Van Hire Legal Requirements

When you hire a van one of the most important aspects is the legal requirements that you need to comply to.

Most vans although not minibuses as in those under 3500kgs which includes the Luton Van and Extra Long Wheel Base Vans are category B, which means they can be driven on a standard UK car driving license.

They are in effect classed as a car for the purposes of driver license requirements. So you can in theory drive a van at 17 years old, having just passed your test on a car. However you are very unlikely to be able hire a van at that age, and most van rental companies only allow an age range of 25 to 70 years old for the driver (normally 30 to 70 years old for Minibuses). Some do allow younger drivers (from 21 years old normally) to hire vans, with restrictions on what type of van they can hire along with additional charges.

Unfortunately the situation isn't as straightforward with minibuses, as they are passenger carrying vehicles the rules are more complex and there are entire pages describing the rules on the DVLA's website, so your best checking with the DVLA if you have any doubts

If you had entitlement to drive cars prior to 1 January 1997 you can drive a minibus provided you are over 21 or over and the minibus has a maximum of 17 seats including the driver’s seat and is not being used for hire. Though, if you renewed your license since then, and did not apply specifically for the minibus category then the post 1 January 1997 laws will take effect.

Holders of a full category B car driving license issued after 1 January may drive

A minibus with up to 16 passenger seats provided the following information is met still:

The vehicle is used for social purposes by a non-commercial body but not for hire or reward. The driver is aged 21. The driver has held a car (category B) license for at least 2 years .The driver is providing the service on a voluntary basis. The minibus maximum weight is not more than 3.5 tonnes or 4.25 tonnes including any specialist equipment for the carriage of disabled passengers. If the driver is aged 70 or over, they are able to meet the health standards for driving a D1 vehicle.
To drive a minibus which has nine or more passenger seats for hire you will normally need to obtain passenger carrying vehicle entitlement (PCV).