Van recovery for everything from small vans to Lutons and tippers.
If your van has broken down, from a small van to a Luton, box van or tipper, tell Recovru its size and what it is carrying. Operators nearby who have told us they recover vans send one price each for the whole job, and the van goes wherever you need it.
Van Recovery
Operators nearby send one price each and you choose one. The price you choose is the total you pay, with any VAT the operator charges included. Your card is held when you accept and charged when the job is done. If no operator nearby quotes, nothing is held or charged. Cancelling can cost a charge once the operator has set off: see Cancellation and Refunds and the Cancellation Rates.
The Recovru app opens in your browser today; iPhone and Android apps are coming soon.
Recovru is not an emergency service. If you are in danger, call 999.
What happens when you ask for help
- Tell us where the van is, how big it is, what it is carrying and where it needs to go. Asking is free and commits you to nothing.
- Operators nearby who have told us they carry vans send one price each for the whole job, with the time they can reach you.
- Accept a price and the money is held, not taken. Follow your operator on the live map and message them in the app.
- When they arrive, you give them your 4-digit arrival code, which confirms they are the operator you booked. The van is loaded and taken to your drop-off.
Vans of every size
Size and load decide which recovery truck can take a van, so the app asks for both.
- Small vans
- The size of a Berlingo or a Caddy
- Medium vans
- The size of a Transit Custom or a Vivaro
- Large vans
- Long wheelbase vans the size of a Sprinter
- Lutons and box vans
- A Luton with the box over the cab, or a box van, dropside or tipper
- Electric vans
- Say so: most electric vehicles have to be carried with their wheels off the ground
- The drop-off
- The depot, workshop or address you pin
Loads and parcels
A heavy load can take a van past what a light recovery truck can carry, so the app asks how loaded it is. Take parcels out, or secure them, before a van is recovered where you can.
What the app asks about your van
After where the van is, the kind of road and how safe it is there, whether it has hit anything and which vehicle it is, the app asks the recovery questions and these about the van:
- What size is the van?
- Small, medium, large or long wheelbase, a Luton, or a box van, dropside or tipper.
- Is it loaded?
- Empty or nearly empty, part loaded, or fully loaded or carrying something heavy, which changes which truck comes.
- What state is it in?
- Whether it starts and drives, and anything that stops it rolling, such as a stuck handbrake or no keys.
- Where does it go?
- The depot, workshop or address you pin.
Have these ready
- The van's registration, so the app can fill in the rest
- How loaded it is, and with what
- The keys, and the address it is going to
Staying safe while you wait
- On a motorway, leave by the side away from traffic and wait behind the barrier, not in the vehicle. If you cannot get out safely, stay in with your seat belt and hazard lights on and call 999.
- On any other road, get the vehicle off the road if you can, put your hazard lights on if it is in the way, and do not stand between it and oncoming traffic.
- A warning triangle goes at least 45 metres behind the vehicle on the same side of the road, but never on a motorway.
- Wear something light or fluorescent in daylight, or reflective at night, if you have it.
Who comes to recover it
Your request goes only to operators our staff have cleared for recovery who have told us they carry vans. Each is an independent business, checked before they can send you a single price:
- Identity
- Photo ID, matched to a live selfie
- Right to work
- Checked before their first job
- The business
- A company, or a sole trader on record. A VAT number is checked with HMRC and must match the business
- Screening
- Sanctions and politically exposed person lists
- Documents
- The insurance and licences each service needs, read by our staff
A clearance lasts only while the documents behind it are in date. Once one expires, that operator is not sent those requests.
For recovery, the Operator Terms also ask for:
- Public liability insurance of at least £1 million
- Motor insurance for their recovery vehicle that permits recovery for hire and reward
- Cover for your vehicle while it is on theirs or under tow
- Current inspection reports for their lifting machinery and lifting accessories
How the price for van recovery works
Recovru does not set prices. Each operator names one price for the whole job as you described it, and that price is the total you pay: it includes their attendance and assessment fee and any VAT, so nothing is added at the end. The quote says “inc VAT” when the operator is VAT registered and “No VAT to pay” when they are not. Your invoice or receipt is in the operator's name, issued by Recovru as their agent, and shows the VAT when there is any. There is no booking fee and no card fee, and you can take any price or none.
Size and load decide which truck can take a van, so operators price from both: answer them before prices come in.
Accept a price and the money is held, not taken, until the job is done. If the job turns out different, nothing extra is done or charged until you approve a revised price in the app. You pay the attendance and assessment fee, VAT included, instead of the price only if your operator arrives and cannot do the job because what you told us was materially inaccurate, left out something important or was misleading; the Terms of Use cap it.
Cancelling is free until your operator sets off, and for two minutes after you accept whatever they have done. After that the Cancellation Rates show how any charge is worked out, you see the exact figure before you confirm, and you never pay more than that figure. If your operator cancels, you pay nothing.
Your contract for the job is with the operator, and Recovru collects the payment as their agent. How It Works and Cancellation and Refunds have the detail.
Vans for work
If your organisation runs vans, Company Fleets and Commercial Plans explain the plans Recovru prices for organisations whose people drive for work.
Questions
Can a loaded van be recovered?
Yes. Tell the app what it is carrying: a heavy load can take a van past what a light recovery truck can carry, and operators quote knowing it.
Can a Luton or a tipper be recovered?
Yes. Choose a Luton, or a box van, dropside or tipper, as its size, so operators whose trucks can take it send prices.
Can an electric van be recovered?
Yes. Say it is electric: most electric vehicles have to be carried with their wheels off the ground, and many roll only in transport mode.
Does Recovru work with businesses?
Recovru has commercial plans for organisations whose people drive for work, priced for each organisation. Contact us for a quote.
This page was last updated on .
Get help now
Tell us where you are and what has happened, and operators nearby send you their prices. You do not need a plan to get help.