Buying skid plates one at a time usually ends the same way: you cover the engine, then the first serious trip takes out the fuel tank or the exhaust instead. This set settles it in one go — three plates that between them cover the whole vulnerable stretch of a T6 underbody.

What it covers. The manufacturer lists a set of three plates, without a differential plate: engine together with the gearbox (one piece), exhaust pipe, and fuel tank.

6.0 mm aluminium. Every plate in the set is pressed from 6.0 mm aluminium sheet in silver. At that thickness you get genuine impact resistance without adding the mass a steel equivalent would put under the floor — which matters on a van that carries people or cargo every day.

Installation. A complete fitting kit is supplied and the plates use the factory mounting points. Set aside a few hours on a lift — with three plates it is far easier to do them in one session.

Fitment and limitation. Volkswagen T6 from 2015, all versions — except Euro6 vehicles. That restriction comes from the manufacturer and is worth checking before you order.

• Three plates: engine with gearbox, exhaust, fuel tank
• 6.0 mm aluminium, silver finish
• Fitting kit included, factory mounting points
• VW T6 from 2015, not for Euro6 versions

If you are preparing a T6 for longer trips off tarmac, the set works out more sensibly than adding plates one by one — not least because you only fit them once.