The stereotypical image of the white van man driver is being challenged by a “van buying renaissance” that is seeing more women than ever choosing to run a van.
Auto Trader research has discovered women now make up 32 percent of van owners, something it attributes to the growing appeal of vans for use in occupational and leisure pursuits.
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Self-employed people, such as those with small internet businesses, are buying vans in ever-greater numbers, meaning that a full 1.4 million households in Britain now own a van. But they’re not just for business use: 40 percent of owners say they use their vans for leisure activities as well as work.
They’re unlikely to have a tabloid newspaper shoved on the dashboard either: the most-read newspaper for today’s British van driver is a broadsheet. The middle classes comprise 37 percent of all UK van drivers.
Auto Trader editorial director Erin Baker said: “Van drivers have probably suffered at the hands of the ‘white van driver’ stereotype for too long. But our study shows a revival for the van community which celebrates van drivers of all backgrounds, genders and ages.
“The van has many benefits beyond couriering work equipment, and now with modern interiors, better technology and connectivity and an overall driving experience that’s becoming more comfortable, car buyers are increasingly turning to the van when it comes to considering a vehicle that meets their occupational and lifestyle needs in equal measure.”
Auto Trader says the used van market increased 4.4 percent between July and September 2017, and van advert views have rocketed by 47 percent so far this year: a whopping 10.5 million van adverts are viewed every single month.
The marketplace even reckons some owners could be using vans as a more cost-effective alternative to bigger cars or SUVs, facilitating weekend pursuits without costing a fortune.