Please Help!! Self employed parcel delivery driver - which car??

[southerngirl10]

Putting this here for more traffic. I really need an answer by tomorrow.

I want to move in the next few weeks and get a job right away, so I'm thinking about a self employed delivery job. My question is:

Do I need a big car (I'm thinking Vauxhall Zafira)? Or, can I just get a medium sized car like a Vauxhall Meriva or even smaller?

I'm thinking if I have a zafira, I can load more parcels, but then fuel costs are more. If I have a smaller car, I'll have to go back and get more parcels and that will take more time.

Really appreciate any help.

The insurance costs will likely be astronomical so consider this when choosing as some may be much higher than others. Size wise a Zafira or something like a Mondeo estate would be good

Have you actually asked your current insurance company (or any insurance company) if they would insure you for this? It will depend on your age, and how long you have been driving as just two examples. Only asking as a friend’s DS thought this would be a no brainer job until he found he couldn’t get insured for it.

If you're going to be able to fit a home charger I would look at the distances involved and consider going electric. I pay around 7p per kW for charging my car.

It sounds like you have a lot going on and you’re in a rush. Do you need to make an immediate decision or can you hold off to do some research?

It would be good to check costs (remember you need business insurance and breakdown cover, not regular). Have you driven either of these cars before? As a delivery driver you will spend a lot of time in them so make sure the one you buy suits your posture and driving style, you don’t want to be stuck with an uncomfortable vehicle.

What car do you have now? I looked at doing this and the guy recommended a zafira type. Our local guy has the new puma and a zafira.

I would also look at Uber eats. I have a friend that does this and you don’t need to change cars and it works well.

I imagine this is vastly out of price range for now if OP is just starting.

Thanks for the replies so far. Some really good info. I want to go from a city to a small town surrounded by bigger towns. I went to the main area office for Yodel and the guy there said that he wasn't sure which car I needed, but some people apparently deliver parcels from a fiat 500. He said they take small parcels because they have a small car.

I'm a little concerned because there's a big difference between running a zafira and running a fiat 500 or a meriva type of car. My last car was a meriva.

It's tricky because everywhere I've asked nobody seems to know the set up. Some people have parcels delivered to their homes, others go to a depot. Surely, having a bigger car means you can fit in more parcels, but then can I make enough money after daily running costs?

A couple of our Hermes delivery people had small Fiesta size cars, I wondered how it all fit in as I have one. the one at the moment has a van type car that is almost like a transit van size.

Yes, I've seen a video of a young woman with parcels stacked up in her small sized car. Looked a bit cramped. Probably good on fuel costs though, Just hope Zafiras don't guzzle too much petrol, especially around town.