Moving house doesn't need to mean booking a removal company and working around someone else's schedule. Hire a van yourself, load it when you're ready, and get your move done at a fraction of the cost. Central Scotland Vehicle Hire has small, medium, large and Luton box vans available from our Grangemouth depot, with the right size and the right advice for whatever move you've got coming up.
Book your moving van online or call 01324 471766 to talk through your move with our team.
Why Hire a Van Instead of Booking a Removal Company
A removal company charges for their van, their fuel, their staff and their time. Van hire only charges for the van. If you and a couple of friends are willing to do the lifting, self-drive van hire is almost always the cheaper way to move house.
You Set the Schedule
Removal firms work to their own diary, often with a set collection window and a set number of hours before extra charges apply. When you hire a van yourself, you collect it when it suits you, load at your own pace, and make as many trips as the day allows. If you're doing your own packing anyway, there's no reason to hand the driving over to someone else too.
You Only Pay for the Van
Our hire rate covers the vehicle, not a crew. A weekend house move with a hired van, a few strong friends, and pizza at the end of it costs a fraction of a full-service removal quote for the same job. You keep control of the budget, and there's no invoice creep if the move runs long.
You're Not Waiting on Someone Else's Diary
Removal companies book up fast around the end and start of the month, when most tenancies change hands. Van hire gives you more flexibility on dates, and if your moving day gets pushed back at short notice, rearranging a van booking is far simpler than rearranging a removal crew.
When a Removal Company Still Makes Sense
If you're moving a large family home on your own, dealing with a lot of stairs, or simply don't have anyone free to help you lift, a removal company's labour is what you're paying for. For everyone else, especially with access to a few helping hands, van hire covers the same ground for less.
Choosing the Right Van Size for Your House Move
Getting the size right matters more than anything else. Too small and you're doing extra trips. Too big and you're paying for space you don't use. Here's how our fleet lines up against typical house moves.
Small Van: Studio Flats and Single Rooms
Our small vans, the Citroen Berlingo and Renault Kangoo, suit a studio flat, a single room, or a student move with a bed, a desk and a handful of boxes. They drive and park like a car, so if you're moving somewhere with tight streets or limited parking, a small van keeps things simple. Anything beyond one room's worth of furniture will need a step up in size.
Medium Van: One and Two-Bedroom Flats
The medium van range, our Vauxhall Vivaro and Citroen Dispatch, is the size most one and two-bedroom flat moves land on. It takes a sofa, a bed frame, a dining table and a full run of boxes without needing multiple trips, and it's still easy enough to drive on ordinary streets. If you're moving a compact flat and don't have large appliances to shift, this is usually the right size.
Large Van: Two and Three-Bedroom Houses
Our large vans, the Ford Transit L2 H2 and Peugeot Boxer, give you standing headroom in the load area and enough length for wardrobes, sofas and bed frames in one piece. A two or three-bedroom house move usually fits comfortably, and if you can carry items upright without a lift, this size covers most moves without stepping up to a Luton.
Luton Box Van with Tail Lift: Full House Moves and Heavy Items
For a full house move, especially one with a washing machine, fridge-freezer or other heavy appliances, our Luton box van is the better choice. The boxy shape stacks furniture more efficiently than a curved panel van, and the tail lift means one person can load a washing machine or a wardrobe without straining to lift it off the ground. It's our largest van and the one most house-move customers end up booking.
Not Sure Which Size You Need?
Tell our team what rooms you're moving and whether you've got any large appliances, and we'll point you to the right size. It's better to ask before you book than to find out you need a second trip halfway through moving day.
Moving House Tips
A house move goes wrong when the packing isn't ready before the van arrives, not because of the van itself. A bit of planning in the days before moving day saves you hours on it.
Start with the rooms you use least, spare rooms, lofts, garages, so the boxes are ready and out of the way before you touch the kitchen or bedroom. Label every box with the room it's going to, not just its contents, so whoever's unloading knows where it goes without asking. Pack a bag of essentials separately, phone chargers, medication, a change of clothes, toiletries, and keep it out of the van's main load so it's the first thing you find at the other end.
Line up your help before the day, not on the morning of it. If you've got friends or family coming to lift, tell them the collection time for the van as well as the time you want to start loading, since those two things aren't always the same.
Moving Van Hire Tips
Booking the van is only half the job. A few decisions before you collect it will save you time, money, and a second trip.
Book the Right Size the First Time
It's tempting to size down to save a few pounds, but a van that's too small means a second trip, extra fuel, and extra time out of your day. If you're unsure between two sizes, size up, or call us and describe what you're moving so we can steer you to the right one.
Book Early for Weekends and Month-End
Weekend and end-of-month dates go first, since that's when most house moves and tenancy changeovers happen. If your moving day falls on a Friday, Saturday, or the last few days of the month, book as far ahead as you can to make sure the size you need is available.
Check Your Route for Height and Width Restrictions
Larger vans and the Luton have height and width to think about, particularly with multi-storey car parks, low bridges, or narrow lanes at either end of your move. If you're moving somewhere with a tight access road, mention it when you book so we can flag anything the van won't clear.
Fill the Tank Before You Return It
Hire vans go out with a full tank and need to come back the same way. Plan a fuel stop into your return journey so you're not paying a refuelling charge on top of the hire cost.
Know What Your Insurance Covers
Our hire vans come with insurance through our third-party provider, with an excess of up to £1,500. Check what that means for your situation, and ask our team about excess reduction options if you'd rather not carry that risk on moving day.
Loading the Van: What Actually Works
How you load the van decides how many trips you need and whether anything gets damaged on the way. The order and the packing matter more than how carefully you drive.
Load heavy, awkward items first, wardrobes, sofas, white goods, and put them against the front wall of the load area. Distribute the weight evenly across both sides rather than piling everything down one side, since a lopsided load shifts more in transit and is harder to control on the road. Build boxes on top of and around the furniture once the big pieces are secure, heaviest boxes at the bottom, lighter and fragile items on top.
Wrap anything fragile in blankets or towels rather than leaving it loose, and use offcuts of cardboard or bedding to fill gaps so nothing has room to slide. Straps or tie-downs stop furniture and appliances shifting under braking, which matters more on a fully loaded van than people expect. If you're using our Luton box van, load the tail lift in stages rather than piling everything on at once, and let our team show you how it works when you collect the van.
Leave a narrow path to the back doors if you can, so unloading at the other end doesn't mean climbing over everything to reach the first box.
What's Included and Who Can Drive
Every van hire from Central Scotland Vehicle Hire comes with insurance through our third-party provider, a 150 mile per day mileage allowance, and a serviced, cleaned vehicle ready for collection. A £300 rental deposit is taken on a debit or credit card in the driver's name, and prepaid cards aren't accepted.
- Drivers must be aged 23 to 72
- A full UK licence held for at least two years
- Drivers aged 23 or 24 pay a £25 per day young driver surcharge
- Additional drivers can be added for £10 a day
- Every van on our fleet, including the Luton, stays under 3.5 tonnes and can be driven on a standard category B car licence, so no special licence is needed to move house
Full details on ID, address checks and non-UK licences are on our driving requirements page.
Local to Grangemouth, Falkirk and Central Scotland
We're based at Unit 0, Newhouse Business Park, Grangemouth, a couple of minutes off the M9 next to Zetland Park. Most of our moving customers travel in from Falkirk, Polmont, Bo'ness, Linlithgow, Larbert and Stenhousemuir, and Edinburgh and Stirling are both within half an hour. As a local, family-run business, we can talk you through your options over the phone before you book, rather than leaving you to guess the size from a website form.
Book Your Moving Van Today
Reserve online through our booking system or call 01324 471766 to speak to the team directly. Tell us what you're moving and we'll help you choose between small, medium, large or Luton, so you book the right van the first time.
Moving Van Hire FAQs
What size van do I need to move house?
It depends on the size of your home and whether you have large appliances. A one-bedroom flat usually needs a medium van, a two or three-bedroom house needs a large van or Luton, and any move involving a washing machine or fridge-freezer is easier with a Luton box van and tail lift. Call us and we'll help you match the van to your move.
Do I need a special licence to hire a moving van?
No. Every van in our fleet, including the Luton box van, stays under 3.5 tonnes and can be driven on a standard category B car licence, the same licence you'd use to drive a car.
How far in advance should I book a van for moving house?
As early as possible, especially for a weekend move. Weekend Luton and large van bookings are the first to go, particularly around the end of the month when most house moves and tenancy changeovers happen.
Is it cheaper to hire a van than book a removal company?
In most cases, yes. A removal company charges for the van, the crew and their time. Van hire only charges for the vehicle, so if you have friends or family to help with the lifting, self-drive van hire works out significantly cheaper.
Can one person load a Luton box van on their own?
It's easier than you'd think with the tail lift, which raises heavy items like washing machines and wardrobes from ground level up to the loadspace floor. It won't replace an extra pair of hands for awkward furniture, but it removes most of the heavy lifting from ground level.
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