Refrigerated van leasing

Define the load and temperature requirement before choosing a van

‘Refrigerated’ does not describe one specification. Chilled goods, frozen goods and temperature-sensitive products can require different equipment and operating conditions. Give the bodybuilder or temperature-control specialist the requirements for your actual products; do not choose a system from a generic temperature claim.

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Choose the base van after the conversion brief

A compact base may be enough for the goods but too small once the insulation and equipment are installed. A larger body can add usable space, but the finished weight and access still need checking. Give the conversion specialist the required load rather than asking them to make a preselected van work at any cost.

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Ford’s conversion information includes temperature-controlled applications. That establishes a manufacturer-supported type of conversion, not the availability of a particular converted van through IVF. The completed vehicle must be specified and quoted.

Check the system against the route

Give the specialist a representative delivery day: loading conditions, departure time, journey duration, stop pattern and the longest period without recharging or external power where relevant. Explain whether the vehicle is expected to maintain an already conditioned load or perform another temperature-control task. Ask for written confirmation that the proposed system is suitable.

For food transport, the Food Standards Agency’s Safe Catering guidance addresses maintaining appropriate conditions and monitoring temperature during transport. Your requirements must come from the goods, the applicable operating rules and your food-safety process. A leasing page cannot validate that system.

An electric base vehicle adds a further energy question: how the refrigeration is powered while driving and parked, and what it means for the route and charging plan. Use a combined assessment of vehicle and equipment rather than transferring the unconverted van’s range figure.

Agree aftercare before the first delivery

Ask who takes responsibility for faults in the base vehicle, refrigeration unit and body conversion. Confirm planned servicing, any inspections, access to a suitable repairer and how the system will be checked at handover. A standard vehicle maintenance package may not cover the specialist equipment.

The order should make the conversion scope clear: the system, interior, power arrangement, agreed documentation and any training or commissioning required. Check how installed equipment is treated at the end of the lease and whether removal or reinstatement is required.

Tell IVF the timing you need, but plan around the completed vehicle. A base van being available does not confirm a finished conversion or its handover date.

Request a complete converted-vehicle quotation

Ask whether the proposed base vehicle, conversion and funding can be arranged together. The written scope should identify every included element and who supplies, maintains and supports it. An ordinary panel-van rental is only the base-vehicle starting point.

• At the start: check the initial rental, subsequent rentals and payment schedule, VAT, the £295 plus VAT administration fee, and any additional charges.
• During the agreement: confirm the treatment of delivery and road tax, warranty start date, servicing, tyres, maintenance and insurance. Do not assume optional packages are included.
• When the contract ends: contract hire normally means returning the vehicle, without an option to own it. Ask for the mileage charge, return-condition standard, equipment-removal requirements and any collection or end-of-contract charges. Early termination can carry a charge.

Keep the temperature-control specification and acceptance requirements with the order documents. Finance approval, base-vehicle availability and a suitable conversion are separate matters; none should be assumed from a general van listing.

Refrigerated conversions are usually built on medium or large panel vans; compare the base van first, then start from our van leasing overview for every body type and size.

Base vans for refrigerated conversions on published figures

These dated manufacturer figures are reference comparisons, not confirmed specifications for every vehicle currently listed. Match the model year, body, powertrain, battery, trim, wheels and fitted equipment to the actual IVF derivative before relying on a figure. Range and charging results depend on test conditions, temperature, load and charging equipment; do not combine maxima from different versions.

The figures below are the manufacturers’ own published UK specifications, checked on 6 September 2026 and listed with their sources at the end of this section. Figures vary by version, equipment and model year, and some manufacturers publish different numbers on different pages, which is noted where it applies. Confirm the exact vehicle on the written quotation before relying on any of them.

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• Chilled food must be kept at 8°C or below: a legal requirement in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, recommended in Scotland (GOV.UK food hygiene guidance from the Food Standards Agency, which also recommends a 5°C setting and states that chilled and frozen food must be kept at the right temperature during transport).
• The insulated lining, refrigeration unit and any standby equipment become part of the unladen weight, so the converted vehicle’s payload is lower than the base van figures above; ask for the completed vehicle’s plated weights and payload in writing.

Check the plated weight and the driver

Insulation, the refrigeration unit and standby equipment change the finished payload and usable internal dimensions. Check roof equipment against access-height limits.

GOV.UK guidance for Great Britain allows a standard car licence to cover vans up to 3,500kg and zero-emission electric or hydrogen vans up to 4,250kg. Check the individual driver’s entitlement, restrictions and any trailer. Northern Ireland and overseas use need the applicable local rules. See the driving-a-van guidance.

Driver entitlement is separate from operator licensing. Goods vehicles over 3,500kg gross plated weight normally require a goods vehicle operator-licence assessment, subject to exemptions. Trailer combinations and international work can have different thresholds. Confirm the requirements for the vehicle and journeys before committing. Check operator licensing.

Tax, VAT and road tax: check the actual vehicle

Tax and operating guidance checked 28 September 2026. Confirm the actual vehicle classification and your circumstances with a qualified accountant; a commercial label does not decide every tax. Later annual charges can change.

For 2026/27, the company van benefit is £4,170 where the van benefit charge applies; employer-provided private fuel can add a £798 taxable benefit. These are taxable benefit values, not the tax bill. Qualifying restricted private use can be exempt, and zero-emission vans have a nil van benefit charge. Later van benefit amounts must be checked for each tax year; the company car percentage path is a different system. Read the HMRC van benefit figures.

VAT recovery depends on VAT registration, taxable business use, private use and the applicable vehicle rules. Keep the VAT basis consistent across quotations and ask your accountant to confirm recovery. The tax definition of a van can differ from the vehicle’s road-traffic category, especially with crew seating or a heavier conversion.

If the actual derivative is treated as a company car, its CO2, electric range where relevant and P11D value determine the benefit. The zero-emission car percentages are 4%, 5%, 7% and 9% for 2026/27 to 2029/30 respectively; they are not the rates for a qualifying company van. Check the full company car tax path for a passenger or differently classified alternative.

For 2026/27, the standard light-goods VED class TC39, for vehicles registered from 1 March 2001 with revenue weight up to 3,500kg, has a £360 single annual payment, including zero-emission vehicles. Other classes and exemptions differ. Confirm the registered class and how road tax and future increases are handled in the quotation. Check the GOV.UK vehicle-tax table.

The Expensive Car Supplement is a car-tax rule, not an addition to the standard light-goods rate above. Where car VED rules apply, the thresholds are list price over £40,000 for non-zero-emission cars and over £50,000 for zero-emission cars, with registration-date conditions; the current supplement is £440 for five years from the second taxation. Confirm the exact tax class. A pickup being a car for benefit in kind does not by itself change its VED treatment.

The government plans electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028 for electric and plug-in hybrid cars. Vans, buses, coaches and HGVs are outside its announced scope at introduction. Check the registered category for a passenger derivative or conversion, and recheck the final arrangements before the lease crosses that date. Read the government’s eVED scope.

Questions before you choose

Bring the goods specification and delivery pattern

Tell us what needs to be carried, under what conditions and on which routes. We can discuss the base-vehicle enquiry and the checks needed before a complete refrigerated-van quotation.