Used vans fitted with air-conditioning can be worth up to 40% more than those without, according to auction firm BCA.
The company has conducted analysis into the effect of aircon, which although commonplace for modern cars is far less so in commercial vehicles.
According to BCA, this means an average increase in value of well over £1,000.
In a sector-by-sector breakdown, large panel vans with aircon sold for an average of £6,440, compared with £5,374 for vehicles without.
Small panel vans with aircon sold for £7,975 on average, a £1,656 or 26% increase over those without, while the effect for car-derived vans was even greater, at £4,912 compared with £3,499 – a 40.3% increase.
Double-cab 4×4 pick-ups with aircon sold for an average of £10,514, compared with £8,783 for those without.
Aircon-equipped vehicles also recorded improved sales conversion rates across the board.
BCA business development director for LCVs Jon Gilbert said: “While it is to be expected that air-conditioning will add value in the used LCV market, the real uplift in value now appears to compare very favourably with the front-end costs of specifying this option.
“LCVs with aircon are highly valued by professional buyers at BCA because these are the vehicles their retail customers want to buy.
“For vans that are doing longer-distance delivery work, or in a tradesman’s vehicle that doubles as the family transport at the weekend, aircon is exceptionally appealing.
“These figures from BCA underline that up-speccing commercial vehicles at acquisition time can deliver real benefits to van operators. A better specification will make a van more desirable and saleable, and higher-spec vehicles will often sell the first time they are offered, improving cash flow for the seller.”
