Adding van rear seats into a works vehicle is a practical way to increase its versatility. By converting a van from purely a cargo carrying vehicle into one that can carry extra crew as well as cargo or tools is a practical solution to ferrying large crews between sites. This type of van conversion is very cost effective and can reduce the number of vehicles needed for daily jobs.

A vehicle with new van rear seats installed can increase its capacity from 2or 3 to 5 or 6. You no longer need two vans to transport a crew to site. New seats typically sit across the vehicle behind the current driver’s seat in a row of three. Usually these are individual seats rather than a bench type seat.

Adding extra seating capacity has its advantages. But although adding extra capacity does allow more workers to travel from site to site it does cut down on the cargo space that you had in the van in the first place. So, you do need to ensure the remaining storage area will still be sufficient should you fit extra seats.

Assuming you’re ready to go ahead with installing new rear van seats there are a few things to consider when deciding which seats to choose.

What to look for in new van seats

There are a few things to ask yourself before you choose your new seats. Questions such as:

• How is the van currently used? This is important because you may need to consider foldable or tip seats depending on the type of cargo / supplies you’ll be carrying.
• Will this use change in the next couple of years? This is important, as you may end up converting a van now but regret it later when you need more cargo space.
• Will the extra seating capacity be sufficient to ferry the number of workers required?
• Will you fit tip (foldable) or static seats?
• Are seat belts fitted or do the seats have fixtures for fitting belts?
• What kind of material are the seats made from?
• Which trims are available?
• Are armrests fitted to the seats?
• Which rails will be used to attach the seats to the van floor?
• Where are the seats manufactured and do they conform to EU standards?

So, there’s plenty to think about when choosing your new van rear seats. But thinking about these questions in advance makes it easier to decide which seats you’ll eventually fit into your van. Which can only be a good thing. After all, you’ll be using the van every day, so you need to ensure that you’re going to be comfortable with the seats you pick.

What Makes A Good Van Seat?

When you look at buying van seats online you need to be careful about the quality. Auction websites and smaller discount sites offer cheap imported seats. Although the prices may look attractive the seats may be inferior quality. It’s important if you’re fitting new seats into your van that they meet the strict safety and quality standards set by the EU. If the seats don’t meet these standards, they may be illegal or unsafe.

How to choose your van rear seats

The first thing is to make sure the seats will fit into the van. Which is pretty obvious but there has been more than one mishap due to a bit of faulty measuring. Measure and measure again is the advice here.

Next you must ensure the seats are suitable for your class of vehicle. Most of the rear van seats on our website for example are suitable for M1, M2 and M3 vehicles. But some will only fit the criteria for one or two of those groups. So, do make sure you choose the right seats for your type of van or vehicle.

If you’re installing seats into a cargo van, you may find that foldable seats are the best option for you. This can help you to transport people from site to site, and you can also fold down the seating if necessary to make more space for cargo.

It goes without saying that your new seats should be well made and comfortable. They shouldn’t take up too much space if you’re still planning to use the van for cargo, and they need to be legally compliant. You may not know that the law doesn’t state whether you must have seatbelts or not, but for safety’s sake, installing them is a good idea.

Ready to buy your new van seats?

Here at Alpha Seating we manufacture all our van and passenger seats in our UK factory. All are built to conform to the strictest industry and EU standards. Choose from single, double or triple seats and from tip up or static seats.

To buy your new van rear seats or for more information use our contact form or call us on 01455 856816.