Britain’s army of white vans are each spending £700 more a year just to stay on the road

Britain’s white van army has to spend an extra £700 every year just to stay on the road.

Fuel prices skyrocket have forced tradesmen to muster more than a third more to fill a Ford Transit, according to Auto Trader.

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The cost of filling up a typical 70 liter diesel commercial vehicle tank now averages £124 – a whopping 37 per cent increase on last year.

Based on an average of 13,000 miles per year and 40 miles per gallon, that’s an extra £709 per year.

Filling up a petrol van has increased by 28 percent in the last 12 months. It is now also more expensive to buy a used van.

The average cost of a used Transit van has risen by a fifth, or £2,950, to £19,328 since April 2021.

Auto Trader’s Ian Plummer said: “These figures clearly show the strain that rising fuel prices are taking on the country’s army of artisans.

“Find more than £700 extra per year for fuel Just going to work is a nuisance that most can’t help but pass on to their clients. This contributes to the inflationary challenges facing the broader economy.”

He warned that price pressures for van drivers will continue while the war in Ukraine rages on, as Russia supplies a fifth of all diesel sold in the UK.

And while the Chancellor cut 5p per liter fuel tax In the most recent Spring statement, it’s just a temporary measure, set to be reversed next March – and could increase petrol costs by 8p a liter.