A dedicated van courier usually costs a minimum charge for the first few miles plus a rate per mile after that, set by the size of the vehicle. At First Choice Transportation Ltd that is £40 for the first 10 miles then £1.25 a mile in a car or small van, plus VAT.
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Van couriers charge per mile because the cost of a job is the vehicle and the driver’s time on the road. The courier price per mile depends mainly on the size of the van: the bigger the vehicle, the more it costs to run and the higher the rate.
Most couriers also have a minimum charge, so a two-mile job is not priced at two miles’ worth. Ours works like this:
| Vehicle | First 10 miles | Each mile after |
|---|---|---|
| Car or small van | £40 | £1.25 |
| Long wheelbase or Luton van | £60 | £1.80 |
| HGV | Quoted per job | |
All prices plus VAT, for the whole vehicle. Full details on our courier prices page.
Example: a 50-mile job in a small van is 40 miles after the first 10. 40 × £1.25 = £50. Add the £40 minimum: £90 before VAT, £108 with VAT.
| Road miles | Car or small van | With VAT | LWB or Luton van | With VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 or under | £40.00 | £48.00 | £60.00 | £72.00 |
| 25 | £58.75 | £70.50 | £87.00 | £104.40 |
| 50 | £90.00 | £108.00 | £132.00 | £158.40 |
| 100 | £152.50 | £183.00 | £222.00 | £266.40 |
| 300 | £402.50 | £483.00 | £582.00 | £698.40 |
First Choice Transportation prices. Miles are measured from collection to delivery only. For priced routes such as London to Birmingham or Manchester, see courier prices.
A same day courier is priced like any dedicated van job: the minimum charge, then the miles. With us, a same day delivery across London (up to 10 miles) costs £40 plus VAT in a car or small van; London to Birmingham is about £177.50 plus VAT. There is no extra charge for same day, urgent or out-of-hours work, because every job is already a dedicated vehicle driven direct.
See our same day courier and urgent courier services, or read what is a courier service for how dedicated and network couriers differ.
For a dedicated van, expect a minimum charge for a short local job and a per-mile rate after that. With First Choice Transportation the minimum is £40 for up to 10 miles in a car or small van, then £1.25 a mile, plus VAT. A 50-mile job costs £90 plus VAT, £108 in total.
Business couriers usually quote without VAT, because their customers reclaim it; check before comparing. VAT at 20% adds a fifth to the price, so a £90 quote becomes £108. All First Choice Transportation prices are plus VAT, and the quote states the price for the job before anything is booked.
Some do: they price the miles from their base to you and back, or charge more for a one-way long run. Ask what the miles are measured from. First Choice Transportation charges only the miles from collection to delivery; the driver’s journey to you and back home is not added to your price.
Many couriers add an out-of-hours, weekend or bank-holiday surcharge, often a percentage of the price. First Choice Transportation charges the same rate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including bank holidays, with two operators on the phones around the clock, so a 3am job costs the same as a 3pm one.
Because you pay for the whole vehicle and driver, not a shared space on a lorry. A parcel network spreads the cost of each trip over hundreds of parcels. A dedicated van carries only your goods, straight to the address, the same day, which is why it costs more for one small box and less for large loads.
Give the collection and delivery postcodes, what you are sending with rough size and weight, and when it is ready. With those, a courier can work out the road miles and the right vehicle. Call First Choice Transportation on 020 8202 2008 or send a WhatsApp, and we quote before you book.
First Choice Transportation Ltd is a registered UK company (No. 15276847) based in Southgate, North London, founded by Allam, who has 15 years’ experience in courier and transport work, with 30 drivers across the UK.
Mileage, vehicle and price confirmed before anything is booked, plus VAT.
No night, weekend or bank-holiday surcharge.
Charged from collection to delivery; the driver’s journey to you is not added.
One job per driver: the price covers the van, not a share of it.
