Companies looking for bargains in the van rental market have been warned to be on their guard.

According to Carl D'Ammassa, chief executive officer at TLS Vehicle Rental, operators of commercial vehicles and daily rental companies are under a huge amount of pressure from rising costs, falling residual values and depressed markets.

“Many daily rental companies are fighting for survival and rates are highly competitive right now,” he said.

“Against this backdrop, we are aware of a number of daily rental companies offering very low rates that raise questions over their ability to survive long-term in the market.

“Customers are not stupid. If they are offered a daily rental rate that is simply too good to be true, they immediately start to ask questions about that supplier and whether they have a long term future.

“Customers are also intelligent enough to recognise when a rental rate is so low that maintenance and compliance issues are likely to be falling down the list of priorities.”