The survey found that the average UK business has faced six and a half days of disruption over the past year due to van downtime.
Research conducted for Mercedes-Benz Vans found that van downtime costs UK businesses £1,172.20 for each day a vehicle is out of service.
The survey found that the average UK business has faced six and a half days of disruption over the past year due to van downtime.
41% of the business leaders surveyed by Opinium for Mercedes-Benz Vans said downtime causes stress for staff, while 33% said it disrupts workflow.
Van downtime resulted in employees working longer hours for 29% of businesses, customer complaints for 24% and missed performance targets for a further 24%.
18% of those surveyed said van downtime makes them worry about losing contracts.
Mercedes-Benz Vans said that the issue is greater for SMEs, due to every vehicle playing a critical role.
It developed Van Uptime Monitor, a service that monitors a vehicle’s technical condition, highlighting issues before they result in downtime, to help mitigate this.
Van Uptime Monitor links with Mercedes-Benz workshops, allowing service teams to identify issues early, working with fleets to schedule repairs at convenient times.
Mercedes-Benz Vans also offers 24/7 MobiloVan roadside assistance across Europe, which resolves 82% of callouts at the roadside.
Rochelle Carrey, director at Boujee Boxes Limited, said: “If we don’t have a van, we can’t fulfil our role – it’s as simple as that.
“Our entire business relies on being able to transport stock, set up activations and deliver for our clients.
“If our van is off the road, we have to hire a replacement just to keep going. It can easily add up to around £1,000 a month… so downtime has a real financial impact on the business.
“On the days we needed it, Mercedes-Benz Service24 were able to come out to us for repairs. And when the van needed to go into the garage, we’ve always been given a courtesy vehicle.”
Simon Neill, operations director at Mercedes-Benz Vans UK, said: “For many UK businesses, a van isn’t just a van. It’s the business showing up.
“Our new research lays bare what happens when vans – which are often at the heart of our communities – go off the road.
“Vehicle uptime isn’t something you can park in the operations folder and forget about. It shapes productivity, customer relationships, and it lands on people first.
“The ambition at Mercedes-Benz Vans isn’t just to be the best at fixing vans when they go wrong, but at stopping them going wrong in the first place using data and experience.
“Because prevention will always be better than cure. We know the pressures businesses are under right now, big and small, and we want them to know we have their backs.”