There’s more to van insurance than meets the eye.
There are many types of vans – panel vans, luton vans, transit vans, single cabs, double cabs, flat beds, tippers, cherry pickers, chassis cabs and so on and so forth. They all have different uses and therefore will all be rated differently by an insurer.
Commercial 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.
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.
If a van needs cover for more than one driver, insurance companies offer “any driver” policies. although “any driver” applies to those who have clean driving licences and history. A driver with any points or claims would still need to be named on the policy, and this would naturally increase the premium due.
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.
Modifying the Van
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.
Sometimes a van might be modified to make it more personal, such as adding fancy alloys or spotlights, or sign writing the vehicle. Either way, the insurer should be notified, and believe it or not, the premium will not always be increased. In the case of alloy wheels, theft is more likely, so a premium would increase, but a van with sign writing on the side is very distinctive, so is less likely to be stolen, and therefore might qualify for a reduction in premium.
The long and the short of it 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
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