Best vans for fitted water tanks

The businesses most likely to need a plentiful source of water are window cleaners, car cleaners, pressure washers and landscapers. The easiest way for these types of businesses to avoid having to use a customer’s water supply is to carry their own water tank, and the best way to do that is fit one into the back of a van. But which van to choose? Here's what we think.

It makes sense to choose a van with a payload carrying capability that exceeds the amount of water you want to carry, while taking into account the physical space inside that van for a tank. Further down this article we’ve split the tanks up into the standard van size classes with an indication of the tank size they could carry. Remember, it's very important to take proper measurements before committing to buy any van and the suggestions below are just a guide.

Small vans like the Citroen Berlingo (and the other Stellantis small vans from Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroen), Volkswagen Caddy Caddy and Ford Transit Connect are capable of carrying up to or over 800 kg (petrol or diesel versions), so carrying 400 litres of water and everything else you need will be no problem. Being smaller vans, their smaller load spaces will limit the physical size of the tank you can fit in there. Which is why you might want to upweight your van choice to a medium van. Small businesses, however, will find smaller vans perfect for residential work.

Medium vans like the Ford Transit Custom, Volkswagen Transporter, Renault Trafic and Vauxhall Vivaro can all carry at least 800 kg in their bigger load spaces (petrol or diesel versions), so water tanks that can carry up to 700 litres will be possible to fit. Again, it’s only the dimensions of the van’s load space that will impact the actual size tank, so if you need to carry more or want a larger water tank then a large van is your final option. Medium vans will work perfectly for most small-to-medium-sized businesses and are certainly the most popular van size for water-working companies.

Large vans like the Ford Transit or the Toyota Proace Max (and its Stellantis platform sharers from Peugeot, Vauxhall, Fiat and Citroen) can all carry over 1000 kg in their cavernous load spaces (diesel versions). This is the van to choose if you need to carry the biggest water tanks and the most amount of water. Businesses that carry out remote or long-distance work with water will find large vans to be the best option.

The tank size you choose will depend on how much water you’ll need, which will be based on how many jobs you plan to do between fill-up stops. For smaller businesses working locally washing windows, for example, you’re only likely to need 100-400 litres of water per day and can get away with a smaller tank and a van like the Citroen Berlingo. If you’re a larger business doing bigger jobs with less access to fill-up stations you’ll need a large tank capable of carrying up to 1000 kg of water and a larger van, such as a Ford Transit.

The crucial thing to remember is that whatever tank size you choose, it must not exceed your van’s ability to carry the weight of the fitted tank when filled with water. The rule to follow is that one litre of water is equal to one kg of weight, therefore if you have a 350-litre tank fitted to your van, the vehicle must be rated to carry at least 350 kg plus the weight of the tank itself and its fixtures and fittings. The only limit other than payload capacity is the physical size of the van’s load space to fit a tank. Therefore, while a small van might be able to carry 600 kg or more in its load space, it might only have the physical space to fit a 400-litre tank in the back. If that’s the case, and you need to carry a larger water tank, then you need to look at acquiring a larger van.

Even small containers of liquid can be a hassle to carry in your van, so a water tank carrying up to 1000 litres of water will need serious fixtures and fittings to stop them from moving. They will also need to be fitted in a position that won’t cause problems with the van’s handling. A water tank is often fitted above the rear axle to take advantage of the suspension and allow for better weight distribution. Most businesses using van-mounted water tanks have them fitted professionally, and it’s certainly the best option to ensure it is done correctly, although there are plenty of people we know who have done it themselves. A variety of tanks are available with some designed for specific vans.

Van-mounted water tanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with the two key types being upright or flat tanks. Upright tanks hold water vertically allowing more space for equipment but distributing their weight in a focused area, while flat tanks spread their weight over a wider area but limit storage space. The type of tank you choose will depend on how you want to use your van and how much water you want to carry.

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