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Planning a move to Ireland and looking for van hire from the UK? You have two main options: rent a van and drive it yourself , or use a professional man with a van service that handles the crossing for you. This page compares both options, shows typical costs, and helps you compare quotes from vetted companies covering your route, including what changes if you’re headed to Northern Ireland versus the Republic of Ireland.
With self-drive, you are responsible for loading the van correctly, carrying furniture and boxes, securing everything for the ferry crossing, driving to the port and unloading it all once you arrive. That can work if you’re moving very little and are comfortable doing the work yourself. For a larger move, however, loading a van safely and efficiently is harder than it looks. Furniture has to be protected, boxes need to be secured so they cannot shift during the crossing, and everything needs to survive being loaded and unloaded twice.
A man-with-a-van service removes most of that burden: someone else does the driving, loading and unloading, and professional crews tend to work far faster than someone doing it for the first time, often the difference between finishing in a day and needing the rental van for another one.
Despite the term “van hire”, man-with-a-van (or man with van) hire to Ireland is very different from simply renting a vehicle.
Instead of collecting a van, loading it and driving onto the ferry yourself, you book a mover who provides both the vehicle and the driver. They collect your belongings from your UK address, take them across on the ferry and normally help unload them at your new home.
For smaller international moves, this makes man-and-van services a useful middle ground between doing everything yourself and booking a full international removal company.
A typical service can include:
Exactly what is included varies by mover, so compare the details of each quote rather than looking at price alone.
For a small move, man-with-a-van hire from the UK to Ireland typically starts at around £300. Larger van loads can reach £650 or more.
| Move size | Estimated man-and-van cost | Best suited to |
| Small van | £300 – £450 | Boxes, student moves and a small amount of furniture |
| Medium van | £450 – £650 | Studio or 1-bedroom flats |
| Large van | £650 – £950+ | Larger flats and households with more furniture |
Disclaimer: These prices are estimates. Your actual quote will depend on your collection point, destination, moving volume, dates and the services included.
If you’re searching for the cheapest van hire or van rental from the UK to Ireland, self-drive will normally have the lowest advertised starting price. But the daily rental rate is only one part of the cost.
For a realistic comparison, calculate:
Van rental + extra rental days + fuel + the ferry crossing + international cover + accommodation + return arrangements
Fuel is another substantial cost. UK government figures for August 2026 put average diesel at about 183.5p per litre, and that’s before the ferry fare is added.
If you’re driving through Dublin, don’t assume the toll price you find for a car will apply to your rental van. On the M50, Ireland’s busiest toll road, a goods vehicle up to 2,000kg (which is what a hired van counts as) pays €3.60 to €4.90 depending on how you pay, against €2.60 to €3.80 for a private car, per Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s official M50 toll charges. This is particularly relevant if your route takes you around Dublin. Check the weight of the exact rental van before calculating your route costs.
None of this automatically makes professional transport cheaper. It simply means the fairest comparison is between the mover’s quote and your complete self-drive budget, not the advertised daily rental price.
Your quote will mainly depend on:
If you’re only moving part of a household, flexibility can help keep costs down. Some movers combine several smaller UK-to-Ireland moves on the same crossing, allowing transport costs to be shared, and the same works in reverse on a return leg. If your dates aren’t fixed, it’s worth asking whether a shared or return-load service is available.
At this point, the easiest way to decide whether driving yourself is worth it is to get an actual professional quote and compare it with your own total. A mover’s price already includes the driving, loading and ferry crossing you’d otherwise be doing yourself.
Comparing quotes doesn’t commit you to booking anything. It simply gives you a realistic professional price to compare with your DIY budget.
If you decide professional transport makes more sense, the next choice is how much help you need.
| Option | Cost | Loading and unloading | Packing | Customs support | Best for |
| Man and van to Ireland | ££ | Usually included | Usually DIY or optional | Varies by provider | Small to medium moves where keeping costs reasonable matters |
| Full removal service | £££ | Included | Often available or included | Usually available | Larger households, fragile belongings and people wanting more support |
Cost levels are relative. Exact prices depend on the route, volume and company.
A man with a van to Ireland usually works best when you have too much to move in a car but do not need the infrastructure of a large international removal company.
Typical examples include:
You can pack everything yourself to keep the price down while leaving the loading, securing, driving and unloading to an experienced mover.
If you’re moving most of a 2, 3 or 4-bedroom home, a full removal service is generally more practical.
International removal companies can provide professional packing, furniture dismantling, protection for fragile belongings, larger vehicles and additional support with the international side of the move. See our removals to Ireland guide to compare full-service providers.
This is particularly useful if you’re moving:
If you’re moving to Northern Ireland, there’s no customs to deal with, it’s still the UK. If you’re moving to the Republic of Ireland, Brexit changed things: you’re now moving your belongings to a country outside the UK. Irish Revenue’s transfer of residence relief lets you bring in used household goods free of customs duty and VAT if you’re genuinely transferring your normal residence there, but the shipment still needs to be declared correctly. Established international removal companies generally handle this paperwork for you. Customs support varies between smaller man-and-van operators, so check exactly what’s included before booking.
There isn’t one route for every UK-to-Ireland move. Where you’re starting from in the UK, and whether you’re headed to Northern Ireland or further into the Republic, both affect which crossing makes sense.
From south-west Scotland, Cairnryan to Larne with P&O Ferries takes about 2 hours, and Cairnryan to Belfast with Stena Line takes about 2 hours 15 minutes. These are the shortest sailings on the whole Irish Sea, and a natural fit if you’re moving from Scotland or the north of England.
Holyhead to Dublin, served by both Stena Line and Irish Ferries, takes around 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes, with up to 8 sailings a day. This is usually the most convenient option if you’re starting from north Wales, the Midlands or the north-west of England.
Pembroke to Rosslare and Fishguard to Rosslare, both around 3.5 to 4 hours, connect south Wales with the south-east of Ireland. These suit moves ending in Cork, Waterford or Wexford better than a Dublin crossing followed by a long drive south.
One genuine simplification compared with driving to other European countries: Ireland drives on the left, the same as the UK, so this is one less thing to plan for if you’re self-driving.
What still applies is the paperwork. If you’re taking a hired or leased van to the Republic of Ireland, gov.uk confirms you need a VE103 vehicle on hire certificate since you’re taking it abroad. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, so this generally doesn’t apply the way it does for a trip to the Republic, but check with your hire company either way since policies can vary.
The right man with a van or removal company depends on your exact route, volume and dates. These UK-based companies cover the route and are featured on Sirelo for UK-to-Ireland moves.
If you want a professional driver rather than a self-drive rental, the process is straightforward.
If you’re considering self-drive because it looks cheaper, calculate the complete cost before deciding. For a UK-to-Ireland move, that means the rental period, fuel, the ferry fare, Irish tolls if your route takes you through Dublin, and the time involved in loading, driving and unloading. If you’re headed to the Republic, there are customs formalities to deal with too.
Then compare that figure with professional transport. A man with a van to Ireland keeps many of the cost advantages of travelling by road without requiring you to spend a couple of days lifting furniture and managing a ferry crossing yourself. For larger households, a full removal company provides considerably more support.
With Sirelo, you can compare both types of professional service in one place.
