Book a man and van online in minutes, not overnight
Quote boards make you describe a job, wait, then choose between strangers competing on price. Published hourly rates let you skip all three steps and just book the slot.
Booking a man and van online means confirming a van, a crew and a time slot at a published rate instead of requesting quotes. TowManVan lists £35 an hour for a small van, £45 for a medium and £60 for a Luton, with a two hour minimum, so you can book immediately rather than waiting for bids.
There are two ways to book a van online in Britain and they behave nothing alike. The first is the quote board: you post the job, operators bid, and some hours later you pick one. The second is direct booking at a published rate, the way you would book a hotel room.
The auction is genuinely good at one thing, which is finding a cheap price for a flexible job booked well ahead. Its weaknesses are the ones people run into: it takes hours or overnight, the price is only real until the driver sees the job, and the winning bid is frequently the operator who understood the job least.
Direct booking trades a little headline price for certainty. You know the rate, you know the minimum, you know what a helper costs, and the slot is confirmed the moment you book it. For anyone moving on a deadline, particularly around a tenancy end or a completion date, that certainty is usually worth more than the difference.
It also makes the job description honest. On a quote board there is an incentive to understate stairs and overstate access, because a lower bid follows. On an hourly rate there is no advantage to either party in misdescribing the job, since the clock simply runs longer if the work is harder than claimed.
The one thing to get right when booking online is van size. Nobody regrets a Luton at £60 an hour that finishes in one load. Plenty of people regret a medium at £45 that needed two.
How the online man and van booking works
Pick size and slot
Choose the van and a date and arrival window. Availability is live, so what you see is what can actually be booked.
Answer the access questions
Floor, lift, parking and anything needing dismantling. These drive the hours far more than a box count does.
Confirm instantly
No bidding and no waiting. The slot is held as soon as you book, and free cancellation runs to 24 hours before.
Track on the day
Follow the van in and watch the running total from the moment the crew arrives.
What it costs
Rates are published rather than quoted. Weekends and 20:00 to 06:00 run at 1.3x, and the multiplier is visible on the slot before you select it.
| Service | Price | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Small van | £35 per hour | Studio, single room, or a handful of large items. |
| Medium van | £45 per hour | One or two bedroom flat. The most booked size. |
| Luton with tail lift | £60 per hour | Three bedroom house and office moves. |
| Minimum booking | 2 hours | Applies to every van size. Travel and setup make shorter jobs uneconomic. |
| Mileage | First 15 miles free | Local moves attract no mileage line at all. |
| Cancellation | Free to 24 hours | £45 inside 24 hours, paid to the crew who held the date. |
What the app does
Live availability
Slots shown are slots that can be booked. You are not expressing interest in a date and hoping somebody takes it.
Access questions that matter
Floor, lift, parking and dismantling drive the hours. The app asks about those rather than asking you to count boxes.
Van size guidance in rooms
Sizes are described by what they hold in real terms, which is the single most common thing people get wrong when booking online.
Running total during the job
Billing in 15 minute increments after the minimum, visible as it accrues, so the final figure is never a surprise.
Free cancellation to 24 hours
Completion dates move. Cancel outside 24 hours at no cost, and inside it the £45 goes to the crew who turned down other work.
Same-day slots when free
Because there is no auction to run, a crew with a gap can be booked for this afternoon rather than next week.
App booking versus a quote board
| Factor | TowManVan app | a quote board |
|---|---|---|
| Time to confirmed booking | Minutes | Several hours to overnight |
| Price basis | Published hourly rate | Competitive bid, revisable on the day |
| Who does the job | A vetted operator who took the slot | The lowest bidder |
| Incentive to describe accurately | Neutral. The clock reflects reality | Understating the job wins lower bids |
| Last-minute availability | Same-day where crews are free | Poor. Auctions need lead time |
| Cheapest possible price | Rarely the absolute lowest | Can be, with time and flexibility |
online man and van booking questions
Can I book a man and van online instantly?
Yes. Rates are published rather than quoted, so a slot is confirmed the moment you book it. A small van is £35 an hour, medium £45 and Luton £60, all with a two hour minimum and the first 15 miles included.
Is online booking cheaper than a quote board?
Not always on headline price. An auction can produce a lower number if you have days of flexibility. Direct booking wins on speed and certainty, and avoids the common problem of a low bid being revised upward when the driver sees the actual job.
How far ahead should I book?
For a weekday move a few days is usually enough. Month-end and Fridays are the busiest slots because tenancies end then, so book those a week or two out. Same-day is often possible mid-week where a crew has a gap.
What if I book the wrong van size?
The crew will tell you on arrival if it will not fit in one load. Where a larger van is free nearby it can sometimes be swapped, but not always, so it is worth over-sizing slightly. A Luton that finishes in one trip usually beats a medium that needs two.
Can I change or cancel an online booking?
Yes. Cancellation is free more than 24 hours before the slot. Inside 24 hours a £45 fee applies and goes to the crew who held the date. Changing the time is free subject to availability.
Do I pay online or on the day?
Payment is taken through the app when the job completes, based on the actual time worked. Nothing is charged at booking, and the running total is visible throughout so the final figure is never a surprise.
Own a vehicle? Take jobs through the same app
Drivers keep 90 percent of every fare in year one. No weekly subscription, no lead fees and no bidding against other operators for the same job. We are signing up drivers now, ahead of the 1st of October 2026 launch.
Apply to driveMel Carrington - Head of Removals Operations
Mel ran national removal fleets at Pickfords for 15 years before joining TowManVan. She signs off van sizing, hourly rates and crew guidance on this page. Questions? Email mel@towmanvan.co.uk.
Last updated 19 August 2026. Apps launch 1st of October 2026.