The cost of parts for vans is often overlooked during the buying process, and the importance of this matter is usually only realised when it’s needed. To give buyers a better idea of how much the cost of parts and their fitting can vary, we obtained a quote from each manufacturer to replace a set number of commonly replaced items.
The shopping list of bits included a front windscreen, a door mirror, a front bumper, a nearside front headlight and a spare key. We encountered a number of limitations, like the fact that some vehicles have two mirrors in their door mirror, and others have one, and the fact that some have their front bumper split into three sections which will make it more expensive to replace the whole bumper, but cheaper if you want to replace a section.
We split the vans into three categories (small, medium and heavy van) to give a fairer analysis:
Small vans (between three and 4.5 cubic metres)
Winner: Renault Kangoo – £1,014 plus VAT (£760 parts, £254 fitting)
With their small windscreens and just the one mirror in the door mirrors, small vans are understandably cheap when it comes to replacing parts. There isn’t much variation in this sector, either, with the Renault Kangoo emerging only marginally cheaper than the sector average of around £1,100.
See the full list of small van replacement parts prices
Medium vans (between 4.5 and seven cubic metres)
Winner: Ford Transit Custom – £1,005 (£820 parts, £185 fitting)
The average repair bill for medium vans rises to around £1,250 but, surprisingly, the cheapest quote we obtained was lower than the cheapest small van. Buyers should be aware though that quotes varied in this sector by a staggering £500.
See the full list of medium van replacement parts prices
Large vans (above seven cubic metres)
Winner: Volkswagen Crafter – £1,275.50 plus VAT (£894 parts, £381.50 fitting)
It’s in the large van sector, however, where prices are the highest and vary the most. Over £600 separated the priciest and cheapest, and there was an average repair bill of around £1,550. Volkswagen’s reputable Van Centre network came out on top in this sector.
See the full list of large van replacement parts prices
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