Will A Stove Fit In A Minivan? (Plus Other Stove Moving Tips)

Minivans are great multi use vehicles which is the main reason why so many people choose them over other vehicles. They are perfect for hauling around large families on cross country road trips or for hauling around whatever you need to. 

Many people use minivans for hauling large furniture and other large items but knowing what will and won’t fit in your minivan can be difficult many times. 

So if you need to move a stove with your minivan will it actually fit? 

A stove will easily fit in the back of a minivan as a stove is 30” wide and 26” deep so it can be laid on its side or back without any issue since the rear door or a minivan is 40” tall and 48” wide. However, it won’t fit inside a minivan standing up straight as it’s too tall. 

For the stove to fit in the back of your minivan you will need to lay the third row seats flat but on most minivan models you won’t have to remove or stow the 2nd row seats. What that means is that you can still fit 4 people in your minivan while hauling a stove in the back as well! 

If you need to haul more than one stove you can do that in a minivan as well. Surprisingly with all the seats removed or laid flat into the floor (for Dodge and Chrysler models) you can actually fit 3 full size stoves inside of a minivan!

That is why many people love minivans! 

One thing to keep in mind is that stoves are often quite dirty underneath or in the back so it’s a good idea to lay a tarp or cardboard box on the floor to prevent it from getting the carpet in your minivan dirty or greasy. This will also help to protect your stove from getting the paint scratched or the side panels dented while maneuvering it in and out of your minivan. 

If you plan on hauling appliances, furniture, etc. in your minivan quite often it’s a good idea to get a 4×8 sheet of plywood and cover the minivan’s floor with it. That will prevent the hooks in the floor (where the seats attach) from snagging something while you are moving it in or out and will also save your carpet from the excess wear and tear. 

Can you transport a stove on its side? 

Now that we know that a stove will fit in a minivan without any difficulty the next thing you will likely want to know is how you can transport it. Is it safe to lay a stove on its side while you are moving it? 

Laying a stove on either of its side is the best way to transport a stove when you have it lying down. This is because there is nothing fragile on either side that could be damaged when you go over a bump. 

One thing you do have to be really careful about however is actually damaging the sides. Typically they are just thin pieces of metal so they are super easy to dent, scratch, etc. 

To keep your stove in the best possible condition you will want to carefully lay it on top of a blanket or towels and then lay that on top of a piece of cardboard. You can then move the piece of cardboard inside your minivan with the stove on it being careful not to allow it to slide. 

Then to take the stove back out you simply slide the cardboard out and your stove shouldn’t get any damage on it at all during the move. 

Can you transport a gas/electric stove on its back? 

Knowing exactly how to transport a stove is an important piece of information when you intend to do so in a minivan. Obviously you can’t transport it standing up but if you have a larger gas or electric stove is it okay for it to be laying on its back during the move? 

As long as there is nothing sticking out of the back of the stove then laying a gas or electric stove down on its back should be fine. The only way you don’t want to lay a stove down during transport is on its front as the door can pop open and break. 

Many people prefer to transport a stove laying on its back because they are worried about scratching or damaging the sides of the stove but don’t care about the back. While laying the stove on its back is fine in most cases some models will have the cord or other things that stick out of the back of the stove. 

If your stove is flat on the back and you aren’t in danger of bending or breaking something then laying it on its back is totally fine no matter if it’s gas or electric. However if there is a cord or something else that sticks out then you are risking damaging that by laying the weight of the stove on top of it. 

If there is anything at all on the back it’s always a better idea to simply lay the stove on its side during transport to avoid the risk of damaging something. You can always use the blanket and cardboard method mentioned in the previous section to ensure that the sides don’t get scratched if you have to lay the stove on its side. 

Can you lay a glass top stove down to transport it?

Now that we have discussed laying down an electric or gas stove and whether you can lay it on its back or not the last thing I want to mention about transporting a stove in a minivan is whether a glass top stove can be laid down to transport it or whether you need to keep it upright. 

Some manufacturers recommend only moving your glass top stove in the upright position but is that really the only way? 

Glass top stoves can be moved and laid down in their sides or back however you have to be extremely careful to secure the top to ensure it doesn’t move during transport. If the glass top swings open when it’s laying down it’s likely to break which is why manufacturers typically warn against it. 

If you have no choice but to lay down a glass top stove the one thing that you have to be sure of is that the top doesn’t move. Some people recommend taping it down but personally I don’t feel that is secure enough. 

What I would do is get a couple of thick blankets to cover the entire top of the glass stove and then use a ratchet strap around the entire stove to hold the top and blankets in place. Make sure not to tighten the strap down too tight (you don’t want to break the glass from the pressure). 

Once you have the strap tightly around the stove with the blankets on top of the glass you should have no problem laying the stove down as there should be no way for the glass top to move at all. 

Conclusion 

I hope this article has been helpful in answering your questions about whether a stove will fit in a minivan as well as the best way to safely transport a stove. 

Always be careful when loading and unloading your stove from any vehicle but especially when that vehicle has a roof and windows that can easily be damaged if you aren’t careful!