Van Seating - Sale Now On!!
Van Seats are usually quite universal. Certainly if you intend to fit the van seat to the rear of a “Panel” van the installation is relatively straight forward, Place it where you like and bolt it down using one of the approved van seat fitting kits.
Seats that go in the front cab area of a panel van can usually be fitted via adapter plates to the original seat box.
It is only the smaller car-derived vans that are usual custom made to specific Makes and Models.
Here is a list of vans to help you identify which category your type belongs to.
Panel Vans
Citroen Dispatch Relay
Fiat Scudo Ducato
Ford Custom Transit
Iveco Daily
LDV Maxus V80
Mercedes Vito Sprinter
Peugeot Expert Boxer
Renault Trafic Master
Nissan NV200 NV300 Primastar NV400 Interstar
Vauxhall Vivaro Movano
Volkswagen Transporter LT Crafter
Car-Derived Vans
Citroen Nemo Berlingo
Fiat Fiorino Doblo
Ford Courier Connect
Peugeot Bipper Partner
Renault Kangoo
Nissan Kubistar
Vauxhall Astra Combo
Volkswagen Caddy
Luxury leather van seats in the back of a minibus van
Rear van seat fitting is straight-forward. Simply bolt them to the floor where you require. The legs will adjust from left to right to help avoid obstructions on the underside of the vehicle. The only consideration you need to take into account is, if you ever need to remove the seats.
To fix the seats permanent we would recommend our floor strengthening kit. This prevents the seat from being torn out the floor during a collision.
A semi permanent option would be our "sandwich plates" . These fit in the same manner as the strengthening plates but gives you a captive nut on the underside. Which allows the seat to be removed by simply undoing the bolt from the inside of the vehicle.
If you frequently wish to remove the seat(s) then you need Track & Brackets. The track is fitted to the van floor, and the brackets bolt to the underside of the seat and allow the seat to anchor to the track. Turning a "T" handle will allow the seat to slide, remove or even face backwards.
Van convertor fitting seats into a van
A driver's van seat fitting is quite easy. Remove seat, bolt on (swivel), adaptor plate and new seat. - job done!
A front double to single seat conversion presents a complication. You'll notice that to remove a double passenger seat, it removes all the way to the van floor. So you have no seat box to mount the (swivel or) seat to. Obviously, trying to find a passenger side "single" seat box will be like trying to find a cheap VW Transporter! However, Luckily on most vans the bolt pattern for passenger side is the same as drivers side, and therefore finding a drivers side seat box in a breakers yard is a lot easier. We also offer single passenger seat boxes for some vehicles, and some bespoke single passenger seats. So please review our accessory selection. Therefore, if you did obtain a single seat box for passenger side the installation is the same as the drivers side. (above)
Alternatively, Van seat heights are usually around 400mm, and our Suspension Captain Van Seat is not far off at 300mm. So what some customers do is fit a suspension seat on passenger side and just space it up. Here's what they do, Drill and bolt two pieces of box section to the mounting points on the van floor. Then drill/bolt a general purpose swivel on top. drill/bolt two more pieces of box section on top of the swivel and then the seat etc.
There are no specific regulations covering the conversion of vans into passenger carrying vehicles. However, Regulation 100 of The Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986 (SI 1986 No. 1078) will apply. This requires:
to be at all times such that no danger is caused, or is likely to be caused, to any person in or on a vehicle or on a road. This means that the conversion work must allow passengers to be carried safely.
Additional seats should be fitted securely so that they are likely to remain in place in the event of an accident. We recommend that you seek the advice of a reputable garage or vehicle converter.
Further to this, Section 40a of The Road Traffic Act 1988 (as amended by Section 8 of the Road Traffic Act 1991) Part II, Using a Vehicle in a Dangerous Condition, states that:
A person is guilty of an offence if he uses, or causes or permits another to use, a motor vehicle or trailer on a road when:
(a) the condition of the motor vehicle or trailer, or of its accessories or equipment; or
(b) the purpose for which it is used; or
(c) the number of passengers carried by it, or the manner in which they are carried; or
(d) the weight, position or distribution of its load, or the manner in which it is secured
is such that the use of the motor vehicle or trailer involves a danger of injury to any person.
There is no legal requirement for seatbelts to be fitted in the rear of a van. However, our advice is that the safest way for passengers to travel is in a proper seat with seatbelts fitted and, if you intend to carry children aged 12 years or under, the seatbelt wearing regulations require them to wear a suitable child restraint at all times.
When fitting seatbelts, they must comply with the latest British or European standards and be marked accordingly with either the ‘e’, ‘E’ or BS ‘Kitemark’. The seatbelt anchorage points should also be designed so that they will be capable of withstanding the high forces of an impact. We strongly recommend that seatbelts and anchorages are professionally installed by qualified persons (such as a commercial garage or seatbelt specialist).
Our advice is that passengers are safest in a forward or rearward facing seat equipped with a lap belt or, preferably, a three-point belt.
Although side facing seats, with or without seatbelts, are not illegal, we would not advise that they are used. This is because seatbelts are not designed to be used with such seats. In the event of an accident, seatbelts on these side facing seats may help to prevent the wearer being thrown around the vehicle or from being ejected, but in a frontal crash they can increase injury risk by subjecting vulnerable parts of the body to higher loads than seatbelts used on forward facing seats. You should also bear in mind that child restraints cannot be fitted to side facing seats. In order to fit the required child restraints, you would need to have forward or rearward facing seats with full three-point seatbelts.
If you intend to carry children aged 12 years or under, the seatbelt wearing regulations require them to use a suitable child restraint. You should bear in mind that child restraints cannot be fitted to side facing seats. In order to fit the required child restraints, you would need to have forward or rearward facing seats with full three-point seatbelts.
Whilst there is no specific limit on the number of passengers carried, vehicles designed or modified to carry more than 8 seated passengers excluding the driver will fall into the ‘minibus’ category and must comply with specific construction requirements which are set out in Schedule 6 of The Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986. It is also important that you confirm the number of passengers and the manner in which they will be carried with your insurance company.
No. There is no requirement for windows to be fitted in the rear of a vehicle. However, if you choose to fit windows, these should be made of non-glass safety glazing or safety glass. Separate information is available on the requirements for vehicle glazing.
That depends on the particular circumstances. A goods vehicle is ‘a motor vehicle constructed or adapted for use for the carriage or haulage of goods or burden of any description’. A passenger vehicle is ‘a vehicle constructed solely for the carriage of passengers and their effects’.
If, by adding extra seats, all the load space was now taken up by passengers and their effects, a court might decide that the vehicle now fell under the description of ‘passenger vehicle’ rather than ‘goods vehicle’ and would need to meet the regulations that applied to passenger vehicles. This could affect the requirements for items such as seatbelts and brakes, as well as licensing requirements.
Although there is nothing specific in the regulations to prevent you doing this, we would strongly advise against carrying heavy goods and passengers in the rear of a van unless the load is secured to the bodywork to ensure it does not move about. Alternatively, if you intend to carry passengers on a regular basis you can create a separate load area by installing an internal partition.
If a partition is fitted you should ensure it is strong enough to stop the load from being thrown about inside the van. Securing the load or fitting an internal partition offers some protection to any passengers being carried, which is particularly important in the event of an accident, as heavy, unrestrained items being thrown about are likely to cause death or serious injury.
If the vehicle has more than 8 seats in addition to the driver, it will be classed as a minibus or bus, whether or not it also has room for the carriage of goods.
There is no formal checking procedure for private conversions. However, if you have installed new seatbelts, it is advisable that you submit your vehicle for a seatbelt installation check (a class IVa check) which can be carried out as part of the annual MOT test.
It may not be necessary to have your vehicle’s registration details altered, but you should check with the DVLA or your DVLA Local Office.
You should also inform your insurance company of the changes made along with the number of passengers and the manner in which they will be carried.
Vehicle categories are defined according to the following classification: (Where reference is made to "maximum mass" in the following definitions, this means "technically permissible maximum laden mass" as specified in item 2.8 of Annex I of the above Directive.)
Category M: Motor vehicles with at least four wheels designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers.
The types of bodywork and codifications pertinent to the vehicles of category M are defined in Part C of this Annex paragraph 1 (vehicles of category M1) and paragraph 2 (vehicles of categories M2 and M3) to be used for the purpose specified in that Part.
Category N: Motor vehicles with at least four wheels designed and constructed for the carriage of goods.
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