Having a van built to order

This site is a guide to having a van built or fitted out to order. It is not Bespoke Vans, Baker Bespoke Vans Ltd or any other firm with a similar name. It is not connected with any of them.

Many people use a van for their work. Some buy one and have it fitted with shelves, racking or a new body. Others have a van built to suit one trade.

Weight comes first

Every van has a maximum it is allowed to weigh when loaded. GOV.UK calls this the design gross weight. You can find it on the van's vehicle identification number (VIN) plate.

That maximum covers the van itself, the driver and passengers, the fuel and the load.

Anything fitted to the van, such as racking, shelving or a new body, is part of the van's own weight.

A local weighbridge can weigh the finished van. GOV.UK says a driver can be fined up to £300, or summonsed to court, if a van goes over its maximum permitted axle weight.

If the work changes the weight of a large vehicle, such as a goods vehicle, you'll need to give DVLA either a plating certificate or a design weight certificate.

Telling DVLA

You must update your V5C log book to tell DVLA about most changes you make to a vehicle. GOV.UK lists the colour, the engine, the fuel type and the seating capacity among them.

A change of body type goes on the V5C too. GOV.UK says DVLA gives a body type description based on how the vehicle looks from outside. DVLA will tell you if it needs to inspect the change.

Cutting into the structure

Some work changes the van's structure. For a light goods vehicle under 3,500kg, GOV.UK gives examples:

You must tell DVLA about a structural modification, on form V627/3. You must also keep evidence of the van's original VIN, including photographs of the van, the work and the VIN.

GOV.UK says modifications should only be done by a specialist. You stay responsible for making sure the van is always safe to drive.

After the work, GOV.UK says you should get an MOT and make sure your insurance is still valid. DVLA then issues a new V5C, which states that the van has been modified from the maker's specification.

Approval for a modified van

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) can approve a single vehicle, or a very small number, through individual vehicle approval (IVA).

GOV.UK says you must apply to DVSA for approval of a van up to 3,500kg gross weight if it has been built, rebuilt, radically altered or modified. DVSA publishes a guide on how changes to a modified goods vehicle are approved.

GOV.UK says a van already registered in the UK usually goes through voluntary approval instead, unless it has been modified significantly since it was registered.

GOV.UK's list of exemptions includes light goods vehicles of 3,500kg maximum weight or less that are over 10 years old.

Your rights with the firm doing the work

A converter working for a consumer must do the work with reasonable care and skill. That duty comes from section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Under section 50 of the same Act, what the converter says or writes becomes part of the contract if you take it into account when deciding to go ahead, or when making a later decision about the work. A written specification keeps a record of what was said.

Where the contract sets no time for the work, section 52 says the converter must finish it within a reasonable time.

A business that has a van built is covered by different law. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, section 13 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 says the supplier will carry out the service with reasonable care and skill.

Section 14 of the 1982 Act adds a reasonable time, where the contract does not fix one.

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