Right-sizing cargo and payload matters more for a move than for almost any other job — furniture and appliances are bulky and dense at the same time. Here's how to pick the right van from our fleet, and what to expect on move day.
A move is usually a single, planned day — exactly the situation an electric van is good at. You're not chasing an unpredictable route; you know roughly how far you're going and how long you'll be loading. No fuel stops mid-move means less time standing at a pump in your work clothes, and the cost-per-kilometre is meaningfully lower than diesel — the same math we use on our homepage shows roughly 60% lower running cost on a comparable route.
Cargo volume is the first thing to get right. Rough guide based on the fleet's real cargo capacity:
| Move size | Recommended van | Cargo volume |
|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1-bedroom | Ford E-Transit or Mercedes eSprinter | 13.8 m³ |
| 2-bedroom, lighter load | Ford E-Transit or Mercedes eSprinter | 13.8 m³ (may need two trips) |
| 2–3 bedroom / full house | Lion 6 | ~30 m³ |
The Ford E-Transit and Mercedes eSprinter tie on cargo volume at 13.8 m³ each — both have stand-up load height (2.07 m and 2.01 m respectively), so boxing and furniture-carrying is easier than crouching in a low van. For anything bigger than a light 2-bedroom, the Lion 6's ~30 m³ box is the only van in the fleet built for a full-house move in one trip.
Furniture and appliances are dense — a couch, a fridge, and a stack of moving boxes add up in weight faster than volume. Payload (how much weight the van can actually carry, not just how much space it has) is the number to check before you assume "it'll fit":
If your move is bulky but light (boxes, lamps, mattresses), volume is the constraint — pick by cargo m³. If it's compact but heavy (a piano, a full appliance set, boxes of books), payload is the constraint — check the kg number before you book.
Most local moves are well within range on a single charge — the same 180 km reference route we use elsewhere on the site clears every van in the fleet with room to spare, even in the Ford E-Transit's winter-derated ~175 km. If your move crosses a longer distance (say, Kamloops to Kelowna and back with a loaded van), the BrightDrop 600's 438 km range or the Lion 6's 350 km give you the most margin. For a multi-day move, you can simply extend the rental — no need to plan around a fuel budget.
If the van is parked overnight at the old or new address, a standard Level 2 (AC) charge overnight tops it back up with no special equipment needed. For a longer move between cities, plan a DC fast-charging stop along the route — charge times to 80% range from about 28 minutes (Ford E-Transit) up to about 2 hours (Lion 6), so if you're using the Lion 6 for a long-distance move, build a charging stop into your day rather than treating it as a quick top-up.
Every rental holds a refundable $300 deposit, released after a clean return. Move day often means several people loading and unloading heavy items in and out of the van — if that's your situation, the optional $12/day $0-deductible protection is worth a look, since it removes any deductible exposure if something gets scraped or dented in the shuffle.
You can pick up from our Kamloops depot, or — on weekly and longer rentals — we can deliver the van to your address anywhere in BC. That's useful if you need the van waiting at the old place first thing in the morning rather than losing an hour driving to pick it up. See our delivery guide for exactly how that works — and what we don't offer (a true one-way, different drop-off rental).
A few things are specific to loading a rental rather than your own vehicle. Walk the cargo area before you start stacking — note the tie-down points if your van has them (documented on the BrightDrop 600), and plan your heaviest items along the floor, low and centred, rather than stacked high near the doors. For the Lion 6's box body, load heavy appliances first against the front bulkhead, then lighter boxes toward the rear doors — it keeps the weight distribution sane for a Class 6 vehicle and makes unloading at the other end faster since the last thing in is the first thing out.
If you're doing a two-trip move in an E-Transit or eSprinter because the whole load doesn't fit in 13.8 m³ at once, plan your first trip around anything time-sensitive — furniture that needs two people, or items the new place needs before you can bring the rest.
A lot of DIY movers default to a traditional rental truck out of habit rather than comparison. Our day rates run $150 (Ford E-Transit) to $200 (BrightDrop 600), or $185 for the Lion 6 if you need the box-truck capacity — and charging, roadside assistance, and basic insurance are bundled into that number rather than billed separately at drop-off. For the full breakdown of what's included and how the weekly rate compares to booking single days back-to-back, see our cost of renting an electric van in BC guide.
Moves rarely go exactly to schedule — packing runs long, or the new place isn't quite ready. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup means you're not locked in if your date shifts. If you think you might need more than a single day, it's worth booking the weekly rate up front rather than paying for extra single days as you go — the weekly rate beats seven daily bookings on every van in the fleet (savings of roughly 29–31%, per our pricing page).
The Ford E-Transit or Mercedes eSprinter — both have 13.8 m³ of cargo, which comfortably covers a studio or 1-bedroom load in a single trip.
The Lion 6 is built for it — about 30 m³ of cargo and a 4,500 kg payload, the most of either in the fleet, closer to a box truck than a cargo van.
Yes, on weekly and longer rentals we can deliver anywhere in BC — useful if the van needs to be at the old address first thing.
It's optional, but worth considering — $12/day for $0-deductible protection is cheap insurance against dings when multiple people are loading and unloading furniture.
Charging, roadside and basic insurance included in every rate.