There's more to van insurance than meets the eye.
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 specific job or usage which will have a significant effect on the insurance price.
Commercial Cover
Vans are rarely bought for just personal use, and many insurers will not offer anything other than commercial cover for them. That doesn't mean you can't use the van for personal use, as this is often available as an extra cover on a commercial policy. Frequently this isn't charged for, and this is just one of many significant differences between a van policy and a private motor policy.
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
Younger drivers are less experienced and will cost you more. There are "any driver" policies available, and to save money you can specify over 21's, over 25's or sometimes even over 30's (which is obviously cheapest).
Modified Vans
After purchasing a vehicle, a company will often adapt it for it's own purposes. For instance, ply lining the interior, changing the number of seats, or fitting a tail lift. 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 accident damaged. However, you must declare it to your insurer, and also make sure the cost of the lift and the van combined are included in the sum insured. It is also worth noting that a tail lift is described as a fixture, not tools or equipment - these have to be insured separately.
The number of seats is something that is frequently changed, but care needs to be taken. Removing seats doesn't present much in the way of additional risk, but adding them does. Due to past claims history, an insurer will want confirmation that extra seating was installed by a qualified expert, i.e. a main dealer, and may refuse insurance if there is no evidence, such as a receipt, as proof of who the work was done by. This is done to make sure that all seating, belts and other safety features are fitted correctly, and in the event of an accident will not fail causing further unnecessary injury or potentially even fatalities.
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.
What is all amounts to is:
* If you have any doubts, a good broker/insurer will always be able to help * Insurance is available from a number of providers for all kinds of commercial vehicles
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 specific job or usage which will have a significant effect on the insurance price.
Commercial Cover
Vans are rarely bought for just personal use, and many insurers will not offer anything other than commercial cover for them. That doesn't mean you can't use the van for personal use, as this is often available as an extra cover on a commercial policy. Frequently this isn't charged for, and this is just one of many significant differences between a van policy and a private motor policy.
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
Younger drivers are less experienced and will cost you more. There are "any driver" policies available, and to save money you can specify over 21's, over 25's or sometimes even over 30's (which is obviously cheapest).
Modified Vans
After purchasing a vehicle, a company will often adapt it for it's own purposes. For instance, ply lining the interior, changing the number of seats, or fitting a tail lift. 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 accident damaged. However, you must declare it to your insurer, and also make sure the cost of the lift and the van combined are included in the sum insured. It is also worth noting that a tail lift is described as a fixture, not tools or equipment - these have to be insured separately.
The number of seats is something that is frequently changed, but care needs to be taken. Removing seats doesn't present much in the way of additional risk, but adding them does. Due to past claims history, an insurer will want confirmation that extra seating was installed by a qualified expert, i.e. a main dealer, and may refuse insurance if there is no evidence, such as a receipt, as proof of who the work was done by. This is done to make sure that all seating, belts and other safety features are fitted correctly, and in the event of an accident will not fail causing further unnecessary injury or potentially even fatalities.
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.
What is all amounts to is:
* If you have any doubts, a good broker/insurer will always be able to help * Insurance is available from a number of providers for all kinds of commercial vehicles
About the Author:
For further help or quotes, click on Coversure's van insurance page. There is also a large FAQ resource and information available for other commercial vehicle insurance products.
No comments:
Post a Comment