How much is my old van worth in 2026?

There’s a kind of question I get asked a lot, usually by someone who’s about to push their van down the drive into a hedge: what’s my old van actually worth?

The honest answer in 2026 is “it depends on three things, none of which is the year on the V5.” Let’s walk through them, then I’ll tell you what the numbers actually look like at the moment.

The three things that move the price

1. Mechanical soundness. Does the engine run? Does the gearbox change cleanly? Is the timing belt within its replacement window? Forget the odometer, the salvage chain wants to know if the components can be pulled off and resold to another operator. A 2014 Sprinter with 280,000 miles and a healthy engine is worth more than a 2017 Sprinter with 110,000 and a knackered turbo.

2. Body and chassis. Rust, dents, kerb damage. Some is fine, vans get used. Floor pan rotting through, sill corrosion, structural damage from a side-on bump, those all bring the number down because they make body panels harder to recover.

3. Paperwork. V5 in your name. MOT history. Cat S/N status (be honest, we run HPI). Outstanding finance settlement (we sort that with the lender, but it eats into the number).

What older vans are actually selling for in 2026

Rough ranges from our quotes over the last 90 days:

• 2010-2015 panel van, MOT, runs and drives: £450 – £1,400.
• 2010-2015 panel van, no MOT or non-runner: £180 – £550. Higher end is sound mechanicals; lower end is full scrap.
• Pre-2010 panel van, any condition: £80 – £350, mostly weighted to scrap value, but if the body’s intact and the engine’s good it’ll surprise you.
• 2015-2018 Sprinter, Crafter, Transit: £700 – £2,400 if running. The salvage chain wants these.

These are our numbers. Cash buyer sites tend to be £200 – £600 lower for the same vans because they don’t run the salvage calculation.

What kills the price

Three things, always:

• Hidden Cat S that comes back on HPI. We’ll still buy it, but at the Cat S number, not the unrecorded number.
• Missing V5. Not fatal, but adds friction.
• Vehicle has been off the road for 6+ months. Tyres and brakes seize, fluids degrade, knocks the recovery cost up, knocks our number down by £80 or so.

The shortcut

Enter your reg. Two minutes. The form runs both calculations and gives you the higher number. Free, no sign-up.

If the offer makes sense, accept it and we’re at your door tomorrow. If it doesn’t, list it free on Trader.co.uk, same family, no commission either way.