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Window Cleaning Forum / Re: Best way to buy a new van
« Last post by Spruce on January 19, 2026, 10:43:34 am »I will be looking at buying a new van this year but unsure what to do. HP, Lease or buy it outright. I would like to lease a new van but I don't think I can bolt down a tank nor cut a hole for my hose to travel through. Any ideas most welcome.
This is my opinion and may not be the opinion of others.
HP and Lease options allow you to spread the cost of a replacement vehicle over a few years. The repayments are also tax-deductible as an expense which basically translates to writing the cost of the van off (depreciation) over the payment period. The other thing to bear in mind is a final payment. If you paid that off in one lump sum, how does it affect that future year's tax return? Only you can answers those questions.
Leasing is another thing to be careful about. There are leasing deals and leasing deals. Firstly, a monthly lease excludes VAT, so you end up paying VAT on the interest portion of the finance as well as the price of the van. Some leases do not allow you to own the van at the end of the lease. Salesmen will tell you otherwise to get the deal. Then we used to sell a lease purchase which legally allowed you to own the vehicle after the lease concluded. But again, beware of the final payment or the balloon payment.
If you buy outright, you need to speak to an accountant to how you can depreciate the vehicle over a period of time (Write down allowance.) I believe its 14% per year at the moment, dropped from 18%. Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) allows you to claim the full value of the vehicle in one tax year which isn't the way to go for a sole trader IMHO.
Whether you fit the tank or have a business do it, you/they are going to drill holes in the floor to secure your tank properly. If you buy a van, the dealer will usually try to sell you ply-lining, which is just screwed down with self drill screws into the floor and sides. At least if you have a qualified fitter to fit the tank, he will know where to fit it inside the van, so your axles aren't overloaded. At least when you drill holes to secure the tank, then hopefully the holes will be painted to prevent rust, which is more than they do when screwing down ply lining.