Evri vs DPD: Are They the Same Company?

Evri vs DPD usually starts as confusion: a parcel arrives from each, and you are not sure whether they are the same company, merging, or quietly working together. Conflicting blogs and a real DHL merger headline only muddy it, and you still do not know where your delivery is.

This guide settles who owns each, what is actually merging, how they compare on the measures that matter, and how to track both in one place.

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Are DPD and Evri the Same Company? No — Here's Who Owns Each

The short answer: no, they’re separate competitors

No. Evri and DPD are two separate, competing courier companies with different owners and no shared depots, drivers, vehicles or tracking systems. You keep getting parcels from both for one reason only: both compete to carry deliveries for the same online retailers.

There is a neat public proof they are independent. When the Post Office began selling both carriers’ postage in branch, its November 2023 announcement quoted two different chief executives — Elaine Kerr for DPD UK and Martijn de Lange for Evri — each partnering with the Post Office in their own right.

Who owns Evri? (former Hermes, now Apollo)

Evri is the former Hermes UK, rebranded Evri in March 2022. Before its sale it was owned by the private-equity firm Advent International alongside the Otto Group, parent of Hermes Europe, as its company history records.

In 2024 US private-equity firm Apollo Global Management agreed to buy the business, which left it entirely separate from Hermes. A purchase price of around £2.7bn has been reported but is not confirmed by an authoritative source. If you are waiting on a delivery, our Evri (Hermes) tracking guide walks through the detail.

Who owns DPD? (Geopost / La Poste)

DPD UK is part of Geopost (formerly DPDgroup), the parcels arm of La Poste, the French state-owned postal group. DPD Local is the former Interlink Express.

So the two sit under completely different parents — Apollo on the Evri side, La Poste on the DPD side. For the receiving end, our DPD tracking guide covers DPD’s own references and delivery windows.

Why you keep getting parcels from both

As a shopper you rarely pick between them — the retailer chooses the carrier at checkout. A single week of online orders can easily bring one Evri parcel and one DPD parcel to the same doorstep.

That overlap is about shared customers, not shared ownership. It is exactly why so many people assume the two must be connected.

Are Evri and DPD Connected or Merging?

The merger you heard about is Evri + DHL — not DPD

There is a real merger in the news, but it does not involve DPD. In May 2025 DHL agreed to combine its UK e-commerce arm, DHL eCommerce UK, with Evri.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority gave the deal unconditional clearance in September 2025, and it was reported to have completed in late 2025. The combined business is called Evri Group, with DHL taking a significant minority stake — the European Commission described the result as joint control by Apollo and Deutsche Post/DHL.

During 2026 the former DHL eCommerce UK network is being rebranded “Evri Premium” and kept as a separate, faster service. None of this touches DPD, which remains wholly under La Poste/Geopost. If a DHL label turns up in the meantime, our DHL tracking guide explains it.

Do Evri and DPD work together?

No. They are independent competitors with separate depots, drivers, vehicles and IT, and a parcel sent via one is never handed to the other to finish the journey.

A retailer may offer either carrier at checkout, and both have been sold over the counter at the Post Office since November 2023 — the first non-Royal-Mail carriers in branch. But sharing a shop counter is not the same as co-delivering.

Are they connected in any way?

The genuine overlaps are all about competing for the same space, not shared ownership. Both carry parcels for many of the same retailers, both are sold in branch at the Post Office, and both run nationwide locker and pickup networks on the high street.

What they do not share is any owner, parent company, depot, driver, vehicle or tracking system. In short, “Evri and DPD merger” mixes up two different stories — the real tie-up is Evri and DHL.

Evri vs DPD: Quick Comparison Table

How to read this table

Treat every figure below as a dated snapshot rather than a permanent verdict, because prices, network sizes and survey scores all move. Where a carrier publishes no firm number, we say so instead of inventing one.

If you just want to follow whatever is on its way, our guide to how to track any parcel covers the basics.

Is DPD More Reliable Than Evri?

What the independent surveys say

It is close, and which one looks “better” depends on the yardstick, the year and the drivers in your area. On the measures where DPD leads, though, it tends to lead clearly.

In the Citizens Advice Parcels League Table 2025 (published 19 November 2025, from an Opinium survey of 8,000 adults), Evri and DPD tied joint third on 2.25/5. DPD scored higher on trust (3.4 vs 2.0), while Evri edged ahead on customer service (2.7 vs 2.1); both scored 2.4 on delivery.

Year on year, DPD’s overall score fell and Evri’s rose, so the gap is narrowing. Ofcom’s October 2025 research is the counterweight: among customers who contacted a firm about a problem, Evri was the most dissatisfied group (31% satisfied, 41% dissatisfied), against an operator-wide average of 78% satisfied.

Reader polls point the same way as the trust scores. DPD has topped MoneySavingExpert’s annual reader poll for several years running, while Evri has sat near the bottom of the same poll. Reader polls are self-selecting opinion, so weigh them alongside the Citizens Advice and Ofcom findings rather than on their own.

Who is the best courier in the UK?

Honestly, it depends on what you measure — no single courier wins everything. By the Citizens Advice 2025 table, Royal Mail led on 3.25, Amazon Logistics came second on 3.0, and DPD and Evri tied third.

For tracking polish DPD is the usual pick; for lowest cost Evri often wins; our Evri vs Royal Mail comparison covers another common match-up. As a recipient you rarely choose anyway, so the practical question is less “who is best” and more “how do I keep track of whatever arrives”. If a parcel goes quiet, Yodel tracking and the other carrier guides use the same approach.

Are Evri drivers paid per parcel?

Broadly yes. Evri’s couriers are generally self-employed and paid per parcel, and its careers pages advertise a “Plus” track with guaranteed earnings above the National Living Wage for those committing to five or more days a week.

The model has drawn criticism. A 2023 trade report cited Manchester couriers saying they earned about 60p per parcel, to which Evri replied that self-employed couriers choose their own volumes and timeframes; a December 2025 analysis also disputed the above-wage claim once unpaid time and costs are counted. These are reported views and analysis, not regulatory findings.

Evri vs DPD for Next-Day Delivery

DPD next-day and the 1-hour Predict window

DPD is generally positioned as the faster, more premium network. It offers timed next-day options, for example by 10:30 or by 12:00, and its DPD Predict service sends a 1-hour delivery window by SMS and email.

Its Follow My Parcel live map then shows the driver’s name, your place in the delivery queue and a final 15-minute slot. That live detail is a big part of why DPD’s tracking is so well rated.

Evri Next Day and cut-offs

Evri’s Next Day service aims to deliver the next working day if the parcel is dropped off or collected before the daily cut-off, usually around 12 noon — though it is not guaranteed. Standard Evri delivery typically takes 2 to 4 working days.

Cut-off times and availability depend on the retailer’s contract and your nearest drop-off point, so check the live options for your postcode. When a label finally shows movement, our guide to what out for delivery means explains the final stage.

Weekend and Sunday

Both offer some weekend delivery, but the detail varies. DPD offers Saturday widely and Sunday on some services; Evri runs selected Sunday deliveries but does not currently collect on Sundays.

Prices and exact cut-offs change often and depend on the sender, so treat any figure as a guide and confirm on evri.com or dpd.co.uk. We have deliberately avoided quoting a single official DPD consumer price, because DPD does not publish one.

Evri vs DPD: Drop-Off Points, Lockers and Pickup Shops

Evri ParcelShops and Lockers

Evri’s out-of-home network is its ParcelShops and Lockers. ParcelShops open 7 days a week with longer hours, while Lockers let you send, collect and return 24/7.

For returns you can print a label at home, or use “Print In ParcelShop” with a QR or authorisation code Evri emails you. Evri cites more than 11,000 ParcelShops and lockers, though its own figures vary, so use its finder for what is actually near you.

DPD Pickup shops and lockers

DPD runs thousands of Pickup shops and lockers. A Pickup point typically accepts larger parcels, up to around 20kg and 60cm, and holds them for about 7 working days.

DPD does not publish a single official count, so “thousands” is the honest description. If a parcel cannot be delivered, DPD generally returns it to the sender after a minimum of 5 calendar days.

Finding a drop-off near me

Both carriers have their own “find a drop-off point” locator, which is the only reliable way to see current, nearby options. Networks change constantly, so a map on either carrier’s site beats any number quoted in an article.

If you use lockers a lot, our InPost lockers guide covers that network too.

Which is handy for Vinted?

Evri has been a Vinted delivery partner since 2018, with a four-year extension reported in July 2025. Sellers can use Evri Home or Evri ParcelShop options with either a printable label or a digital QR label from the buyer-conversation screen.

If you are the buyer waiting on a secondhand find, our Vinted tracking guide shows how those labels appear once they are scanned.

Evri or DPD: Which Should You Pick?

If you’re sending a parcel

Lean towards Evri when price matters most and you want a dense drop-off network, bearing in mind its roughly 15kg limit. Lean towards DPD when you want premium tracking, a timed or next-day feel and heavier parcels up to around 30kg.

Both let you buy postage and drop off in branch at the Post Office, so everyday drop-off convenience is broadly similar. Our Parcelforce tracking guide is worth a look if you are weighing up a third option.

If you’re waiting on a delivery

As a recipient you do not really choose at all — the retailer picks the carrier, and a single order can even arrive split between Evri and DPD. So the useful question is not “which is better” but “how do I keep sight of whatever turns up”.

That is where tracking both in one place pays off, which is the next section.

The honest verdict

On reputation, DPD has the edge for tracking polish and consistency, while Evri is the cheaper option and has been improving on the independent measures. Neither is a blanket “good” or “bad” — the right answer shifts with price, parcel size and the drivers in your postcode.

Treat the surveys as snapshots, check current prices on each carrier’s site, and judge by your own recent deliveries.

Track Evri and DPD Parcels in One App

Why two carriers mean two trackers

If you shop from more than one place, some parcels turn up with Evri and some with DPD, and the two run completely separate tracking systems. A normal week can mean bouncing between two sites, two logins and two inboxes just to answer one question: where is my stuff?

That is the real friction, and it has nothing to do with whether the carriers are related. It is simply two different systems to check.

Evri vs DPD tracking numbers explained

Evri gives you a roughly 16-character alphanumeric code, which you enter on Evri’s own tracker. Evri publishes no official worked example, so any sample layout you see elsewhere is unofficial.

DPD gives you a different reference entirely, plus its 1-hour Predict window and Follow My Parcel map. DPD does not publish a fixed number format, so we will not claim a digit count — the practical point is that the two formats come from two separate systems. If a code will not load, see our guide on a tracking number not working.

One timeline for every parcel

Package Tracker puts both carriers on a single timeline. You add each number once — no account, no logging into separate carrier sites — and it follows them on Evri’s and DPD’s own feeds, alongside more than 1,700 other carriers.

The moment either parcel moves you get one push, instead of refreshing two trackers. Nothing changes about how your parcel is sent or delivered; you just stop juggling tabs to watch it arrive.

If something stalls, our guides on a parcel stuck in transit and what a delivery exception means explain the next step.

Frequently asked questions

Related tracking guides

• Evri (Hermes) tracking
• DPD tracking
• Evri vs Royal Mail
• Royal Mail tracking
• Yodel parcel tracking
• InPost parcel tracking
• How to track any parcel