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Last updated: 24 March 2026

Carrying weight costs fuel. That’s common sense — but how big is the effect in real driving?

A widely shared example comes from a payload experiment reported in January 2017, where leasing company Arval tested a short wheelbase panel van over the same 49.1-mile route with different loads: 0%, 25%, 50% and 75% of maximum payload.

The Arval payload test (2017): the reported results

Arval’s results (as reported) were:

• Empty: 35.7 mpg
• 25% payload: 33.7 mpg
• 50% payload: 30.7 mpg
• 75% payload: 28.1 mpg

That’s roughly a 20–25% drop from empty to 75% payload in this specific test setup. It’s a useful illustration — but it’s still one van, one route, and one set of conditions.

Does this apply to every van?

The direction is broadly right (more load = more fuel), but the size of the change varies with:

• urban stop/start vs motorway work
• average speed and acceleration
• wind/temperature
• tyre pressures and tyre type
• whether the van is near its limits often or only occasionally

Academic work on vans and “load factor” notes measurable “supplementary” fuel consumption as load increases, with the effect varying by vehicle and conditions.

What van operators can do (without hurting productivity)

1) Stop carrying “dead weight”

Many vans carry duplicates, scrap, or “just in case” kit for weeks. Even small reductions add up across a year. The RAC’s fuel-saving guidance is blunt: unnecessary weight won’t help your fuel economy.

2) Don’t treat 75% payload as a daily default

If you’re regularly near maximum payload, look at:

• whether the job needs a different van size
• whether racking/fit-out is too heavy for the duty cycle
• whether you’re inadvertently overloading (a safety and enforcement risk)

3) Tyres and pressures matter more when loaded

Heavier loads punish tyres and under-inflation makes it worse. Keeping pressures correct for the load reduces wear and can help efficiency (and safety).

4) Reduce miles, not just mpg

If you can combine jobs, avoid repeat depot trips, or redesign routes, you often save more fuel than you’ll ever save by chasing an extra 1–2 mpg.

Sources

1. What Van? — “Vans drink 20% more fuel when three-quarters laden” (16 Jan 2017):
2. FORS Standard magazine (Apr 2017) — summary of Arval’s 49.1-mile controlled payload trial:
3. University of Westminster research (2010) — load factor and supplementary fuel consumption impacts for vans:
4. RAC — fuel-saving tips (Nov 2025) including “lighten the load”:
5. TyreSafe — overloading/pressure risk context: