Company History

Maun Motors is a family business, established by the current owners, back in 1972.  We now have a stock of over 500 vehicles for sale, as well as a separate commercial vehicle hire fleet which is over 800 vehicles strong.  We specialise in supplying high quality, late plate, low mileage commercial vehicles of all shapes, sizes and colours. Our range is vast and we often stock hard-to-find vans and trucks of rare specifications.

Humble Beginnings

The business was originally started as a small vehicle repairs business offering mechanical and bodywork services in the Sutton-In-Ashfield area.  Things took off quite well and within 3 months the business had moved to a small rented yard on Chatsworth Street, Huthwaite, with a car sales pitch able to hold 6 vehicles outside.

Entry into the Self-Drive Hire sector

With just a few vehicles, consisting of cars and light commercials, the original hire fleet was a humble one compared to Maun Motors’ current range; but in 1982 an ‘Autumn Gold’ coloured, ‘X’ registered Transit became the first brand new vehicle to join the Maun Motors Self Drive fleet.

New sales pitch premises were bought at Tibshelf in Derbyshire, during the early eighties, as well as an ex-coal board workshop and storage yard at Morton to accommodate the ever-expanding business. Neither of these depots are open to the public any longer.

Hire Fleet Expansion

As the Self Drive Hire business grew, it was deemed necessary to move to new, larger premises with workshop and valeting facilities, along with offices and reception. A site on Alfreton Road, Sutton-In-Ashfield was purchased and was used for 17 years, before the company outgrew the premises due to increasing vehicle demand.  Since moving to Alfreton Road, outside mechanical and bodywork repairs were slowly phased out of our business model, as our own growing fleet was becoming more time-demanding to manage.

Move Into Crane Lorry Hire

In 1995, the first Maun Motors ‘Muckaway‘ lorry hit the streets.  With its 26 tonne GVW, a modern ‘HMF’ loader and heavy duty tipping body, the vehicle was a landmark in the history of the company, marking the time when Maun started to focus on providing to the heavy commercial hire market, particularly crane lorries.

With Maun Motors Self Drive now hiring much larger vehicles – many fitted with cranes and other specialist equipment – a purpose-built larger workshop facility was now desperately needed.  It was decided a new workshop would be constructed at the Morton site, and the old workshops (still in use from the coal board days) would be demolished.  In 1998 the new workshop was fully operational and equipped with top grade equipment and facilities among the best in the UK industry.

Used Vehicle Sales Expansion

The Commercial Vehicle Sales side of the business also steadily grew and in the early 1990s a large site was acquired on Common Road, Huthwaite, NG17 2NB.  The site is still our used van & minibus sales depot and has a constant yard stock in excess of 250 vehicles on display for our customers to browse at their leisure. The site is centrally located, just a couple of miles off M1 Junction 28, making it easy to access from the North & South. With good links both East and West, our East Midlands location and strengthening reputation meant our customer base spread nationwide.

As our reputation for providing high quality used vehicles grew, so did our range. We began sourcing vans in unusual colours, and with unique body designs and modifications for special purposes, which set us apart from many dealers who would only stock basic models in popular colours, which set us apart from many dealers who would only stock basic models in popular colours. Our range now features several specialist types of commercial vehicles, including: Crew Vans & Kombi Vans, Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs), Cherry Pickers (MEWPs), Highway Maintenance vehicles, Dropwell Luton Removal Vans, 4×4 Vans, Minibuses, Curtain Sides, Chiller and Freezer Vans, High-Spec Sport Vans, Glazing Vans with Glass Racks & Frails, Dropsides, Tippers… and more!

We also sell many modern vehicles which are eligible to be ULEZ / Ultra Low Emission Zone compliant and Clean Air Zone (CAZ) compliant – meaning they can be used in city centres such as London without paying the emission zone charge. You can always find a bargain by viewing our Clearance & Special Offers section and we always list any VAT exempt vehicles separately, so it’s easy to find a van with no VAT to pay.

Further Growth into HGV Rental Sector & Larger Hire Premises

Once Maun Motors became established in the heavy vehicle rental sector, our reputation quickly grew and we became the first choice vehicle hire provider for many “blue-chip” PLCs, utility companies, councils & local authorities.  The diversity of vehicles available to hire from us grew and grew, with new vehicle types such as PSV Minibuses, Skip Lorries, RORO Hook Loaders, Moffett Truck-Mounted Fork Lifts and HGV Trailers joining our portfolio.  Our range of vans, trucks and minibuses is still growing.

A new site was purchased in early 2001; at Berristow Lane, South Normanton, DE55 2FH.  The site is 7 acres in size, with in excess of 40,000 square feet of quality office and workshop buildings.  The plan for the site was to have a hire depot with vehicle storage, body building workshops, valeting facilities, customer parking and workshops for the maintenance of both light & heavy commercials; all on one site!  With good access to the M1 and A38 and a central location, this site is perfectly placed to serve our nationwide portfolio of hire vehicles and customers – including customers working inside Clean Air Zones in many cities & towns.

After many months of construction and improvement work, our new hire depot at the Berristow Lane, South Normanton site opened in December 2001.  The old site at Alfreton Road was sold and has since been developed as housing.  The new Hire Reception area is spacious and relaxing, with ample customer seating, plenty of natural light, wheelchair access, air conditioning and toilets (including disabled toilet).

Digital Presence

In 2002 we took our first steps into digital marketing by launching our first website, which helped grow our customer base and reputation over a much wider area.  After serving us well for almost a decade, the old site was out of date, slow and incompatible with modern mobile and touchscreen devices. It was decided that the requirements of our vehicle sales customers and vehicle hire customers were so disparate that they should be served by 2 separate websites, on the www.maunmotors.co.uk domain. So in 2012 an all-new vehicle sales website was launched at www.maunmotors.co.uk/sales, which was replaced again in 2013 with the current modern, responsive, user-friendly site.  During this time, planning and development had begun on the all-new self drive hire website you’re using now , which finally launched in September 2014, at www.maunmotors.co.uk/hire.

Expansion into Lorry-Mounted Fork Lift Hire Sector

As our self drive lorry hire fleet grew, we were often asked whether we supplied vehicles equipped to carry a “Moffett Mounty” – an increasingly popular lightweight forklift which “piggybacks” onto the rear of a specialist lorry or trailer.

In the early 2000’s we introduced a small number of 26 tonne GVW curtain-side lorries with Moffett mounting kits installed, which proved extremely popular. Before long we had added the Moffett fork lifts themselves, to accompany our mountable trucks and enable us to hire out a complete lorry & Moffett combination.

Since then we’ve expanded our range of vehicles with Moffett mounting kits installed, with 18 tonne curtain-side Moffett lorries, flatbed Moffett lorries, dropside Moffett lorries, flatbed Moffett trailers, curtain-side Moffett trailers and a range of Moffetts including the M8 & M5, all joining our line-up. Our range of Moffetts has increased too, as we now also have forklifts available with “Lift Assist” features, such as the M5 PL with Pantograph and the M5 with Extending Forks.

We now operate the largest self-drive Moffett hire fleet in the UK (confirmed by HIAB Moffett sales data), with one of the most comprehensive ranges of vehicles which will take a lorry-mounted fork lift, to back it up.

New Sales Reception

In winter 2019, we began redeveloping our vehicle sales site at Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire with a brand new, larger reception building and vehicle sales office. Construction was 95% complete when the first Covid-19 lockdown was introduced in March 2020, which set back the finishing touches by several months. We eventually moved into our new facilities in September of that year.

The new sales reception is a world apart from our old one! We now have a bright, modern, minimalist, airy and spacious environment – for customers and staff alike. The sales office is wheelchair accessible, with a unisex, accessible customer toilet, and has all the features you’d expect, such as a waiting area with seating, a private office… even an outdoor picnic bench! Why not pay us a visit to check out these new facilities!

Of course, we’ve ensured our new building is as Covid-secure as possible. It has certainly helped having the extra space, but we also have automatic entry/exit door, constant ventilation with fresh air, screens over the reception counter, well-spaced desks and chairs, numerous hand sanitising stations and complimentary disposable masks for customer use.

Covid-19 Challenges

Like all businesses, Maun Motors has had to adapt to the challenges and demands of the Covid-19 pandemic. We introduced various changes to our depots and to the way we work, to ensure we operate in a Covid-secure manner, for the safety of our customers and employees.

We introduced contact-free collections and deliveries for sales vehicles, minimal-contact handovers for hire vehicles, improved our vehicle sanitisation practices, implemented pedestrian control in our reception areas and installed screens & hand sanitiser stations where appropriate throughout the business – to name a few. We’ve also increased the use of our video tours of sales vehicles – including live videos via WhatsApp and YouTube – to potential customers not wishing to visit our premises. These measures have allowed us to provide the best possible service to our customers, with minimal disruption.

We also used 2021 and 2022 as a time to upgrade our rental fleet. Increased demand for used vehicles, coupled with the increased demand for Euro 6 rental vehicles, presented us with an opportunity to sell the majority of our older fleet and replace them with vehicles meeting Euro 6 / Euro VI emissions standards. Whilst we still request that customers specify a Euro 6 van, minibus or lorry if they intend to enter the ULEZ or one of the numberous Clean Air Zones (Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, and many more), the vast majority of our commercial vehicle hire fleet now meets the entry criteria.

Fifty Years in Business!

Maun Motors began trading in 1972, so 2022 marks our 50th anniversary!

Exceeding Customers’ Expectations

Increasing customer demands and expectations have meant that Maun Motors has had to constantly evolve in order to supply the needs and exceed the expectations of its growing customer base.  This has led to Maun Motors becoming one of the largest independent Commercial Vehicle Hire & Sales companies in the UK.

Maun Motors – Commercial Quality since 1972