Fleet Assist has established a nationwide network of 900 Premier Van Centres, able to service and maintain vans and chassis cabs up to 4.25 tonnes GVW.

MD Vincent St Claire said the new EV Premier Van Centre network avoids misdirection of SMR work to garages unprepared for heavyweight LCVs

The network further expands the firm’s LCV SMR capabilities, accommodating growing fleet adoption of new eLCVs plated at 4.25 tonnes.

“The additional weight of electric LCVs has meant the Government has extended the Gross Vehicle Weight from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes that can be driven legally on a Category B car licence for five years,” explained Vincent St Claire, Fleet Assist’s MD.

“This is great news for operators as electric van payloads have increased, but for garages it means having vehicle lifts in their workshops capable of accommodating the heavier vehicles. Many dealers will simply not be equipped to handle these vans which is where our EV Premier Van Centre network comes into its own. It avoids misdirection of SMR work to garages unprepared for heavyweight LCVs,” he added.

Each garage with EV Premier Van Centre status has the premises, equipment, and technicians in place to service and maintain larger LCVs, in particular those with hybrid and electric power units.

The Fleet Assist team can then assign the right garage to undertake SMR on larger vans, ensuring its leasing and rental customers’ LCVs are serviced and MOT’d in a timely fashion to reduce vehicle downtime.

The launch of the new network supports Fleet Assist’s claim as the UK’s most comprehensive fully managed national franchised independent and fast-fit garage network with more than 5,200 garages, complemented by a mobile offering.

Fleet Assist also continues to focus on getting its garage network ‘EV ready’ with 82% (some 4,228 garages) now capable of servicing electric vehicles.