Tips for keeping your mileage low while moving home

Moving home can be exciting, but also expensive. While there are many different things into which you may have to pour money as you prepare your residential relocation, it’s too easy for the vehicle transporting your items to run up a high mileage in the process – and so lead to high fuel costs.

You can’t change the physical distance between your current home and your future one, at least after you’ve chosen it; however, you can still appreciably trim your mileage by following these tips.

Get rid of items you don’t really need

A house move is the ideal time to de-clutter by going through your existing belongings and discarding those that are now surplus to requirements. You could sell or donate some items, as Lifehacker suggests, to make some money and reduce the weight of what is to be transported.

This can prove no small boon, as some moving companies use weight as a metric when estimating costs of their services. Be careful if you are considering cutting a mover wholly out of the equation…

Choose a van of the right size

If you couldn’t simply fit everything into your car, you might decide on hiring a van. After all, the comparative spaciousness of that van could spare you needing to make repeat trips, as would be necessary if you stuck with the car. However, vans can still noticeably vary in their sizes.

For this reason, ask your van hire company which size of vehicle you would require, as Zoopla recommends. Generally, bigger vehicles tend to be better, as you could reduce the number of trips.

Understand the van hire firm’s charging structure

Unsurprisingly, the smaller the van, the less you will need to pay to hire it. However, beyond broad assumptions like this, you might remain none the wiser as to how exactly a particular van hire company would calculate what to charge you… unless, of course, you ask them for clarification.

One such company, Compare the Man and Van, has, on its website, an in-depth FAQ addressing charging policies – including when exactly the charging will start and end in each case.

Overestimate the length of the journey

If the price of the removal service will be affected by the mileage, you naturally have an interest in discerning exactly what that mileage will be. However, in attempting to calculate it, you should factor in the possibility of delays, which could arise in unexpected places.

If a particular road is closed on moving day, for example, a detour could add significantly to the mileage. Therefore, overestimate it to increase your chances of being pleasantly surprised.

Pack the removals van space-efficiently

It’s not just the number of items that could affect the number of required trips, but also the size of those items and how they are loaded in the van. Consider dismantling furniture beforehand and placing heavier objects near the van’s front, whether you are currently seeking a service of man and van hire in Manchester, Leeds or elsewhere in the UK.