Taking (mid-sized) vans on a ferry

What’s the STW view on going cross-channel with a van? I’ve noticed that when going through the online booking systems the prices are considerably more expensive just because I’ve got a van rather than a motorhome (or 4×4).

Phoned P&O to query it but the person on the end of the phone was a bit vacant. I can understand charging for commercial traffic, but charging more just because I don’t have a matress in the back (note to self: consider putting mattress in the back) seems a bit off.

Has anyone here chanced it on one of the cheaper fares? The van in question is a compact Vito, so the same as SWB Transporter/Transit/Trafic/etc

Cheers

I had this issue with the IoM ferry last year with a LWB Trafic. When I explained (over the phone) that it was my personal van – not trade – the young lady was very helpful and I got it booked on at the “motorhome/people carrier” rate. I did have to sign a declaration on each journey, to the effect that I had no trade good inside.

So – try phoning again and hope you get someone a bit more savvy.

I’ve got a SWB Transporter and have taken on about 10-12 ferry crossings now, I’ve never pre-booked it as anything other than a estate car and I’ve never been called up about it.

I’ve never even had it questioned.

Richie,

any of those trips cross-channel?

Annoyingly I took the old Caddy across last year, but can’t remember what I booked it on as. It certainly wasn’t booked on as a van, and I wasn’t questioned about it – damn my rubbish memory!

Druidh, your approach sounds about right. Might aswell have one last go at doing it legit before just chancing it

I think it is to do with size, on a ferry in Scotland we had a VW transporter measured and it was something like 3 inches witin the size bracket.

My Vito I used to say was a van based motor home and never had any problems.

Nah it’s definitely the category that you pick. e.g. Van > Motorhome > Big Car – all with the same 4.5m long and 1.9m high dimensions put on the booking.

Book it on as a large car – you will have to give measurements for length and height, but if it fits within the max size you’ll be fine.

Legend – All of them have been cross channel. Most were Plymouth /Roscoff but have also done Dover / Calais and Portsmouth / Le Havre.

Have you considered going “freight” on Eurotunnel? I did it when I moved house. Decent experience, some characters to talk to in the passenger carriages and wasn’t too expensive.

Your query got me thinking as I have a Vito and a Chrysler Voyager which are almost identical in size, so I’ve just been on the P&O site and for the same sailing it came out at £70 return for the Voyager and £170 for the Vito. Tell you what though, if I was to take the Vito, I’d book it as a large car and b*ll*cks to P&O ’cause I think they’re taking the proverbial.
Just remembered that I had to book a company Transit on a ferry to Jersey years ago and as it was only carrying tools, not goods, it didn’t have to travel as freight.

Haven’t taken the van back over for a little while now, but we used to find it was substantially cheaper to put the dimensions in for an “unknown” vehicle, rather than to select a Renault Trafic from the list (or a “van less than 2m high” or whatever their list options are).

Mental.

Is Eurotunnel an option?
They charge the same price for car/car based van, car with roof boxes/bikes or a van.
The price goes up by about £20 each way if you have a campervan or minibus, and is halved if you have a motorcycle.
You also pay approx double the standard fare if you have a trailer or caravan.

Took my VW t4 camper to ireland on STENA LINE a few months ago – booked it in as a car .
No one looked twice at it.

I’ve crossed loads of times in a vw T3 multivan, and always paid for a car (within size limit) except once when it was actually cheaper to book it on as a van (think this was because it was a sunday or something). Just FYI I’ve never gone with P&O because they always seem very expensive compared to DFDS(/Norfolkline)

DFDS are the worst yet (if I say it’s a van) £12.50 for a car……..£102.50 for a van of the same dimensions 😯

Travelling over with another group, plan was to go ferry over and train back. Think I’ll just be going for the book it as a car option.

Actually can’t quite believe that DFDS price though!

I take it you mean the worst yet if you book it on as a van. Or are you telling me P&O will let you on for under 12.50?? Like I said, I found on one occasion it was cheaper (by a couple of quid) to book it on as a van, the next time I tried it was a lot more expensive. My VW has windows all the way down it, but I’m sure you’ll be fine – throw some cushions in the back.

I use that route a lot. I used to use speedferries Calais-Bolougne, then they went bust and since then (2 yrs +) I’ve used Norfolkline/DFDS, never had any problems and if I’m early or late I get let on the prev/next boat.

They charge the same price for car/car based van, car with roof boxes/bikes or a van.

unfortunately not correct. For the day I’m looking at using the train it’s £77 for a car, £137.54 for the van if you follow the rules and book through the ‘Commercial’ website. Probably just going to chance it with the public site on this one too, sure the load space isn’t over 3 cubic metres anyway 😉

I’ve always found Eurotunnel cheaper than the ferries with my Ducato. The wagons are high so the main thing they base rates on is length. We’ve got a booking in August for 170e return. The best ferry price was 280e.

I’m crossing the channel 25 July (a Wednesday) with a return not yet decided. Just a Mondeo estate crammed with windsurfers on top and bikes on the boot. Just in case anybody knows…what’s going to be the cheapest crossing? Heading from Midlands and going down the east side of France, so Brittany isn’t practical.

Dover Dunkirk seems to be the cheapest I could find £70 return

We’re going out on the ferry and back on the train this year. Fits in nicer with our timings

Edukator, did you go through the commercial site or just wing it through the normal one?

unfortunately not correct. For the day I’m looking at using the train it’s £77 for a car, £137.54 for the van if you follow the rules and book through the ‘Commercial’ website.

I wasn’t referring to the commercial site. 😉