £697 including fitting.
Read the Vauxhall Movano review.
5 – Renault Master – £1,393.00
Whereas Renault’s smallest van, the Renault Kangoo, is the cheapest van in its class for repair and maintain, the larger Renault Master can only manage a mediocre fifth place. The parts were expensive, but the time taken to carry out the repairs (four hours and six minutes) helped reduce the bill.
Read the Renault Master review.
4 – Ford Transit – £1,355.00
Nationally, the labour rates and the time taken to carry out the repairs at each of Ford’s new Transit Centres are the lowest of all the manufacturers, but the price of the parts pushes the overall cost up. The combined cost of a new headlight and wing mirror is £409, for example, compared with £290 for the Volkswagen Crafter.
Read the Ford Transit review.
3 – Mercedes-Benz Sprinter – £1,317.00
Despite having one of the most expensive labour rates, repairs and maintenance carried out at the Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle dealer network work out quite affordable thanks to the price of the parts, like £257 for a replacement windscreen and £107 for a wing mirror.
Read the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter review.
2 – Nissan NV400 – £1,292.00
Rather surprisingly, the price of supply and fitment of parts for the Nissan NV400 is the second cheapest of all the heavy vans. The low hourly rate and the quick fitment of parts means that the labour bill was just £226.
Read the Nissan NV400 review.
1 – Volkswagen Crafter – £1,275.50
The Volkswagen Crafter may be poor for fuel economy and payload, but it takes top spot when it comes to the cost of supply and fitting of parts. Again, this is quite surprising as the Crafter is built by Daimler alongside the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, although this is set to change next year with a new Volkswagen Crafter being built solely by VW in its own factory in Poland.
Read the Volkswagen Crafter review.
