The Van With the Highest Roof

The vans with the highest roofs are: 

  1. Step vans have the highest roofs of 80” to 85”  
  1. Tallest Ford Transit with interior height of 81.5” 
  1. Sprinter High Roof Option interior height of 77.8” 
  1. Ram ProMaster Cargo Van High Roof, interior height 77” 
  1. Nissan NV Cargo High Roof, 76.9 inches, still enough height for a 6ft tall person 

Even the Sprinter High Roof option has 6ft 5 inches height so most people can stand in it with ease. The Nissan NV Cargo High Roof is high enough for 6ft tall people to move around in easily.  

A pop-up roof can be a good idea as they create more height.

Vans come in many different styles and sizes, but often when you are moving house, you will require one with the highest roof to be able to stand your furniture upright.  

Traditionally vehicles that have been used for removals have very high roofs as they were specifically designed for that purpose. Those vehicles however are considered trucks rather than vans. 

Whilst both trucks and vans have been built to transport an assortment of different types of freight, there is a difference between them. The difference is that a van allows for access to the freight from the driver’s position whilst with a truck, the driver would have to leave the cab to access the freight. Thus a pickup, although smaller than some vans, is considered a pickup truck and not a pickup van. 

For many years a step van with an average interior roof height of 80” to 85” was often the freight van with the highest roof. Among other types of van a campervan with an interior height of 77” was the tallest, but today some cargo vans can match them. 

There are other types of van, such as a minivan which also have high roofs. These types of van though have high roofs to ensure people can stand up in their rear section but as with freight vans, access to the rear is available to the driver without leaving the vehicle.  

 

Step Vans Have High Roofs of 80” to 85” 

Step vans are usually only found in North America, and they get their name from the fact that a driver can easily step in and out of the cab. This of course, makes them ideal for delivery vehicles which have a large number of deliveries to make in many different locations.  

Step vans are not as large as many box trucks and so are usually only used for local delivery purposes while larger loads are delivered by box trucks. 

By design step, trucks are ideal for multiple drop-offs in local vicinities and so are rarely used for long haul purposes.  

Step vans are common sights on the roads, especially in developed areas, as they are often the vans used by FedEx and the US Postal Service. These types of van are often driven around estates with the sliding cab door open to allow the driver quicker deliveries.  

The freight section on step vans can be accessed from the cab, which permits the driver to locate packages without having to go to the rear doors of the van. If the van has been loaded in the correct order, this can enable faster delivery times than would otherwise be necessary. 

As well as having access to the freight area from the cab, step vans also will have a rear door. The rear door allows for easier loading and the off-loading of larger items that may not so easily fit through the cab. The rear doors of a step van are often the roll-up roll-down variety. 

 

Cargo Vans With High Roofs 

Some cargo vans with the highest roofs are: 

Ford Transit Cargo Van High Roof 

The Ford Transit is the most popular cargo van in the United States. It not only has three different versions, the 150, 250, and 350, which signify the vehicle’s wheelbase but also three different heights.  

The highest of these different heights allows for an interior height of 81.5”.  

Mercedes Sprinter Cargo Van High Roof 

The Sprinter only comes with two size options the 144” wheelbase or the 170” wheelbase.  

The Sprinter does, however have a high roof option which has an interior height of 77.8”.  

Although this may not have the same height as a Ford Transit high roof may offer, it is still sufficiently high at more than 6’5”. This is enough for a 6’ person to move around with ample headroom to spare. 

Ram ProMaster Cargo Van High Roof 

The ProMaster cargo vans also come in three sizes the 1500, 2500, and 3500, of which the 2500 offers the option of two different roof heights, regular or high roof.  

The high roof version has an interior height of 77”, similar to the room in the Sprinter high roof version. 

Nissan NV Cargo High Roof 

With only 76.9” of interior height, this van may have a slightly lower roof than the other cargo vans on this list, but like them, it will allow a 6’ person ample headroom when standing. 

 

Campervans 

Although sometimes referred to as a motorhome, as with vans and trucks, there is a difference. A campervan is a van that has been fitted out to include living accommodation.  

A motorhome on the other hand, has a coachbuilt body specifically for that purpose. Both, however do provide self-propelled accommodation. 

 

Minivans Are Like Cars, and Not Actually Vans 

Although in the United States any vehicle used for transporting multiple people is known as a minivan, not all are actually vans.  

A minivan can be designed on a single van chassis or a car chassis, although some have a two piece chassis similar to a truck. 

 

Cargo Vans 

Over recent years there have been an ever-increasing number of different cargo vans available, and whilst most small and even full size cargo vans have lower roofs than step vans, some of the high roof versions such as the Ford Transit can have an interior height of 81.5”. 

 

Pop-Up Roofs Create More Interior Height 

Pop-up roofs are additions that can be made to vans to enable them to have more interior height when needed. This type of roof can usually only be raised when the van is stationary as they are not designed to be raised while the vehicle is in motion.  

This obviously means that while they may be good for camping purposes, they are not ideal for constant use, such as for a delivery van.  

There are several different types of pop-up roofs available, but while all will give increased headroom when the van is static, none will provide that extra headroom while the van is in motion. 

 

Cargo Vans Are a Growing Trend 

Since their introduction cargo vans have continued to grow in popularity due to their versatility and power. A cargo van’s compact design and powerful motor make them economical to run and yet as powerful as some of the other types of van. 

This has led to the introduction of high roof cargo vans which can offer them even more versatility than regular cargo vans.  

 

Conclusion 

While the many different types of van may have been designed for different purposes, no other has proven as popular as the cargo vans. This is probably due to the adaptability a cargo van offers its owner. 

This is probably most evident with the high roof cargo vans. With their high roofs, they can be transformed into campervans or, with just the fitting of seats, can be converted into a minivan that allows passengers to walk upright whilst moving to their seat. 

As delivery vehicles, the cargo van is rapidly replacing the step van in many residential areas. They are also increasingly being used as a removal vehicle.  

Although a cargo van may not be able to replace a removal truck when it comes to moving from a 3 or 4 bedroom house, they are replacing the need for them when moving apartments. Cargo vans are even being shown to be cheaper to make two trips when moving from a small house than using one large, harder to load and unload removal truck. 

When buying a van or even renting one, there are certain criteria you will want to keep in mind and these are:  

  • Payload capacity  
  • Capacity by volume  
  • Interior height 

The height of your van is not always an important factor, but when it is, then the interior height of your van can be a crucial one.  

If you are buying a van, you will probably have a specific purpose or purposes for wanting a van as opposed to any other type of vehicle due to vans not being the most glamorous of vehicles.  

If this is the case then taking care of which van you buy is important as not only could the correct choice save you time and trouble but could also be a financial benefit. In many instances, the most cost-effective van is the van that is best suited to your specific needs. 

Author: Kenneth Graham

About me