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Ultimate Guide to Van Insurance

We know how important your van is to you. Whether you use it for work or play, it works hard to keep you on the move.

So what would you do if your van was involved in an accident or stolen? You’d want to be up and running again pretty soon, wouldn’t you, because your van is a vital part of your business. Having the right level of cover means that in the event of an accident, you can minimise its impact on you and your business.

Whether you are a caterer or a construction worker, a delivery driver or a decorator, running a business with a van can be costly, and what with the increasing price of fuel, tax, and servicing and repair costs, it can all add up to a hefty sum. But by using a van insurance comparison site, you can minimise these costs by finding the best deal and the right level of cover to match your requirements.

What type of cover should I get?

Whichever type of van you drive – it might be a transit van, crew cab, pickup or a tipper – you will need van insurance to legally drive on the roads in the UK. But the type of policy you need will depend on many things; it’s size, engine capacity, what you use it for, and what you carry in it can all impact your premium.

The cost of van insurance is not cheap, and it is increasing year on year. Which is all the more reason to make sure you get the best from your van insurance. A comparison service can search loads of insurers in just a few minutes to help find a great offer for you and your van.

Van insurance is similar to car insurance in that the most basic of cover includes third-party, third-party fire & theft, and comprehensive, but also there are specialist areas to consider, which all depends on what type of job you do. You may carry expensive, fragile or hazardous cargo that will be factored in when you apply for van insurance.

Think carefully about the cover you need. If your van is out of use, then your business halts. Can you afford angry customers and deliveries piling up because you didn’t get the right insurance?

Decide what level of cover you need:

When you take out van insurance, the amount of cover you get will depend on you and your circumstances. The three most common types of cover available are:

Third Party

This is the minimum level of cover legally allowed. You might think that third-party is the cheapest cover, but this is not necessarily true as drivers with third-party only cover can be considered a higher risk. Third-party gives the least protection and covers:

Liability for injuries to others (including passengers)
Damage to property
Liability while towing a caravan or trailer
Does NOT pay for fixing or replacing the van if damaged or stolen
You pay damage to victims involved in accidents that you are responsible for

Third-party, fire and theft

This is similar to the third-party but with a few extras.

Fire damage
Theft of your own vehicle or damage to your van
Accidents that you are responsible for: damage to another person or vehicle
Damage to your van in an accident that was your fault is not covered, and you would not be able to claim if you suffered any injury

Fully Comprehensive

loss or damage to your vehicle
windscreen cover
damage to you even if the accident was your fault
accidental damages
medical expenses
sometimes includes breakdown cover

What additional cover will I need?

You’ll also need to consider the following additional classifications

Social or Business cover?

If you use your van simply for transporting your mates around and having fun, and you don’t use it for anything work related, you will need social (sometimes called private) cover only. For example, you might use your van to go camping, surfing, fishing, or any other hobby involving a van. If it doesn’t gain payment or income, then it’s not deemed to be work.

But remember that social use is defined more strictly in van insurance than car insurance so even if you commute to one place of work in a van you need a business van policy.

For business use of any kind you will need business insurance which gives additional cover depending on the type of work you do with your van, under the following classifications;

Carriage of Own Goods covers your personal belongings that are in the car; your CD’s, gym kit, for example, as well as the tools that you carry for your job. This policy is for individuals who simply drive to and from their place of work each day such as a builder who drives between jobs with their van full of their own equipment.
Carriage of Goods for Hire or Reward covers all of your belongings including those needed for work, such as tools, or personal items. It covers people who drive to different places of work throughout the day such as a delivery driver.
Liability while towing a caravan or trailer
Haulage is insurance for the delivery of one item or items over long distances; to deliver one shipment to one site and then return to a delivery centre to stock up again.

Additional factors that you will need to consider and which may affect your insurance cost might include;

Are you a young or inexperienced driver?
Do you have a history of accidents or traffic violations?
Do you need short-term cover?
Do you need trailer cover?
Do you need breakdown cover?
Do you need cover for multiple drivers?

It all adds up, so that’s why it’s important that you know what you need from your van insurance so that you can find the best possible cover, at the best price.

By simply inputting some details, based on the specification of your van, and the type of policy you need, the Van insurance comparison engine will compare a range of quotes from some of the UK’s leading insurance providers to help find a policy that’s right for you.

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