5 Best Van Sizes for Studio Apartment Moves

Last Updated: November 7, 2026

Table of Contents

• Van Sizes for Studio Apartment Moves at a Glance
• 1. Short Wheelbase Van: The Compact Option for Minimalist Studios
• 2. Medium Wheelbase Van: The Balanced Choice for Most Studio Flats
• 3. Long Wheelbase Van: Room for Bulky Furniture and Appliances
• 4. Extra-Long Wheelbase Van: One Trip for a Fully Furnished Studio
• 5. Luton Van: When a Studio Move Outgrows a Panel Van
• What Size Removal Van Do I Need for a Studio Move?
• Small Van vs Luton Van for Moving: Which Suits Your Studio?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Van Sizes for Studio Apartment Moves at a Glance

Choosing the right vehicle for studio apartment moves comes down to one question: how much space does your life actually take up? People often overestimate their load, book a Luton van, then watch it run half empty. Others underestimate, book a small van, and spend the day making three trips across the city.

Getting the van size right saves money on hire, fuel, and the most expensive thing of all: your time on moving day. Once the van size is settled, coordinating the loading and journey with On Time Moving Delivery can help keep the rest of the apartment move on track.

Vehicle dimensions vary by model, so check the specific van before you book. As a rough industry benchmark, Lugg's moving truck size guide notes that a studio apartment typically fits a cargo van or a 10-foot truck.

1. Short Wheelbase Van: The Compact Option for Minimalist Studios

The short wheelbase van is the smallest sensible choice for a studio move. It handles like a large car, fits into residential parking bays, and costs the least to hire.

Book one if your studio is genuinely sparse: a mattress, a couple of medium boxes, a folding table, and a bag of clothes.

Best for: single people moving a bed, boxes, and little else. Skip if: you own a wardrobe, a fridge, or more than roughly ten medium boxes.

The trade-off is trips. Load space in a short wheelbase van fills faster than people expect once boxes are stacked and gaps appear. Two or three runs across town is normal.

Usable volume is typically less than a van's stated capacity once wheel arches and bulkheads are accounted for. Measure the load bay yourself before you commit if your inventory is borderline.

2. Medium Wheelbase Van: The Balanced Choice for Most Studio Flats

For most studio apartment moves, the medium wheelbase van is the right answer. It adds roughly half a metre of load length over the SWB, which is often the difference between one trip and two.

A medium van swallows a bed frame, mattress, sofa, chest of drawers, and a dozen boxes without drama. It still parks in most residential streets and clears standard height barriers. Payload is usually generous enough that volume, not weight, limits you.

Best for: the typical furnished studio with a bed, sofa, and modest storage. Skip if: you are moving a full wardrobe plus white goods, where the extra length of an LWB pays off.

A medium wheelbase van is usually the first size to consider for a studio move, sizing up only if the inventory list is long. If you would rather have help with the lifting than drive yourself, contact Direct Couriers London Ltd for a quote. For a deeper look at shifting bigger pieces, the moving house furniture transport guide walks through the practicalities.

3. Long Wheelbase Van: Room for Bulky Furniture and Appliances

Long wheelbase vans add length where it matters: along the floor. That extra space lets you lay a wardrobe flat, slide a fridge freezer in upright, and still stack boxes down one side.

Choose an LWB when your studio includes items that will not compress: a tall wardrobe, a washing machine, a fridge, a bed with a solid frame. These pieces eat floor length, and a medium van forces awkward diagonal loading that wastes capacity.

Best for: studios with white goods and full-height storage. Skip if: your inventory is all boxes and soft furniture, where an MWB does the same job for less.

One practical note: longer vans are harder to park and turn in tight side streets. Check access before you book, especially if your building sits at the end of a narrow terrace.

4. Extra-Long Wheelbase Van: One Trip for a Fully Furnished Studio

The extra-long wheelbase van is the largest panel van most hire firms stock, and it exists to solve one problem: doing a fully furnished studio in a single load.

With around 4.2 metres of load length and a high roof on many models, an XLWB takes a complete studio inventory in one go. Bed, sofa, wardrobe, appliances, boxes, and the awkward odds and ends all fit with room to spare. You load once, drive once, unload once.

Best for: fully furnished studios and anyone who values a single trip over hire cost. Skip if: your street has tight access or no suitable parking nearby, because the size that helps on the road hurts at the kerb.

Payload deserves attention here. A 3.5-tonne van has a legal weight limit, and a full load of furniture, books, and appliances can approach it. Spread heavy items low and over the axles, and never exceed the plate weight.

5. Luton Van: When a Studio Move Outgrows a Panel Van

A Luton van trades driving comfort for sheer volume. The box body sits above the cab, giving a tall, square load space that swallows wardrobes upright and stacks boxes to head height.

Book a Luton when your studio has tall items, a lot of volume, or heavy pieces you would rather not lift twice. Many Lutons come with a tail lift, which turns a two-person lift into a one-person push. That matters for washing machines, sofas, and anything you have already carried down three flights.

Best for: studios with tall furniture, heavy appliances, or awkward access. Skip if: you are confident a large panel van fits everything, because Lutons cost more and drive like the box they are.

If you are leaning this way, our guide to hiring a tail lift van covers what to check before booking.

What Size Removal Van Do I Need for a Studio Move?

Use this ranked checklist to estimate your load before booking. Work down the list and stop at the first van size that fits everything you own.

Rank 1: Short wheelbase van (around 4.5 to 5 cubic metres) Choose this if you own a mattress, a dismantled bed frame, six to eight medium boxes, and soft furnishings, with no sofa, no wardrobe, and no white goods. This is a genuinely minimal studio, often a first move or a room in a shared flat.

Rank 2: Medium wheelbase van (around 6 to 7 cubic metres) Choose this if you own a bed, a two-seater sofa, a chest of drawers, and up to twelve medium boxes. This is the typical furnished studio and the size most people should book first. It usually covers the move in one trip, or two if you have awkward items.

Rank 3: Long wheelbase van (around 8 to 9 cubic metres) Choose this if you are adding a tall wardrobe, a fridge, or a washing machine to the medium wheelbase inventory. These items eat floor length, and the extra metre of load bay lets you lay them flat or slide them in upright without diagonal loading that wastes space.

Rank 5: Luton van (around 15 to 18 cubic metres) Choose this if you have tall items that must travel upright, heavy appliances, or a tail-lift requirement.

As a volume rule of thumb, a medium removal box is roughly 0.05 cubic metres. A double mattress is around 0.3 cubic metres. A two-seater sofa is around 0.7 cubic metres.

Watch out: volume estimates assume you can stack to the roof.

Our fleet ranges from compact vans to tail-lift Lutons, so you can see the vans available and match the vehicle to your inventory rather than guessing.

Small Van vs Luton Van for Moving: Which Suits Your Studio?

A small van wins on cost, parking, and ease of driving. A Luton van wins on volume, height, and tail-lift convenience. The right pick depends on what you own, not on which van is bigger.

Take the small van if your studio is minimal, your access is tight, and you can manage two trips. Take the Luton if you have tall furniture, heavy appliances, or a single-trip deadline. The middle ground, a long or extra-long wheelbase panel van, often beats both.

One factor people overlook: stairs and lifts. A Luton with a tail lift saves your back at the vehicle, but it does nothing about four flights of stairs. If the building is the hard part, book help rather than a bigger van.

For a wider set of options beyond self-drive hire, our comparison of furniture delivery alternatives sets out the choices before you commit.

Most studio moves go wrong for the same reason: the van is booked before the inventory is counted. Spend ten minutes listing what you own, match it to the table above, and the decision makes itself.

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