12 fun facts about vans

Looking for some fun van facts? Who isn't? Don't worry. We've got you covered with 12 of them right here.

1. "Van" comes from "caravan"

The first time "van" entered the English language, it was just a lazy way to say caravan, and it caught on!

Now, it was the 19th century, so caravans weren't like your auntie's old static on the coast in Norwich. They were covered, horse-drawn vehicles. So it makes a lot more sense that the name carried over to the sort of van we know today.

2. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has transit roots

Do you often look over at a white van man in passing traffic and get flashbacks to Dick Van Dyke in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? Well, there might be an obscure reason why. Our favourite talking car was built on a Transit SWB Chassis!

3. Paddy McGuiness drove the world's fastest ice cream van

Imagine looking out your window to see Paddy McGuiness with a manic look on his face zooming down your road in an ice cream van, chimes blaring... a bit scary, isn't it?

Well, he kind of did that, although it was less scary than it sounds. As part of an episode of BBC's Top Gear, McGuiness reached 80.043 miles per hour in an electric-engine ice cream van, breaking the world record.

4. The first van was made in the 19th century

The first official van or "modernised truck" was made by Damier-Motoren-Gesellschaft and was delivered to a customer in London. It was able to carry 1,500 kilograms and speed along at the faster-than-lightning speed of… seven miles per hour!

5. White vans are taking over the UK

How many white vans do you see a day? Feels like there's an ever-increasing number of them on the roads, doesn't it? Did you know there are around 2.4 million white vans in the UK? That works out to one van for every 24 people!

57% of vans on the UK roads are white, with silver vans coming in at 11.4% and blue vans with 9% of the market share.

6. The "hippy van" started off much more straight-laced

You know what we're talking about when we say "hippy van", aren't you? The cute Volkswagen camper van was originally much more ordinary looking, having been designed to move vehicle parts around a huge Volkswagen factory in Britain. However, a Dutch Volkswagen importer called Ben Pon wanted to make the model bigger to deliver larger parts, and the VW Type 2 was born.

It was advertised as a "do-whatever-you-want" van until the counterculture movement claimed it as their own in the 1960s.

7. A VW camper van can cram in 51 people

"What did you do on the weekend, Brenda?"

"Oh not much, I just crammed myself into a VW camper van with 50 other people."

An incredible 51 people managed to squeeze themselves into the 1974 vehicle… which is pretty groovy if you ask us!

This world-record-winning game of human Jenga took place during Bus Fest at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, which was raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

8. Essex has the most white van drivers

Essex tops the white van charts, closely followed by Kent coming in second and Lancashire coming in third.

While we're talking about white vans, here's a bonus fact about them. The top job roles for white van drivers include builders, delivery drivers, shopkeepers, electricians and handymen.

9. Van drivers cover just 9,426 miles a year on average

The average van driver is driving the same amount of miles it would take to drive the length of the country 13 times. It doesn't really seem like a lot for a van, does it?

But you have to consider that most private vans are more likely to stay local, with only around 33% travelling more than 15 miles away from their base. So while business vans travelling internationally will travel many more miles, the amount of private and local business vans brings the average down.

10. 2021 was the year everyone went made for camper vans

Camper van purchases and rentals boomed while we were in and out of lockdowns in the UK. But that makes sense when you think about it. Why risk getting close to others in the middle of a pandemic when you can zoom off in your cute little camper van and park as far away from other people as you like?

Motorhomes saw a rise in popularity too, with caravan and motorhome sales increasing by 126% in response to COVID-19.

11. 98 vans made up the largest parade of ice cream vans in the world

We're back with another ice cream van fact! On 16th June 2022, Wall's Ice Cream gathered a parade of a whopping (whipping?) 98 ice cream vans at Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex, UK, winning a spot in Guinness World Records.

This parade was organised to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Wall's Ice Cream, the wonderful people who brought us Cornetto, Magnum, Solero, Feast, Calippo, Twister, Mini Milk and the ever-so-posh Viennetta.

12. You can drive most vans with an ordinary driving licence

Do you want to know what the most fun van fact is? You can probably drive one if you have a category B car licence! If you passed your test before the 1st of January 1997, you're usually allowed to drive a vehicle (and trailer combination) that weighs up to 8,250 kilograms MAM (maximum authorised mass). If you passed your test on or after 1st January 1997, you can drive vehicles that weigh up to 3,500g MAM with up to eight passenger seats.

Looking to rent a van? Whether you're moving house, taking on a job, or need to transport some goods, we have a van that will suit your needs. Take a look at our fleet here at Metro Vehicle Hire to find the perfect van for you.