Rapid Vans Leasing Ltd

Rapid Vans Leasing Ltd: van leasing and sales for businesses in the UK

Rapid Vans Leasing Ltd is a British company specialising in the finance lease and sale of commercial vans, aimed at both start-up businesses and established companies. Its activity focuses on facilitating the acquisition of industrial vehicles through flexible finance arrangements, with a process that combines vehicle selection, customisation of finance terms and online application.

The company presents itself as a specialist in van leasing and sales, with an offering that spans multiple makes and models, and an approach geared towards reducing administrative and logistical costs in order to pass those savings on to the customer.

Van and commercial vehicle catalogue

The Rapid Vans Leasing Ltd catalogue includes a wide variety of vans and commercial vehicles, organised by type, size and manufacturer. Among the makes available are Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, Renault, Nissan, Citroën, Peugeot, Ford, Isuzu Trucks, Land Rover, Toyota, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Maxus, DFSK, Fuso, Iveco and MAN.

The vehicles are classified into categories such as small, medium and large panel vans, refrigerated vans, curtain-side and Luton vans, crew vans and double cabs, tippers and dropsides, pickups, minibuses and chassis cabs. Among the most prominent models in the catalogue are the Ford Transit, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the Ford Ranger Pickup, the Volkswagen Crafter, the Toyota Proace City, the Renault Kangoo and the Land Rover Defender, among others.

The company also offers specific deals for pickups, with models from Isuzu, Toyota, Ford and Volkswagen, and highlights the Ford Ranger Wildtrak as a benchmark among double-cab pickups.

Finance options: leasing, hire purchase and cash purchase

Rapid Vans Leasing Ltd structures its finance offering into three main types. Finance lease is the preferred option for start-up businesses and sole traders, especially those not VAT registered and with a limited deposit. Hire purchase is a traditional funding method that has regained popularity since the introduction of tax advantages for vans. The third option is cash purchase, by bank transfer or BACS.

The company explains that all finance methods are 100% tax deductible. In the case of leasing, the monthly payments can be offset against the taxable profits of the year in which they are paid, spreading the tax relief over the term of the contract. With hire purchase, the customer acquires the vehicle and, if VAT registered, can reclaim it immediately; they can also benefit from 100% tax relief in the year of purchase or depreciate the asset over the term of the contract, up to a maximum of £200,000 of fixed assets per year, excluding cars.

The company notes that manufacturers often require dealers and brokers to market their vans exclusively through monthly lease payments, without showing the final discounted price, in order to protect the vehicle's residual value. Rapid Vans Leasing Ltd states that its quotes clearly show the discount applied and the final payment, so the customer knows exactly what they are paying.

Business model and track record

Rapid Vans Leasing Ltd was incorporated in 2018, although its senior director, Mark Aston, has forty years of experience in van sales. Mark Aston and his twin brother launched the first British online van sales business, Vans Direct Ltd, in 1998, which went on to sell 10,000 new vans a year and pioneered free nationwide delivery. The brothers sold Vans Direct and its sister company Low-Cost Vans in 2007.

After a period as a consultant in web-based finance, Mark Aston and his son Sam Aston, the new co-director, founded Rapid Vans Leasing Ltd with the aim of building an e-commerce business that would offer a low-cost, efficient supply of new vans. The company places orders directly with the manufacturer and handles most transactions online, which reduces overheads. The vans are delivered directly from the dealership to the customer's home, which lowers administrative and logistical costs and allows those savings to be passed on to the customer.

Contracting process and customer service

The contracting process proposed by Rapid Vans Leasing Ltd is structured in three steps: choose the van, customise the finance options and apply for the finance assessment. The company emphasises a no-haggling, no-pressure approach, with the possibility of comparing vehicles, building your own quote and applying online.

The company presents itself as a benchmark option in van leasing in the UK and highlights its customer service. The website includes FAQs, a blog and access to a customer area.

Featured deals from the catalogue

The Rapid Vans Leasing Ltd catalogue shows a selection of leasing deals with indicative monthly payments, expressed excluding VAT. Among the published examples are the Toyota Proace City 1.5D 100 Active Van from £253.01 per month, the Ford Transit Custom 2.0 EcoBlue 136ps H1 Double Cab Van Limited from £612.51, the Ford Ranger Pick Up Double Cab Wildtrak 2.0 EcoBlue 205 Auto from £646.43, the Volkswagen Crafter 2.0 TDI 140PS Commerce Plus High Roof Van from £426.25, the Ford Ranger Pick Up D+Cab Wildtrak 2.3 EcoBoost PHEV 281 Auto from £477.04, the Ford Transit Custom 100kW 65kWh H1 Double Cab Van Limited Auto from £593.43, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3.5t H2 Pro Van from £531.51 and the Land Rover Defender 3.0 D300 Hard Top X-Dynamic HSE Auto from £1,250.67.

In the most popular deals section, some models are repeated with updated payments, such as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3.5t H2 Pro Van from £534.97, the Ford Transit Custom 2.0 EcoBlue 130ps Low Roof Limited Van Auto from £557.40, the Ford Transit Courier 1.5 EcoBlue Leader Van from £268.28, the Ford Ranger Pick Up D+Cab Wildtrak X 2.0 EcoBlue 205 Auto from £784.32, the Ford Transit Custom 2.0 EcoBlue 136ps H1 Double Cab Van Limited from £490.42, the Renault Kangoo ML19 TCe 100 Advance [Safety] Van from £207.03, the Ford Ranger Pick Up Double Cab Tremor 2.0 EcoBlue 205 Auto from £614.63 and the Volkswagen Amarok D+Cab P+Up Life 2.0 TDI 205 4M Auto [Technology] from £519.05.