Van Insurance: Compare quotes for cheapest cover
Van Insurance: Protecting four wheels and a livelihood
If you drive a van – or lorry or minibus – you will usually do so for commercial reasons. In other words you need it to carry out your job or to help you run a business. As with any other form of driving you are taking on a risk by taking the vehicle on the road and therefore you need to protect yourself and others from accident, loss or damage.
Basic van insurance covering damage or injury to third parties is required by law. You can also get third party fire and theft policies which will provide a replacement should your van get stolen or destroyed in a fire.
Comprehensive van insurance provides all the above cover plus money towards the cost of any repairs to your vehicle if you cause an accident.
Van insurance often entitles the holder to a hire van to allow them to carry on working should their vehicle need to undergo repairs or while they wait for a replacement. Windscreen repairs, European cover and breakdown cover often feature in van insurance policies too.
As vans are likely to contain tools, goods and other valuables essential to the owners' livelihood it is important to take out a policy which includes replacement for anything inside the van which is stolen or damaged.
Reasons to have van insurance
Statistics show that a high proportion of serious and fatal road accidents involve vehicles where the driver was "at work" at the time. Also, police surveys reveal large numbers of light goods vehicles are targeted by thieves each year.
The fact vans often contain goods, valuables or expensive tools of the trade make them particularly alluring.
So for these reasons alone, taking out a good insurance policy is important. Add to that the fact most van owners rely on the vehicle for their livelihood and having insurance becomes essential. Without the means to replace their lost van and contents a driver could see his or her business go up in smoke, not just their vehicle.
How to buy van insurance
The good news is, despite the prevailing stereotype of the 'white van man' creating an ungainly image of van drivers, they are considered to be a reasonably safe bet by insurers.
As a result it is quite easy to get insurance policies. The big high street insurers have specific policies and these days you can get competitive deals from places like Tesco, which runs low-cost insurance schemes, or the AA which acts as a broker to provide access to the best deals on the market.
Despite a competitive market, there is usually a difference of several hundred pounds between the most expensive and cheapest premiums. So van drivers are urged to shop around for the best quotes.
Check out the comparison websites to see what deals they offer and visit insurers' websites. It is often cheaper, with some firms, to take out the policy online.
Pitfalls
As with all motor insurance, your location, age, estimated mileage, claims history and a myriad other factors will all be taken into consideration when calculating premiums for van insurance. Don't be tempted to lie to reduce the cost, as this could result in rejected claims.
Repairs and replacements will be subject to an excess. So if your tools are stolen from the back of the van or you are involved in an accident and damage the vehicle you will have to pay an initial amount towards the cost, and the insurer will pay the rest. Check what the excess is when researching policies.