From deciding between commercial van insurance and private insurance, to selecting the level of coverage, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to insuring your van. That’s where we come in. We’ll compare quotes from more than 55 leading UK van insurers to help you find the right cover to protect you and your vehicle.
Whether you’re renewing your van insurance policy or looking to switch providers for a better deal, we’ll do the hard work for you. We work with leading UK business van insurance providers to help find you the right policy at the right price.
We work with over 55 top van insurers including:
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Whether you use your van for work or play, taking out van insurance will help look after you, your van and its contents to keep you on the road. Plus, if you add breakdown cover to your policy, you’ll have the added peace of mind of saving money on recovery costs.
Van insurance is vital to protect road users and it’s a legal requirement to have third party insurance as a minimum. If you have an accident, this will protect others against any damage or loss caused by your vehicle.
From catering, to courier services, to commuting to work, if you use your van for any kind of business activity, you’ll need to take out commercial van insurance. If your business has multiple vans, compare fleet insurance quotes to see if we can help you save money on your policy.
Van insurance is designed to protect you, your vehicle and others (third parties). Taking out the right van insurance policy can help save you money and stress in the event that your van is involved in an accident or other incident.
It’s important to take the time to consider which level of cover is right for you and your needs. Third Party Only van insurance is the minimum legal requirement, but for more protection and peace of mind you could take out Third party, Tire and Theft or Comprehensive insurance.
There are three main types of cover:
Third-party only insurance is the minimum legal requirement for van insurance in the UK. This is the most basic level of cover. Essentially, it’s in place to provide financial protection to others if you have an accident.
Though not always the case, as the most basic option, third-party only van insurance policies are usually the cheapest. third-party only insurance may even work out more expensive in the long run. For example, if your van is stolen or if you incur any medical expenses after an accident, a third-party only policy won’t pay out, so it’s worth comparing different options before making a decision.
Third-party only insurance covers:
Third-party, fire and theft insurance is one step up from third-party only in that it covers all potential third party claims for damage or injury resulting from any accident you may have caused, but it also covers damage to or loss of your van from fire or theft.
Third-party, fire and theft policies tend to be more expensive than third-party only cover as they provide more protection and cover incidents that typically happen more often, for example damage caused by someone trying to break into your van.
Third-party, fire and theft insurance covers:
Comprehensive, or ‘fully comp’, van insurance provides a full package of protection for you, your vehicle and third parties. However, don’t forget to check the full details of any policy you’re considering to see which additional cover options, such as breakdown cover, are included as standard and which come at an extra cost.
Although comprehensive policies are often on the more expensive side, this isn’t always the case. Make sure to compare cheap van insurance quotes to find the best value for money.
Comprehensive insurance covers:
Whether you take out basic third-party only van insurance or opt for more protection with comprehensive cover, most insurers will offer you additional options to upgrade your van insurance.
Although these add an extra cost, they can save you money in the long term, covering everything from legal expenses and lost keys, to breakdown cover and courtesy vehicles.
Insurers define commercial use for van insurance more strictly than for car insurance. When taking out a policy, it’s important to accurately detail how you use your van. If you fail to do so, you may find your van insurance is invalid when you need it most.
If you use your transit van for social, leisure or domestic purposes, you can safely consider taking out standard private van insurance. So if you’re only using your van to transport a surfboard say, or taking it out on camping trips, private cover will suffice.
If you use your van to carry out any activity related to your work or business, including transporting goods to your place of work, you’ll need to take out commercial van insurance.
Commercial van insurance falls under three categories:
Unlike car insurance, van insurance requires you to declare if you use your van to transport goods to your place of work. In other words, if you use your van to commute to work, you’ll need to take out cover for carriage of own goods. This will protect you and your possessions if you have an accident during your commute, or during any work-related journey.
You’ll need to take out hire and reward insurance if you use your van to transport goods in return for payment. For example, if you’re running a food delivery or courier service, or even a catering company or furniture removal business. Typically, the type of delivery business that falls within this category will make multiple deliveries to multiple destinations during a single day, and may transport a wide variety of goods.
Haulage insurance provides similar cover to Carriage of Goods for Hire or Reward, but is intended for businesses that deliver goods to the same clients on a regular basis. Unlike courier services, haulage businesses typically make long distance deliveries to a single destination. This means they’re able to inform insurance providers about the type of goods they’ll be transporting. Note that vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes will need HGV insurance.
While a standard van insurance policy may be the right option for you and your van, you may benefit from taking out a specialised policy as a van driver.
Maybe you’ve converted your panel van into a camper or updated a classic van into a pop-up food business. If you’ve modified or customised your vehicle in any way, make sure to mention this when searching for van insurance cover, and we’ll help you find the right policy for you.
If you’re planning on insuring multiple drivers on your van, you’ll also need to mention this when comparing quotes.
If you’re also insuring multiple vehicles, you may want to consider fleet insurance. Fleet policies can help keep things simple, covering all your vans as well as your drivers on one single policy.
Motor trade insurance, also known as traders’ insurance, offers protection to business owners and employees who deal with vehicles as part of their work, for example, garages and car showrooms. This is a legal requirement to cover staff using customers’ vehicles at work.
Delivery businesses transporting goods by van will need to take out specialised haulage or courier insurance, depending on the type of work they’re carrying out, to adequately protect themselves against any damage or claims from third parties.
It’s important to take out the right insurance for your needs to ensure you have the correct van insurance cover in place should the worst happen. If you fail to mention any relevant details like those mentioned above, your insurer could invalidate your insurance.
Van insurance quotes can differ greatly, but to give you some idea of what to expect, according to Consumer Intelligence, the average cost of van insurance in 2019 was £1,591 a year.
To calculate insurance premiums, insurers consider a variety of factors to determine the likelihood of a claim being made. Generally, the more likely a van driver is to make a claim, the higher the van insurance premium.
Factors insurers consider often include:
Taking the time to shop around and compare van insurance policies will help you find the best value cover and we’re here to help.
If you’re looking to save money on your van insurance, you’re in the right place. We’ll compare quotes from over 55 top UK providers to find you the best policy at the best price.
There are also ways you can help reduce your insurance costs:
You’ll often have the option to make monthly, quarterly or annual payments towards your insurance policy. Insurers prefer this option as it reduces their admin costs and helps to keep you as a customer longer. For this reason, annual payments often significantly reduce policy prices.
Taking measures to make your van more secure will go a long way to reducing the cost of your insurance. For example, if you’re able to park off-road or in a garage, this will minimise the risk of theft and so may reduce your insurance costs. Similarly, installing an alarm can be a cost-effective solution.
The longer you don’t need to make a claim, the better, as each year helps build up your no claims bonus. Drivers with a longer history of no claims are considered lower risk and as a result often benefit from cheaper insurance premiums.
When you take out an insurance policy, you’ll be able to opt in to pay voluntary excess should your van be involved in an accident. This is the financial contribution you’re prepared to pay towards any claim. Often the higher your voluntary excess, the lower the rates insurers are prepared to offer.
Our comparison tool will help you find the cheapest van insurance quotes in minutes.
To find you the best value policies for you and your van, we’ll need to ask for the following information:
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