Surprisingly, there’s much more to van insurance than you might expect. 

Vans and commercial vehicles come in so many different shapes and sizes – single cabs, double cabs, flat beds, tippers, cherry pickers, panel vans, luton vans, chassis cabs and on and on. Each model is built for a certain job or usage which will have a significant effect on the insurance price. 

Commercial Cover

It’s not often a van is bought for purely personal use like social, domestic and pleasure purposes, so most insurance companies do not provide insurance other than a commercial vehicle policy to cover a van. That is not to say that 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 available 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 actually true of 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.

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 Age

It shouldn’t come as a shock to know that the younger a driver, the more expensive your rate will be on a named or any driver basis. On an any driver policy, you can specify age limits to any driver over 21, over 25 or over 30, with the latter being the cheapest.

Modifications

After purchasing a vehicle, a company will often adapt it for it’s own purposes. For instance, ply lining the interior, fitting a tail lift, or changing the seating. In the case of ply lining most insurers will not alter the premium one way or the other, although some will want to know. A tail lift is slightly different in that it is a fixture attached to the van, so if you have fully comprehensive insurance, you can potentially claim for this if it is damaged in an accident. However, you must declare it to your insurer, and advise them of the values of both vehicle and lift. You should also know that a tail lift is described as a fixture, not tools or equipment – these have to be insured separately.

From time to time, changes to the seating are required and your insurers should be told. Taking them out isn’t usually a problem, but fitting extra seats 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 seat belts, correct fittings, and torque settings etc. which are best fitted by qualified persons, meaning a main dealer must do it. Sometimes an insurer may want to see 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 this is the reason why your cover might not be valid if you do it yourself.

Sometimes, for personal or business reasons, 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 more attractive to thieves than ordinary steel wheels. While this may increase your premium, signwriting your vehicle can actually generate a discount, because it’s easier to spot than an anonymous white van if it’s stolen.

The long and the short of it is:

• Whatever type of commercial vehicle you have, there will be an insurer out there who can provide cover
• If in doubt about anything, such as modifications  - talk to your insurer.

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