There’s more to van insurance than meets the eye.
Vans and commercial vehicles come in so many different shapes and sizes – single cabs, double cabs, flat beds, tippers, cherry pickers, panel vans, luton vans, chassis cabs and on and on. Each model is built for a specific job or usage which will have a significant effect on the insurance price.
Cover for Business Use
It’s not often a van is bought for purely personal tasks like social, domestic and pleasure purposes, so most insurance companies will not provide insurance other than a commercial vehicle policy to cover a van. This doesn’t mean you cannot have a policy with SDP cover, just that it will be added to a commercial policy rather than being available in it’s own right. It is also worth noting that there are some significant differences between commercial vehicle insurance policies and your usual SDP personal policy for your private motor car.
As an example, a “driving other cars” extension is still quite common on fully comprehensive car policies, but it is not offered at all on commercial vehicle policies. People sometimes get caught out as they mistakenly think that the DOC extension is automatically included on any fully comprehensive policy. This is not the case with private car insurance policies either, it’s just that the vast majority of them used to have this as standard, although it will be phased out completely over the next few years.
Usually commercial vehicles are insured for multiple drivers, or sometimes on an “any driver” basis. There are even a few insurers who offer “any age, any driver” policies, although in cases such as those, all drivers must have a clean, Full UK driving licence. If that is not the case, any driver with points, convictions, disabilities etc. will need to be named on the policy and their driving history will have a direct effect on the rate paid.
Drivers ages
As you would expect, the younger a driver, the more you will pay whether on a named or any driver basis. On an any driver policy, ages can be limited to any driver over 21, over 25 or over 30, with the latter being the cheapest.
Modified Vans
After purchasing a vehicle, a company will often adapt it for it’s own purposes. For instance, ply lining the interior, changing the number of seats, or fitting a tail lift. In the case of ply lining most insurers will not alter the premium one way or the other, although some will want to know. A tail lift is slightly different in that it is a fixture attached to the van, so if you have fully comprehensive insurance, you can potentially claim for this if it is accident damaged. However, you must declare it to your insurer, and also make sure the cost of the lift and the van combined are included in the sum insured. It is also worth noting that a tail lift is described as a fixture, not tools or equipment – these have to be insured separately.
Changing how many seats you have is quite common and is something all insurers will want to know about. Taking them out isn’t usually a problem, but adding more seating isn’t something you should do yourself as insurance companies tend to frown on this. This is because there are several safety issues, such as torque settings, seat belts, and correct fittings etc. which should ideally be addressed by qualified persons, meaning a main dealer must do it. Sometimes an insurance company might want a copy of a main dealer’s receipt as proof the work was done to standard. This is understandable given the potential for serious injury in an accident if a seat isn’t fitted properly, or a seatbelt incorrectly adjusted, and you should be aware that your cover might not be valid if you do it yourself.
Occasionally, a van owner may want to personalise their van in the same way they might do with a car. Perhaps fitting extra lights or alloy wheels, although most people only go as far sign writing. This will always affect an insurance premium, although not necessarily in a more costly way. For example: Alloy wheels are considered a higher theft risk than standard steel wheels, so your premium would naturally increase. However, sign writing your van, makes it more identifiable if it happens to be stolen, so this can sometimes reduce an insurance premium.
In conclusion:
* If you have any doubts, a good broker/insurer will always be able to help * Insurance is available from a number of providers for all kinds of commercial vehicles
For further help or quotes, click on Coversure’s van insurance page. There is also a large FAQ resource and information available for other commercial vehicle insurance products.
