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What is business van insurance?
Business van insurance is designed to protect your business and minimise loss following damage to or theft of your van. It can also be called company or commercial van insurance.
It could help protect your van and the tools and materials you transport as part of your business.
How much does business van insurance cost?
There are 2 main ways to describe how you use your van for business. Here are the average prices for them1
Haulage or hire and reward
£1,909.88
Business use or carriage of own goods
£723.62
1 Based on Confused.com data 1/5/20 - 31/5/20
Depending on how you use you van for your business, you’ll generally fall into one of these categories:
Business use or carriage of own goods is where you use the van for carrying business-related goods, tools or equipment belonging to yourself, your business partner or your employer. For example, builders, shopkeepers and cleaners would likely need this cover. This excludes the carriage of other people’s goods or passengers for hire or reward.
Haulage or delivering goods for hire and reward means you use your van specifically for the carriage of goods for hire or reward. For example, delivery drivers, couriers and haulage contractors would need this level of cover.
Van insurance is available in 3 levels:
- Third-party only
- Third-party fire and theft
- Comprehensive
Be sure to get the level you need and not just go for the cheapest option. Fully comprehensive can be cheaper so it’s wise to compare all levels of cover when getting a quote.
How can I get cheaper business van insurance?
There are a number of ways to reduce your business van insurance. Just make sure you don’t compromise on the level of cover you need else your insurer may not pay out if the worst happened.
- Advertising your business on your van
- Consider a black box policy
- Join a trade federation
- Use a dashcam while you drive
- Increase your voluntary excess
- Don’t auto-renew
Advertising your business on your van can help deter potential thieves making it less of a risk to an insurer. This in turn could give you a lower price.
Consider a black box policy for your van which uses a telematics device or app to monitor your driving. The insurer collects this information so they can then work out potential discounts if you prove to be a good driver.
Join a trade federation as some insurers offer discounts for members.
Improving your van's security can make it less prone to theft and help you get a cheaper premium.
Use a dashcam while you drive as if there’s an incident it’s easier to find which driver was at fault. Some insurers offer savings for this extra transparency.
Increase your voluntary excess and pay a bit more upfront in the event of a claim to bring down your overall insurance premium.
Don’t auto-renew! Compare quotes annually to find the cheapest business van insurance.
Find more ways to reduce the cost of your van insurance.
What extras can I add to business van insurance?
Business van insurance policies can offer the following extras to suit the needs of your vans, drivers and business:
- Tools in transit
- Breakdown cover
- Courtesy van
- Legal cover
- Windscreen and window cover
- Public liability insurance
- Cover for European driving
- Employer’s liability insurance
- Sat nav and audio cover
Tools in transit provides cover for any tools in your van if they get lost, stolen, or damaged.
Breakdown cover could save you a lot of stress. If you rely on your business for your income, you don’t want to break down and lose a day’s work.
Courtesy van can keep your business on the road if your van is in for repairs. You’ll be given a temporary replacement vehicle till yours is back on the road.
Legal cover could help cover some of the costs if you ever have to go to court because of an accident that wasn’t your fault.
Windscreen and window cover to cover any repair costs if your windscreen or windows get damaged.
Public liability insurance in case anyone suffers an injury or damage to property as a result of your business. You’ll need this if members of the public visit your business premises or if you organise events that are attended by the public.
Cover for European driving is useful if you’re frequently driving abroad as part of your business.
Employer’s liability insurance is similar to public liability insurance. It’ll cover you if a member of staff injures themselves at work.
Sat nav and audio cover adds additional cover for any audio equipment and sat navs you may have in your van.
Why compare commercial van insurance quotes?
Comparing quotes can help you find cheap business van insurance policies. We search a range of market leading insurers in minutes to find our best policy for you and your business, at our best price.
It’s a legal requirement that all vehicles on UK roads have valid insurance policies and this can get costly when it comes to insuring a fleet of commercial vans.
We compare van insurance companies who specialise in catering to the needs of your business and can offer policies that protect against the risks you’re most vulnerable to.
We can also help you find great deals on small business insurance, giving you peace of mind in knowing that both your business and van are protected.
"Surprised how competitive the prices were. I was shocked to see how much I had been paying and what I could save. Excellent"
Stephen - Confused.com customer (Nov 2020)
"Great and easy to use, beat my renewal by £60. Will definitely use again"
David - Confused.com customer (Oct 2020)
"Very quick and easy to use. Returned very competitive results"
Paul - Confused.com customer (Oct 2020)
"Easy to use, had no problems 👍"
Ross - Confused.com customer (Sept 2020)
"Great website and always the best prices"
Carlo - Confused.com customer (Oct 2020)
Need more help?
Can I add additional drivers to a commercial van policy?
Yes, you’ll just need their details when you get a quote. This includes things like their licence type, how long they’ve held it for and whether they’ve had any previous accidents or driving convictions.
Commercial van insurance vs personal – what’s the difference?
Commercial insurance lets you use your van for work if you’re making deliveries or transporting tools and equipment. Private van insurance only covers you if you use your van for social use. It won’t cover you if you use your van in relation to your business. Learn more about the different van insurance classes of use.
Can anyone drive a business van?
The categories on your driving licence will detail which vans and vehicles you’re qualified to drive. If you plan on driving your van for business use, you’ll need company van insurance to protect you and other drivers.
To be eligible to drive most heavy goods vehicles you’ll have to take a separate test, but there are some that can be driven on a standard licence.
Can I get my business van insured under my company name?
Some insurers may offer policies in a company name but in some cases the main driver must be the policy holder.
What our van insurance expert says
Advertising your business on your van is not only a good way to get your business name out there, but it can also put-off would-be thieves. If you’re unlucky and it does go on to get stolen, having the signage on the van could help the police track it down. In the eyes of many insurers this makes it less of a risk, which can be rewarded with a discount.
Daniel McCulloch
Head of van insurance
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