About the figures in this guide. Where a price is labelled as MoveMate's, it comes from our own rate card. Everything else describes the UK market in general, from published industry sources. Nothing here is a quote. For a price for your job, ask us.
The short answer
A same-day courier price is normally a minimum charge plus a rate per mile, with the per-mile rate rising as the vehicle gets bigger. A small van sits at the bottom of the range and a Luton van with a tail lift near the top.
Because the vehicle is dedicated to your job, you are effectively paying for the driver's whole round trip, which is why same-day costs several times what a next-day network service does.
Why it costs more than a parcel carrier
A parcel carrier moves your item through depots alongside thousands of others, so the cost is shared. A same-day courier puts one driver in one van with your consignment and nothing else on board.
That is what buys you the speed and the certainty. Nothing is sorted, transferred or left in a depot overnight, and there is one person responsible for it from collection to delivery.
If your delivery is not genuinely time-critical, a next-day service will almost always be cheaper.
How do courier services charge?
Most UK courier services charge in one of three ways. Network carriers charge per parcel, by weight and size. Dedicated-van couriers charge by distance and vehicle, usually a minimum charge or a rate per mile, whichever is higher. A few charge by the hour for multi-drop work, where the van stays with you for a day.
For a single urgent job, the per-mile model is the one you will meet. Ask which miles are counted: some couriers charge the one-way distance, others the round trip, and that alone can double a price.
MoveMate's own rates
Our rates, for pre-booked work, before VAT: Car: £45 minimum (£54 inc VAT), or £1 a mile (£1.20 inc VAT); Small Van: £45 minimum (£54 inc VAT), or £1 a mile (£1.20 inc VAT); SWB Van: £55 minimum (£66 inc VAT), or £1 a mile (£1.20 inc VAT); MWB Van: £65 minimum (£78 inc VAT), or £1.50 a mile (£1.80 inc VAT); LWB Van: £65 minimum (£78 inc VAT), or £1.50 a mile (£1.80 inc VAT); XLWB Van: £75 minimum (£90 inc VAT), or £1.80 a mile (£2.16 inc VAT); Luton Van: £95 minimum (£114 inc VAT), or £2 a mile (£2.40 inc VAT). You pay the minimum or the miles, whichever is higher, on the one-way road distance from collection to delivery.
Two examples, pre-booked: an 80-mile run in a short-wheelbase van is £80 + VAT = £96 inc VAT; the same run in a Luton van is £160 + VAT = £192 inc VAT. A 10-mile job in a small van costs the minimum, £45 + VAT = £54 inc VAT.
Same-day and urgent jobs add a fixed charge on top, which we confirm when we call. Congestion charge, tolls, ULEZ and parking are added if the route needs them, 30 minutes' waiting is included at each end, and nights, weekends and bank holidays may carry a surcharge. The form on this page works out the pre-booked price in seconds.
What changes the price
Distance and vehicle size do most of the work. After that: how quickly you need collection, whether it falls outside normal hours, whether two people are needed to load, and whether the destination has access restrictions.
Return legs matter more than people realise. A courier already heading your way can price a job far better than one starting from cold, which is why quotes for the same journey vary so much between operators.
Tolls, congestion and clean-air charges are normally added, and waiting time beyond a free allowance is usually chargeable.
Getting an accurate quote first time
Have both full postcodes, the dimensions and weight, the number of items, when it needs collecting and when it must arrive. Those six things are enough to price almost any same-day job.
Say if either end has a loading restriction, a booking-in requirement or limited access. A van that turns up and cannot get to the door costs everybody money.
Confirm whether the figure includes VAT. Trade rates are usually quoted excluding it; consumer prices should include it.
Last reviewed 16 October 2026.