Vans are heavier, larger and used for a wider variety of purposes than cars, so a standard auto insurance policy won’t cover them. You’ll need a tailored van insurance policy, one that accounts for your particular type of van and how you use it.
Van insurance is often more expensive than standard car insurance, but your premiums don’t have to break the bank. Our van insurance calculator will figure out your premiums and give you a range of quotes from more than 50 insurers across the market.
In This Guide:
- Van insurance calculator
- How much does van insurance cost?
- How are van insurance premiums calculated?
- How can I get cheaper van insurance?
Van insurance calculator
To calculate insurance premiums for your van, we’ll need a few details about you, your van and how you’ll be driving it.
- The van: Its registration number or make and model; when you purchased the vehicle; the number of seats; estimated value; security measures; and any modifications made to it, from alloy wheels to custom paint job. You can find most of this information in your vehicle logbook or, if you’ve insured this van before, in your previous insurance documents.
- How you use the van: Including if you carry hazardous goods or visit hazardous sites, where you park the vehicle overnight, and if the vehicle has signage.
- The driver: Your contact information, address, marital status and other details and information about anyone else who will be driving the vehicle.
- The cover you want: Including any extra cover, such as breakdown cover, access to a courtesy van, legal cover, public liability insurance and tool cover.
Once we have this information, we’ll return a personalised list of quotes from insurers for your vehicle and you can decide among them.
How much does van insurance cost?
According to Consumer Intelligence, van insurance costs around £1,500 a year. However, this will vary widely, depending on your vehicle, how you use it and who drives it. For more information about what will impact your van insurance premiums, read on.
How are van insurance premiums calculated?
The cost of your van insurance cover will depend on a variety of factors, from the vehicle itself to the drivers operating it. Below we consider a few of these factors.
Levels of cover
As with standard car insurance policies, there are three levels of van cover, at different price points.
- Third party only: The most basic level of cover required by law, for any other road users you might harm while operating your van. With these policies, you’ll be responsible for any damage your vehicle sustains in accidents in which you are at fault and through other mishaps.
- Third party, fire and theft (TPFT): These policies cover third parties and also damage caused to your vehicle through fire or its replacement if it’s stolen and not recovered.
- Comprehensive cover: Covers your vehicle for damage in accidents as well as the vehicles of other road users.
Although comprehensive policies are the most complete, they’re not necessarily the most expensive. In fact, comprehensive policies are generally cheaper than TPFT and third party only policies, which are typically only used by motorists with chequered driving pasts who can’t qualify for other policies.
Categories of van insurance
There are four types of van insurance, depending on how you use your vehicle. They’re all priced differently.
- Owns goods van insurance: These policies cover your van and your possessions stored within it, such as the tools you need for your trade, but not other peoples’ goods or cargo. These policies are the most appropriate for tradespeople travelling to jobs.
- Courier insurance: Courier insurance is the most appropriate cover if you use your van to deliver goods directly to customers, making successive, short trips in a localised area. Vans used for couriering are on the road longer than other vehicles, especially during the daytime and in high-traffic urban areas, and are often carrying high-value items, such as internet orders, which may be of interest to thieves. These factors make these vehicles more likely to be involved in insurance claims and thus more expensive to insure. However, courier insurance only covers the vehicle itself and not the items carried within it.
- Haulage insurance: Haulage insurance is for vans used to make long journeys to drop off goods in one location, usually transporting them from suppliers to businesses. These are broadly the same policies used by HGVs, addressing the risks of long motorway trips. But again, these policies only cover the vehicle itself and not the goods stored within it.
- Goods in transit cover: Goods in transit policies cover your van and the cargo it carries for commercial purposes—goods owned by your clients and not your business itself. These policies are typically more expensive and the cargo your carry—including its value and whether it’s hazardous—will impact your premiums.
Van
- Value: High-value vans are costlier to replace and are more likely to be of interest to thieves, increasing your premiums.
- Size: Heavier vans are more likely to be involved in serious accidents and thus are more expensive to insure.
- Mileage: The more your vehicle is on the road, the more likely it is to be involved in an accident, increasing risk and premiums.
Drivers and their driving history
- Age: With age comes driving experience, so younger drivers, especially those under 25, are more expensive to insure.
- Driving history: If you have driving convictions from the last three to five years, you’ll pay higher premiums and in some cases be limited in the level of coverage you can buy. Insurers will also want to know if you’ve made claims on your insurance in the recent past and how many years of no-claims bonus you’ve accumulated.
- Address: If you live and park your van in a high-crime area, expect to pay higher premiums, to offset the increased risk of vehicle theft and burglary.
- Occupation: Drivers in certain occupations are seen as riskier to insure.
Extra coverage
Many drivers need additional insurance protection, for example giving them a courtesy vehicle to keep their business on the road while their van is in the shop or covering the tools they store in the vehicle. These extras will all add to your premiums.
How can I get cheaper van insurance?
The following steps can help reduce your van insurance premiums:
- Increase security by installing industry-approved alarms, trackers and immobilisers and by keeping your van in a locked garage or secure, well-lit yard overnight rather than on the street.
- Remove tools from your van overnight and advertise that you’ve done so on the side
- Display your business’ name and contact details on the van to make it less attractive to thieves
- Drive a smaller, lighter, cheaper van, which will be cheaper to insure
- Get a social cover policy, also called private van insurance, if you only use your van for personal or recreational purposes
- Accurately record your mileage. The lower it is, the lower your premiums will be.
- Increase your excess, the amount you’re expected to contribute toward any claim.
- Compare van insurance quotes to find the best deal on the market.