Buying a used van for courier work: the checks that prevent breakdowns
A practical inspection list for anyone buying a van to drive for a same-day courier network, from the people who inspect partner vans every week, with what to do when one lets you down anyway.
Partner drivers ask us what van to buy more than anything else. The honest answer is that the model matters less than the history and the five components that strand couriers. Here's what we look at when a van joins the network, and what you should look at before you buy one.
Before you view it
- MOT history on gov.uk: look for repeat advisories on the same item (brakes, suspension, corrosion). That's a van that's been patched, not fixed.
- Mileage against age. 25,000 a year is normal for a working van; 60,000 a year means motorway life, which is kinder on the van than 10,000 a year of stop-start city work.
- Ask for the service invoices, not the stamped book. Invoices show what was actually replaced.
The five things that strand couriers
| Component | What to check | Why it matters on the road |
|---|---|---|
| Alternator and battery | Battery voltage with the engine running should sit around 14V. Dim lights at idle are a warning. | The most common cause of a dead van mid-shift. It fails quietly, then all at once. |
| Clutch and dual-mass flywheel | Biting point high up the pedal, judder pulling away, rattle at idle. | Expensive, and it goes on a hill with a full load. |
| Injectors and DPF | Smoke on start-up, warning lights, a seller who 'just did a motorway run'. | A blocked DPF puts a van into limp mode on the M6. |
| Tyres and brakes | Even wear, date codes under 6 years, discs without a lip. | Legal, and a blow-out with 900 kg on board is a very different event from a car. |
| Timing belt or chain | Proof of the last change, by date and mileage. | If it snaps, the engine is scrap. Non-negotiable. |
On the test drive
- Drive it cold. A van that's been warmed up before you arrive is hiding something.
- Full lock both ways at walking pace, listening for CV joints.
- A hard stop from 40 mph on an empty road: straight, no pull, no shudder.
- Turn everything off and listen to it idle for two minutes.
After you buy it
Get it on a ramp within the first week, regardless of what the seller said, and do the fluids. Then put a plan in the glovebox for the day it still lets you down: a torch, hi-vis, a phone charger, and the number for recovery. Our partner drivers use Recoverer, the same company's recovery platform: fixed price before you book, nearest driver dispatched, tracked live, no membership and no commercial-use exclusion.
A courier van earns its keep on availability. The cheapest van is the one that's on the road on Monday morning.
Prices quoted are our published rates at the time of writing, with no VAT added. Enter your postcodes for a fixed price today.