Vans are commonly designed as a four wheel vehicles, taller and box-shaped, some with open-backs – such as pick-up trucks. They have multiple shapes and sizes that can reach five meters. In the United Kingdom they are usually used to carry people and are sometimes referred to as minibuses. On the other hand, in the US they are most commonly used to deliver goods. For this reason some have refrigeration systems and are termed as reefers. Larger Vans are called full-size vans with a shorter hood. Front wheel drive vans are known as minivans and have recently been equipped with four wheel drive. They can accommodate up to seven passengers and are fuel friendly although they have less power capacity or space for carrying goods. Microvans are very popular for small businesses – they are the Japanese versions of pickup trucks. In Australia the term van is sometimes synonymous with a caravan which in the United States is considered to be a travel trailer. The Australian van used to transport people is simply called people mover.

Businesses use vans to carry their goods, to deliver them to their destinations or to be more flexible and practical in supplying services to homes for repairing purposes. Other vans are used to transport luggage from/to hotels or commuters to work. Minibuses are also used to transport people for outings and visits.

Courier companies use step vans and are known for the possibility of getting on and off very easily. They are extremely popular in North America in large cities.

The important manufacturers of such vans are Dodge, Ford, Iveco, Isuzu, Volkswagen, Peugeot, GMC to name but a few.

Conversion vans are vans that have been customized to fit the owner’s need for various trips or camping. The interiors ca be very luxurious, with DVDs, leather and heated seats, raised roof to be able to stand and many more that cost you thousand of dollars. These conversion vans were very popular in the ‘70s and 80’s among rock bands.