Auto Transport Central

Surprisingly, there’s a lot more to van insurance than you would think.

Vans have many different uses and so they also come in many different guises, such as – flat beds, tippers, cherry pickers, chassis cabs, panel vans, luton vans, transit vans, single cabs, double cabs, etc. etc. And these all present different risks to an insurer.

Business Cover

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.

For instance, fully comprehensive motor policies always used to include an extension so the policyholder could drive other cars. However, this was only ever an extra thrown in to create value, and is not always automatically included. In fact, this extension is being slowly phased out and will not be widely available soon. In the case of insurance policies for vans and other commercial vehicles, the driving other vehicles extension isn’t available at all.

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.

Driving 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.

Van Modifications

Vans are frequently modified by their owners after they are bought, in order to better suit their intended use. To preserve the interior, the van may be ply lined, or fixtures such as tail lifts or footplates and grilles may be added. These items are classified as part of the van’s “fixtures” so provision should be made to include their value in the value of the vehicle overall, if you are insuring it comprehensively, then if they are damaged, you can claim back their value. Note that these items are described as “fixtures” because they are treated as part of the van, other tools and equipment will not be covered and will need their own policy.

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.

There are times when the van owner may wish to personalise his van, say with some smart alloy wheels, bull bars, or sign writing, this will also affect the policy too. In fact, whenever non standard alloy wheels are fitted to any vehicle, you need to inform your insurer, as they are considered a higher theft risk than ordinary steel wheels. While this may increase your premium, sign writing your vehicle can bring your premium down, because it’s easier to spot than an anonymous white van if it’s stolen.

What is all amounts to is:

* There are insurers out there who can cover you regardless of what type of van you have * It is always best to talk to your insurer or broker, if you have any doubts or questions

For further information or advice, click on Coversure’s van insurance page. There is also a large FAQ resource and information available for other commercial vehicle insurance products.

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