Van Financefor Couriers & Tradies

You own the van from the day finance settles, while your lender holds a mortgage over it as security until the loan is repaid. It's the most requested structure for GST-registered courier and trade businesses, since you can typically claim the GST back on the purchase price straight away, and any fit-out, racking or refrigeration unit can usually be bundled into the same facility. Best for GST-registered couriers and tradies wanting full ownership from day one, with terms from 1 to 7 years.

With hire purchase, the lender owns the van for the life of the agreement and you make fixed repayments to use it, with ownership transferring to you once the final payment clears. It suits sole-trader couriers who want the certainty of a fixed repayment structure, and the GST is spread across your payments rather than claimed as one lump sum upfront. Terms are flexible.

Under a finance lease, your lender retains legal title to the van for the term of the lease while you use it for deliveries or trade work, making regular lease payments that are typically fully tax deductible. At the end of the term you can make an offer to buy the van, refinance the residual, or hand it back. Best for operators preferring an off-balance-sheet structure, with flexible terms.

An operating lease means you pay to use the van for an agreed term, and your lender carries the risk of its residual value, not you. It suits courier and delivery fleets that like to keep their vans current, since bundled servicing is often included and you simply hand the van back and roll into a newer unit when the term ends. Terms typically run 3 to 5 years.

With an unsecured business loan, funds are assessed against your business's trading position rather than security over the van itself, so you can move quickly on a private sale or older van a traditional lender might decline. Best for fast settlement or older vans, with a shorter, flexible term.

Business income recognition is how a specialist lender reads income from BAS, business trading history and small-business income rather than treating only PAYG salary as income. Bank credit templates often miss this. Specialist lenders price business income accurately, which is why established Australia owner-operators frequently get pre-approved on deals that mainstream banks decline.

Low-doc van finance is assessed on a reduced documentation set, usually a Director declaration plus business activity statements or recent bank statements, rather than full financials. It is faster to process and common for established small-fleet operators in Australia who would rather not produce two years of full tax returns for a single asset purchase.

An Australian Credit Licence (ACL) is a licence issued by ASIC permitting a business to engage in credit activities under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act. Equifund holds Australian Credit Licence 389328. Working with an ACL holder is a baseline regulatory protection for the borrower and a baseline trust signal for any Australian finance provider.

Pre-approval is typically inside 24 hours once you submit the form. Settlement timing then depends on the lender and asset details, with many Australia deals settling within a week of pre-approval.

Yes. Many Australia operators refinance to access a better rate, restructure repayments around their income cycle, release equity from the asset, or consolidate multiple van loans into one facility.

Yes. We regularly settle multi-van deals for Australia-wide fleets, often splitting the package across more than one lender to fit each asset's spec and your overall structure.

Yes. Prime movers, trailers, refrigerated units and combinations are all on the panel. Trailer security can be structured independently of van finance if that better suits the deal.

Pre-approval is a conditional finance decision issued before you commit to a van. It sets the maximum loan amount, indicative rate, term and repayment structure so you can negotiate with dealers, private sellers or auction houses on solid ground. Equifund pre-approvals are typically issued within 24 hours of form submission.