Moving Guides
What Size Removal Van Do I Need? Van Sizes for Every Home
Van sizes for moving home: load length, cubic metres and payload from a small van to a Luton, and which one suits a studio, one, two or three-bed move.
Published 14 October 2026 · Updated 14 October 2026
Most people pick a removal van by guessing, then find out on the day that the sofa is 30 cm longer than the load bay or that a second trip is needed. The guesswork is avoidable, because van makers and hire firms publish load lengths, heights, volumes and payloads.
This guide puts those published figures side by side for the four van classes used for home moves in the UK: a small van, a short-wheelbase medium van, a long-wheelbase high-roof panel van and a 3.5-tonne Luton with a tail lift. It then matches them to what a studio, one-bed, two-bed and three-bed home usually holds.
Every figure names the model and the source it came from, and was checked in October 2026. Van bodies vary by maker, year and converter, so treat the numbers as typical and measure your largest items before you book anything.
Key takeaways
- A 3.5-tonne Luton holds about 18–19 m³. Enterprise lists its Luton at 4.0 m long, 2.2 m wide and 2.2 m high inside.
- Space is not the only limit. Enterprise puts Luton payload at roughly 800–1,200 kg, so books, tiles and gym weights can overload a van that still looks half empty.
- DVSA fixed penalties for overloading are £100, £200 or £300 depending on how far over the limit the van is, and the van is stopped from going further.
- A studio or light one-bed usually suits a long-wheelbase van, a furnished one-bed or two-bed needs a Luton, and a three-bed house needs two or three Luton loads.
- A car licence issued since 1 January 1997 covers vans up to 3,500 kg, which includes a standard hire Luton.
- A Luton is about 3.3 m tall, far too high for central London car parks with barriers at around 2 m.
What size van do I need to move house?
For a studio or a lightly furnished one-bed flat, a long-wheelbase high-roof panel van of about 11 m³ usually does it in one trip. For a furnished one-bed or a two-bed, book a 3.5-tonne Luton of about 18–19 m³. A three-bed house needs two or three Luton loads, or a bigger lorry.
Those answers follow Enterprise’s van size guide, which suggests its large van (up to 11.3 m³) for a one-bed flat or bedsit, its extra-large van (up to 14 m³) for a two-bed flat or small house, and its Luton (up to 19 m³) for a two or three-bed flat or house.
Three things can push you up or down a size: one very long or tall item, a lot of heavy, dense belongings, and the access at either address. The sections below take each in turn.
What are the load dimensions of each van size?
A small van has about 1.8 m of load length and 3 m³ of space, a medium van about 2.6 m and 6 m³, a long-wheelbase high-roof van about 3.5 m and 11 m³, and a Luton about 4 m and 18–19 m³. The table gives one named model for each class.
| Van class | Example model | Load length | Load width | Load height | Load volume | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small van | Volkswagen Caddy Cargo, short wheelbase | 1.80 m | 1.61 m | 1.27 m | 3.1 m³ | 700–780 kg |
| Medium van, short wheelbase | Ford Transit Custom L1 H1 | 2.60 m | 1.78 m | 1.27 m | 5.8 m³ | About 900–1,400 kg |
| Long-wheelbase high-roof panel van | Ford Transit L3 H2 | 3.53 m | 1.78 m | 1.89 m | 11.5 m³ | About 1,200–1,360 kg |
| 3.5-tonne Luton with tail lift | Ford Luton or similar (Enterprise hire class) | 4.0 m | 2.2 m | 2.2 m | About 18–19 m³ | 800–1,200 kg |
The small van figures are from Volkswagen’s Caddy Cargo data sheet, the two Transit rows from Vans Direct’s Ford dimension tables, and the Luton row from Enterprise’s Luton van with tail lift page. Ford’s own pages confirm 5.8 m³ for the Transit Custom, and give the short-wheelbase Transit Connect 3.1 m³ and a 1,797 mm load length, the same as the Caddy.
Load width is measured above the wheel arches. Between the arches the two Transits narrow to 1.39 m and the Caddy to 1.23 m. The long-wheelbase payload is a range from two sources: Vans Direct gives 1,364 kg for a Transit L2 H2 at 3,500 kg gross weight, and Alco Van Hire gives 1,192 kg for its long-wheelbase Transit.
Other firms publish slightly different numbers for the same class. Alco Van Hire lists its short-wheelbase Transit at 2.50 m long, 1.75 m wide and 1.43 m high, with 6.2 m³ and an 869 kg payload. Ask the hire firm or mover for the figures for the actual vehicle.
How much fits in a Luton van?
A Luton holds about 18–19 m³, which Enterprise says often covers the contents of a two-bedroom flat or small house. Its tail-lift Luton is listed at 4.0 m long, 2.2 m wide and 2.2 m high inside, and 6.7 m long, 2.25 m wide and 3.3 m high outside. Alco Van Hire lists a slightly smaller Luton at 17.1 m³.
Safestore gives a useful mental picture. It describes its 75 sq ft storage room as approximately the size of a Luton van, and as ideal for the contents of a two-bedroom house.
In boxes, the answer is more than you could legally carry. The medium moving box in BigDug’s house-move kits measures 456 × 456 × 508 mm, about 0.1 m³, so around 170 would fill an 18 m³ body on paper. If each weighed 15 kg, the van would reach a 1,000 kg payload after about 66 boxes. Real loads are mostly furniture, which is bulky and light, with boxes filling the gaps.
Why does payload matter as much as cubic metres?
Because a van reaches its weight limit long before it is full. GOV.UK defines maximum authorised mass (MAM) as the weight of a vehicle including the maximum load it can carry safely, and says it is normally shown on a plate or sticker on the vehicle. Payload is what is left once the empty van’s own weight is taken off, and the people in the cab count towards it.
On a Luton that is not much. Enterprise lists 800–1,200 kg for its tail-lift Luton and 789–1,000 kg for its standard Luton, and its size guide says up to 1,000 kg. The box body and the steel tail lift are part of the van’s own weight, so they come out of the 3,500 kg before you load anything. Spread 1,000 kg across 18 m³ and the allowance is about 55 kg for every cubic metre.
Books, paper files, floor tiles, gym weights, tool chests and full filing cabinets go past that figure quickly. Clothes, bedding, sofas and mattresses do not. If your move is heavy on the first list, tell the mover, and expect a second trip or a second vehicle even when the space looks adequate.
What is the fine for an overloaded van?
GOV.UK’s guide to DVSA roadside fines (page last updated January 2019, read October 2026) sets fixed penalties of £100 for an overload of less than 10%, £200 for 10% up to 15% and £300 for 15% and over. On a 3,500 kg van the two higher bands start at 350 kg and 525 kg over. Examiners allow 5% leeway before issuing a penalty unless the van is a tonne or more over, the vehicle is stopped from going any further, and an overload of 30% or more normally goes to court instead.
What is a tail lift and do I need one?
A tail lift is a powered platform on the back of the van that raises heavy items from the road to the load floor, so nobody has to lift them. Enterprise says the tail lift on its Luton handles up to 500 kg, and Alco Van Hire publishes 450 kg for its own.
You want one for anything two people cannot lift comfortably to waist height: a washing machine, an American fridge freezer, a range cooker, an upright piano or a loaded chest of drawers. It also lets tall appliances stay upright on a sack truck all the way from the kitchen into the van.
A move of boxes and flat-pack furniture can manage without. The platform only solves the last metre into the van, not the stairs before it.
How much does a studio, one-bed, two-bed or three-bed home hold?
A studio or one-bed flat typically holds 11–25 m³, a two-bed 17–35 m³ and a three-bed 23–50 m³, depending on whose guide you use and how full the home is. The ranges are wide because the two kinds of source measure different things.
Big Yellow Self Storage matches homes to storage rooms: 50 sq ft for a studio or one-bed flat, 75 sq ft for a two-bed, 100 sq ft for a two to three-bed and 125 sq ft for a three-bed, all 8 ft high. Multiplied out, those rooms are about 11, 17, 23 and 28 m³. That is the tightly stacked, floor-to-ceiling volume.
Fantastic Services, a large UK home-services and removals firm, publishes higher working volumes for a local move: 15–25 m³ for a studio or one-bed, 25–35 m³ for a two-bed and 35–50 m³ for a three-bed. Furniture in a van cannot be stacked as tightly as in a storage room, and lofts, sheds and garages add to the total.
| Home | Stacked volume (Big Yellow rooms) | Removal volume (Fantastic Services) | Van that usually suits | Trips in an 18–19 m³ Luton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio flat | About 11 m³ | 15–25 m³ | Long-wheelbase high-roof van | 1 |
| One-bed flat | About 11 m³ | 15–25 m³ | Long-wheelbase van if lightly furnished, otherwise a Luton | 1, occasionally 2 |
| Two-bed flat or house | About 17 m³ | 25–35 m³ | Luton | 1 if lightly furnished, otherwise 2 |
| Three-bed house | About 23–28 m³ | 35–50 m³ | Luton with repeat trips, or two vehicles | 2 to 3 |
The trip counts are those volumes divided by a Luton’s 18–19 m³. Fantastic Services itself allows one Luton for a studio or one-bed and one to two vans for a three-bed. A photo of each room gives a mover a far better figure than any table.
Will a sofa, king-size mattress, wardrobe or American fridge freezer fit?
A three-seater sofa and a king-size mattress fit a medium van, while a tall wardrobe or an American fridge freezer standing upright needs a high-roof van or a Luton. Compare the longest side of each item with the load length, and its height with both the load height and the rear door opening.
| Item | Typical size | Smallest van that takes it |
|---|---|---|
| Three-seater sofa | 228 cm wide, 95 cm deep, 83 cm high (IKEA Kivik three-seat sofa) | Medium van with 2.60 m of load length; too long for a 1.80 m small van |
| King-size mattress | 150 × 200 cm (UK standard size, National Bed Federation) | Medium van lying flat or leaning; stands on its edge in a high-roof van or Luton |
| Double wardrobe | 100 cm wide, 58 cm deep, 201 or 236 cm high (IKEA Pax frame) | Luton to stand a 201 cm frame upright; lying down it fits a medium van |
| American fridge freezer | 74–95 cm wide, 160–185 cm high, 60–80 cm deep (Beko size guide) | High-roof van (1.89 m load height) or a Luton to travel upright; check the rear door height |
Check the door as well as the body. Alco Van Hire gives its Luton a rear opening 1.93 m high against 2.16 m inside, so a 2.01 m wardrobe goes in tilted and is stood up once inside. In a medium van the 1.39 m gap between the wheel arches is narrower than a king-size mattress, so the mattress rests on the arches or leans against the side.
Sofas vary more than anything else on the list, so measure yours, including the depth if it has to turn through a doorway. Our guide on how to move a mattress covers that item on its own.
Can I drive a Luton van on a car licence?
Yes, if the van’s maximum authorised mass is 3,500 kg or less, which is what a standard hire Luton is built to. GOV.UK says a category B licence issued on or after 1 January 1997 covers vehicles up to 3,500 kg MAM with up to eight passenger seats, or 4,250 kg for zero-emission electric or hydrogen vehicles.
Hire firms add their own rules. Enterprise requires van drivers to be at least 25 and Luton drivers to be over 30. On its figures a Luton is 6.7 m long and 3.3 m high, so it handles nothing like a car.
In London, ULEZ and the Congestion Charge apply to a hired van as they do to any other vehicle. Enterprise describes its vans as ULEZ-compliant, but check the registration of whatever you hire with Transport for London, and remember the Congestion Charge is a separate charge for driving in the central zone. Our guide to ULEZ, the Congestion Charge and removal costs has the detail.
Is one trip in a big van better than two in a small one?
Usually yes, because on an hourly booking a second trip is paid for in driving time. Each extra trip adds the drive back to the first address, the drive out again, and a second round of parking and carrying at both ends.
The sums are simple. If the two addresses are 30 minutes apart, a second trip adds an hour on the road before a single box is carried. At £75 an hour that is £75 of driving, and London traffic rarely lets you count on 30 minutes.
Two trips still make sense in three cases: the addresses are a few streets apart, the larger van cannot physically reach one of them, or the load is heavy enough to put one van over its payload. Enterprise notes that a four-bed house needs three or more Luton trips, which is the point where a larger lorry is the better tool.
Is a bigger van always better in London?
No. A Luton carries the most per trip, but on Enterprise’s figures it is about 3.3 m tall and 2.25 m wide, and plenty of London addresses cannot take that. Check these four things at both ends:
- Car parks: Q-Park lists drive-through heights of 1.83 m at Knightsbridge, 2.00 m at Soho and 2.08 m at Park Lane (checked October 2026). A Volkswagen Caddy Cargo is 1.82 m tall and a Ford Transit Custom 1.97 m, so even those are marginal. A high-roof Transit at 2.41 m and a Luton are out.
- Loading bays and service yards: ask the building manager for the height limit in metres before you book, and pass it to your mover.
- Width restrictions: some residential streets have a width limit. Merton’s traffic order for Commonside East, made in October 2021, bans vehicles more than 7 feet (2.13 m) wide including the load, which rules out a 2.25 m Luton.
- Kerb space: a 6.7 m Luton needs a longer gap at the kerb than a 5.05 m Transit Custom.
When access is tight, a smaller van parked at the door often beats a larger one parked round the corner, even if it means a second trip. Where the only workable spot is a controlled bay, see our guide to parking suspensions for removal vans.
Which Alpha Movers option fits your move?
Alpha Movers offers three options across London, priced by the hour. Tell us what you are moving and what the access is like at both addresses, so the right one is booked for the job:
- Small van, driver only: £90 for the first 2 hours, then £45 an hour. Suits a handful of boxes or one or two light items.
- Small van with one helper: £110 for the first 2 hours, then £65 an hour. Suits a single room, a student move or a lightly furnished studio.
- Medium or Luton van with two helpers, tail lift included: £150 for the first 2 hours, then £75 an hour. Suits one-bed flats upwards, heavy appliances and furniture that needs two people.
After the first two hours, time is billed in 30-minute steps. There is no stair fee, weekend premium, ULEZ charge or travel surcharge inside London, £10,000 goods in transit insurance is included, and payment is by bank transfer after the job is finished.
See our prices, try the moving cost calculator or book online. If you are unsure which size you need, call 07448 849354 between 8am and 10pm any day, or email info@alphamovers.co.uk with a list of items and a few photos.
Frequently asked questions
A long-wheelbase high-roof panel van of about 11 m³ suits a lightly furnished one-bed flat, and Enterprise’s size guide suggests its large van, at up to 11.3 m³, for a one-bed flat or bedsit. If the flat is fully furnished with a sofa, double bed, wardrobe, white goods and a large number of boxes, a 3.5-tonne Luton of about 18–19 m³ is the safer choice and should still manage it in one trip.
Enterprise lists its Luton van with tail lift at about 4.0 m long, 2.2 m wide and 2.2 m high inside, and 6.7 m long, 2.25 m wide and 3.3 m high outside. Alco Van Hire publishes 3.91 m by 2.02 m by 2.16 m inside for its 3.5-tonne Luton, with a rear opening 1.89 m wide and 1.93 m high. Luton bodies are built by different converters, so ask for the figures for the exact van.
A 3.5-tonne Luton usually holds between 17 and 19 cubic metres. Enterprise quotes about 18 to 19 m³ for its Luton with tail lift, and Alco Van Hire quotes 17.1 m³. That is roughly three times the 5.8 m³ of a short-wheelbase Ford Transit Custom. Safestore describes its 75 sq ft storage room, which it recommends for the contents of a two-bedroom house, as approximately the size of a Luton van.
By space alone, about 170 medium moving boxes of 456 × 456 × 508 mm would fill an 18 m³ Luton, because each box is roughly 0.1 m³. Weight stops you much sooner. If every box weighed 15 kg, a Luton with a 1,000 kg payload would be at its legal limit after about 66 boxes. In a real move the boxes share the space with furniture, which is bulky but light.
Usually, yes. A short-wheelbase Ford Transit Custom has about 2.60 m of load length at floor level, and a typical three-seater such as the IKEA Kivik is 228 cm wide, 95 cm deep and 83 cm high, so it goes in on its feet with room to spare. It will not fit a small van with a 1.80 m load length. Larger and corner sofas vary a lot, so measure yours first.
Yes, as long as the van’s maximum authorised mass is no more than 3,500 kg, which is how a standard hire Luton is built. GOV.UK says a category B licence issued on or after 1 January 1997 covers vehicles up to 3,500 kg with up to eight passenger seats. Hire firms set their own age rules on top: Enterprise asks for drivers aged at least 25, and over 30 for a Luton.
GOV.UK’s guide to DVSA roadside fines sets a fixed penalty of £100 for an overload of less than 10%, £200 for 10% up to 15% and £300 for 15% and over. The examiner also stops the vehicle from going any further. Examiners allow 5% leeway before acting unless the van is a tonne or more over, and an overload of 30% or more normally leads to a court summons instead.
Almost never. Enterprise gives its Luton an overall height of about 3.3 m, while Q-Park lists drive-through heights of 1.83 m at Knightsbridge, 2.00 m at Soho and 2.08 m at Park Lane. A high-roof Ford Transit, at about 2.41 m, is too tall as well. If your building’s loading bay is underground, ask the building manager for the height limit in metres and give it to your mover before booking.
Plan for two or three. Big Yellow’s storage guide puts a three-bed home in a 100 to 125 sq ft room, which works out at about 23 to 28 m³ tightly stacked, and Fantastic Services allows 35 to 50 m³ for a three-bed house move. A Luton holds about 18 to 19 m³, so one load is not enough. Two vehicles or a larger lorry can be cheaper than repeat trips.
