Mercedes-Benz Vans is highlighting the operational and human impact of vehicle downtime, as new research shows how quickly a van being taken off the road can affect service delivery, teams and revenue for UK businesses.
Research conducted by Opinium among 500 senior decision makers in UK businesses, which rely on vans for their daily operations, reveals the average firm loses £1,172.20 for every day a van is out of action, at a time when vehicle reliability is becoming increasingly critical for fleet operators.
Mercedes-Benz Vans research found that, on average, UK businesses have faced six-and-a-half days of disruptions in the past 12 months.
For companies that rely on vans as core operational infrastructure – including logistics, food delivery, blue light, facilities management, construction, pharmaceutical and utilities – the research highlights how the impact of downtime quickly extends beyond the vehicle itself.
Four in 10 (41%) business leaders said downtime causes stress among staff, 33% said it disrupts workflow and 29% said it results in employees working longer hours.
The findings also show a quarter (24%) of businesses have faced customer complaints, 24% also missed performance targets, while 18% worry about losing contracts.
Additionally, nearly two in ten (17%) say they experience frustrated or abusive customers, while 16% report a loss in wages.
For SMEs in particular, where fleets are often smaller and every vehicle plays a critical role, the impact of downtime can be immediate.
“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.”
“It means we can carry on as normal – we’re not cancelling jobs, we’re not letting clients down.”
Rochelle Carrey, Director of Boujee Boxes Limited.
For healthcare delivery providers, uptime is directly linked to patient care. As Ross Baxter, fleet manager of 200 vans at Sciensus explains: “Keeping our vans on the road is essential to ensuring our patients receive the medicines they rely on. We deliver specialist, often life-changing treatments directly to people across the UK, helping them stay well, maintain their independence and continue with their daily lives.
“Our vans are specially designed to keep medicines at the right temperature throughout the journey, so if a vehicle breaks down, the impact is immediate.
“Ultimately, we are not just transporting goods, we are delivering medicines that people depend on every day. That responsibility means uptime matters, because behind every delivery is a patient waiting for treatment.”
The Mercedes-Benz Vans Uptime Advantage Report comes at a time when many businesses have recently reassessed costs, investment and hiring decisions for the new financial year, with rising labour, tax and supplier costs placing additional pressure on operational efficiency.
To help operators manage vehicle availability more effectively, Mercedes-Benz Vans is highlighting its Van Uptime Monitor, a connected service that continuously monitors a vehicle’s technical condition and alerts operators to potential issues before they develop into faults that could take a van off the road.
The system links vehicles with Mercedes-Benz workshops, enabling service teams to identify maintenance requirements early and work with operators to schedule repairs at convenient times. This proactive approach helps fleets plan maintenance more effectively and reduce unplanned downtime.
Should drivers need roadside, breakdown or minor mishap support, they are covered by the 24/7, Europe-wide MobiloVan roadside assistance cover, which resolves around 82% of call outs at the roadside, helping minimise disruption.
“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.”
Simon Neill, Operations Director, Mercedes-Benz Vans UK
