It's estimated that around 85% of all vans undergo some sort of conversion before they are put into use, from humble ply lining and shelving through to a full on bodybuilder conversion vans get modded and improved throughout their life. But there's been a growing trend for manufacturers to start producing their own off-the-shelf converted vans, which is why we're going to explore the new Luton vans you can buy right now, direct from your local dealer.
King of the converted van segment has to be the Luton van. We've written everything there is to know about Luton vans to explain what the benefits of these monster volume movers are, but we'll outline just a couple of reasons again here.
A key feature of a Luton van is its peaked front - it's where the neame Luton Peak comes from - which adds extra storage space. This makes them a particular favourite of removals companies, two-man delivery teams for white goods or furniture as well as courier businesses.
Luton van dimensions vary depending on the donor vehicle, which we'll discuss in a moment, but you'll often find Luton vans with tail lifts, as well as curtainsided options.
What new Luton vans can you buy straight out the factory then? We'll look at the new Luton vans available from dealerships, who (if you're lucky) may even keep these in stock.
It goes without saying that the big daddy of the van world would have an option to buy a new Luton van.
The Ford Transit is the most popular large van for sale in the country, and Ford has had a dedicated conversion business for many of its products for years. As part of their One-Stop Shop For Conversions, you can not only get a new Luton van, but also tippers, dropsides, welfare vans and campers.
They're not very forthcoming about the specification of the Transit Luton, needless to say the Transit Luton would be bigger than the standard panel van Transit dimensions, but we suspect the lack of hard data is because being a Transit you can have rather a lot of options. It would be like expecting to see all the various types of coffee and milk combination listed behind the counter at Starbucks. It's just not realistic.
Instead, details can be found at your local Ford Transit Centre, who'll tell you all about the options for your converted van, as well as pricing and warranty.
The Sprinter is the second most popular model on British roads, so you guessed it... there's a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Luton van option as well.
Part of their Ready To Work range, the Sprinter Luton lines up alongside tippers and dropsides in their off-the shelf range.
You can get a new Luton van form Mercedes based on a Sprinter 314 Progressive L3 H1 Chassis cab.
It's a big van, with more than 4m in overall internal length and over 2m for the width and the height that's way bigger than the panel van Mercedes Sprinter dimensions. It's also capable of carrying just over one tonne.
Volkswagen give you the facts plain and simple. Their Crafter Luton van gets its own dedicated new vehicle page where you can see the full specification as well as all the important facts you need to know.
The basic van is has a load width of 1,951 mm, an opening aperture height of 1,770 mm and a total load length of 4,119 mm. Payload is a very respectable 1,493 kg.
VW also goes a step further in giving you the price of a new Luton van, with a £49,580 ex VAT figure quoted.
The body and bits, like the roller shutter, are made by Ingimex who are a top-notch bodybuilder for conversions like Luton vans. There's also a breakdown of the various equipment on there, including the option for the all-important tail lift.
Renault has such a strong foothold in Europe it's amazing that we often overlook them here in the UK.
The Renault Master has been available with an off-the-shelf Luton Box van option throughout most of the previous generation's lifespan (pictured above), and we expect that to continue with the new model.
Load volumes are up to 22m³ and it has a payload up to 1,204 kg. The regular Renault Master dimensions are generous, but the Luton conversion uses the very biggest vans. There are two wheelbase lengths and you can have it in front or rear-wheel-drive, which Renault points out is ideal for towing.
Its body is made from 11mm thick GRP side panels with a fibreglass roof skin on a 65 mm alloy frame. There's 15 mm thick wisdeck birch flooring and the rear doors get a roller shutter with a frame designed to support a column tail lift for your Luton van.
Based on the Renault Master, it comes as no surprise that there's a Nissan Luton van version for the Interstar.
Part of the factory built bodies range, which also includes tipper and dropside models, the Interstar Luton box van comes in either a 3.5-tonne GVW version or 4-tonne model.
Details are scares, but it is based on the new the chassis cab version (above) of the new platform, so there's also the option of an electric Luton van for the Interstar.
It has up to 20m3 of space and a maximum payload of 1728kg, thanks to that additional gross vehicle weight.
Peugeot not only has a Luton van version of its Boxer van, there's also a low-floor Luton option.
The rear body is dropped as low as it possibly can be to reduce the loading height. This means that a tail lift isn't necessary, which saves weight, giving an increased payload for the Luton van.
Most manfucaturers and body builders offer a low-floor option, but they're not always advertised. Regular Luton vans tend to be more popular for cost reasons and because of the added health and safety and duty of care for safe loading that a tail lift brings. Although, working from height with heavy objects opens up a whole new can of worms for H&S.
The Peugeot Boxer Luton van is part of the Boxer Built for Business conversions range, and there's even an option for a lightweight construction body which saves an additionaal 80kgs.
As with all of the shared Stellantis vans like the Boxer, there are also Luton vans available from the other brands. So you can have a Vauxhall Movano Luton, a Citroen Relay Luton or even a Fiat Ducato Luton van.
