Van conversion finance
Base vehicle, bodybuilder invoice and fit-out funded as one asset, including builds that are paid for in stages before the van ever moves.
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Yes. A converted van can be funded as a single asset covering the base vehicle and the conversion, and this is standard practice for tippers, Lutons, fridge bodies, welfare units and workshop fit-outs. The complication that catches buyers out is timing and paperwork. When a chassis comes from a dealer and the body comes from a converter, there are two invoices and often a gap of weeks between them, and not every lender will pay out in stages against a part-built vehicle. Establish who is funding what before you place the order and put down a deposit.
Who finances this
Businesses ordering a purpose-built vehicle rather than buying one off a forecourt, a contractor specifying a welfare unit to a framework requirement, a distributor ordering a box with a particular internal layout, or an engineering firm having a workshop van fitted out to its own drawing. Also buyers who already own a van and want a conversion added to it. The trigger is almost always a requirement that stock vehicles cannot satisfy.
How lenders see it
Conversion funding is where broker knowledge earns its keep, because the deciding factor is not credit appetite but mechanics. Some funders will only pay against a single completed-vehicle invoice; others will settle a chassis dealer and then a bodybuilder, either on completion or in tranches during the build. Stage-payment facilities are a minority capability and worth knowing in advance. Underwriters assess the converter as a business, since a lender paying money to a bodybuilder that fails mid-build has a serious problem. Recognised converters make this easy. Where the customer already owns the base van, the conversion can often be funded on its own, but the funder needs to be satisfied about ownership and about what happens to the security. Declines arise where the converter cannot be verified, the build is so bespoke it has no second buyer, or no deposit covers the non-recoverable fit-out value.
Buying used
Yes. Already-converted used vans are funded routinely, and buying a used conversion avoids the build timing and staged-payment issues entirely.
Also in van and light commercial finance
See everything we fund in van and light commercial finance →
Van buying guides
We are a broker, not a dealer. We have no stake in which van you choose. These are written on that basis.
The van is one cost
Flowzo covers fuel, wages and the wait for customers to pay, working capital rather than the vehicle itself.
Machines we have funded
| Ford Transit chassis cab | Base for box, tipper or luton bodies |
|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 315 chassis cab | Durable base for specialist conversions |
| Iveco Daily 50C chassis cab | Heavy base for bigger bodywork |
| Renault Master chassis cab | Value base with high payload |
| Peugeot Boxer chassis cab | Popular base for tippers and lutons |
| Maxus Deliver 9 chassis cab | Value base with long warranty |
| Fiat Ducato chassis cab | Widely used base for motorhomes |
| Citroen Relay chassis cab | Long chassis for box and curtain bodies |
| Volkswagen Crafter chassis cab | Premium base for welfare and workshop fits |
| Ford E-Transit chassis cab | Electric base for city conversions |
What a van conversion actually costs to buy
Prices for a van conversion advertised by UK suppliers run from £3,900 to £35,880 (checked 28 October 2026).
Tail lift beats body length on price, not the other way round. Two 2020-plate Mercedes Sprinter Luton conversions sat £2,500 apart in the wrong direction: the Extra Long Body Luton with no tail lift mentioned sold for £12,000, while the shorter, higher-mileage (120,000 miles) version WITH a tail lift sold for £14,500 even though it was quoted No VAT (normally the cheaper basis). A buyer pricing a van conversion purely on body length or mileage will miss that the tail lift mechanism is the bigger line item. Separately, going new instead of nearly-new costs roughly 40%: a brand new (48km) 2026 Nissan Interstar Luton with tail lift was £35,880 + VAT, while the newest used stock found, a 2023-plate Mercedes Sprinter 315CDI Progressive Luton/box with tail lift, was £20,949 + VAT.
| Machine | Asking price | Seen at |
|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Crafter, 2010, Luton box van with tail lift, fully working | £3,900.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Citroen Relay 35 L3, 2016, 2.0 HDi, Luton box van | £4,250.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Renault Master 35 L3H1 LWB DCi 150, 2020, curtain-side Luton curtainsider | £5,500.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Peugeot Boxer, 2018, Luton van | £7,000.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Nissan NV400, 2019, long wheelbase Luton van with tail lift | £8,995.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Mercedes Sprinter 316 LWB, 2020 reg, extra long body Luton van | £12,000.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Mercedes Sprinter 314 CDI L3, 2018 (68-plate), Luton curtainsider, tail lift, automatic | £12,499.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Iveco Daily, 2021, Luton van with tail lift, 82,000 miles, Euro 6 | £14,250.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Mercedes Sprinter, 2020, Luton van with tail lift, 120,000 miles, Euro 6 | £14,500.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 315CDI LWB, 2024 (24-plate), Luton box van with tail lift | £17,995.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2.0 315 CDI Progressive, 2023, Luton/box with tail lift | £20,949.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Fiat Ducato, 2023, Euro 6.3, Maximover Luton low loader, XLWB, 4.5m body, private sale | £34,000.00 VAT not stated | ebay.co.uk |
| Nissan Interstar, 2026 (new), 4.1m Luton body with tail lift, 130ps diesel, 48km | £35,880 +VAT | trucklocator.co.uk |
Prices checked 28 October 2026 on ebay.co.uk, trucklocator.co.uk. These are asking prices observed on dealer and marketplace listings, shown as examples. They are not a quote or an offer of finance, and they move with the market. Check the current advert before budgeting.
How finance works on a van conversion
The prices above are what a seller is asking. What a funder will actually do with the purchase is a separate question, and it is the one that decides whether the deal happens.
| Question | Typical answer |
|---|---|
| Term available | 12 to 72 months. Most agreements sit between 24 and 60 months; anything shorter or longer needs a funder check before you rely on it. |
| Age of the asset | There is no single cut-off. It depends on the asset class, and condition, hours and resale value are underwritten rather than the year alone. Tell us the age and we will say before you commit. |
| Buying from a private seller | Often possible, but case by case. It needs a funder who will write it, an inspection and proof of ownership, so say whether the seller is a dealer or a private seller when you enquire. |
| Deposit | Frequently nil where the credit profile is standard. Where it is not, typically 10–20%, nearer 20% if a default is recent. |
| VAT on the purchase | Both approaches exist, depending on the funder. The agreement is commonly written on the ex-VAT price with the VAT paid upfront and reclaimed, though some funders will include the VAT in the agreement. |
General guidance from our own funder panel as at 31 October 2026, not a quote and not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status and to the funder's own criteria.
Can the lender pay the bodybuilder directly?
With the right funder, yes. Some will settle a chassis invoice and a separate body invoice, and a smaller group will release funds in stages during a build. It is not universal, so the deal needs placing with a lender that works this way from the outset.
Can I convert a van I already own and fund the conversion?
Often yes. The converter invoice can be treated as the asset in its own right, subject to the funder being satisfied about ownership of the base vehicle and the value of the finished article. Talk to us before the work starts so the structure is agreed in advance.
Does a bespoke conversion reduce my funding options?
It narrows them. The more a build is tailored to one customer, the fewer second-hand buyers exist and the more cautious the valuation becomes. It rarely stops a deal outright, but expect a deposit that covers the part of the spend a funder could not recover.
How long does a van conversion take?
It varies enormously by converter and body type, and lead times on chassis supply move around. The practical point for funding is that approvals have a shelf life, so if a build is months away we will time the application rather than get a decision that expires before payout.
Does the conversion need certification?
It depends on the type. Seating, lifting equipment, gas and electrical installations and weight plating all have their own requirements, and type approval applies to some conversions. A recognised converter handles this as a matter of course, which is another reason funders prefer them.
Tell us what you need
About a minute of plain questions, and no documents to dig out.
Prime is established and profitable with clean credit. Specialist covers newer businesses and credit that needs explaining, the asset carries part of the risk, so finance is often available where an unsecured loan is not.
Illustrative only, not a quote, a flat rate is not an APR, so the APR on a given agreement will be higher. VAT and fees excluded.
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Conor HullMon to Fri, 9am–6pm
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