Van

Van insurance quotes: what you'll be asked and how to get it right

Getting van insurance quotes? Every question you'll be asked, from class of use to overnight parking, and why one wrong answer can lead to a refused claim.

To get van insurance quotes in the UK, you give details about the van, what you use it for, where it is kept overnight, who will drive it and their driving and claims history, and the insurer prices the risk from those answers. The price is only as accurate as the answers, and a wrong answer on something like class of use can lead to a reduced or refused claim later.

The minimum cover the law requires is third-party insurance, which pays for damage or injury to other people, vehicles and property but not repairs to your own van, according to GOV.UK's vehicle insurance guidance. Most van owners choose between third party, third party fire and theft, and comprehensive, and the questions below apply to all three.

What is commercial van insurance?

Commercial van insurance is motor insurance for a van used for work. It covers the same road risks as private motor cover, but the policy also states which kinds of business use you are insured for. That matters because a van carrying tools to a building site is a different risk from one used only for weekend trips, and both are different from a van delivering parcels for paying customers.

If you use a van purely for personal journeys, you can still insure it, but you would choose a personal use class. The point is that the policy has to match how the van is really used.

How to get van insurance quotes: what you'll be asked

Almost every van quote covers the same ground. Here is each question, why insurers ask it and what to have ready.

1. Class of use

This is one of the key answers on the form. Insurers usually split van use into classes like these, though the exact names and definitions vary from policy to policy:

If you deliver parcels or carry goods for others, the guide to hire and reward insurance and parcel delivery explains that class in more detail. For the difference between personal and own-goods cover, see social, domestic and pleasure vs carriage of own goods.

2. Goods carried

You may be asked what you carry and roughly what it is worth, especially if you add goods-in-transit or tools cover. Hazardous or high-value loads are usually priced differently, so describe them plainly.

3. Where the van is kept overnight

Expect a choice such as locked garage, private driveway, secure compound or on the street, plus the postcode where it is parked. Insurers use this to judge theft and damage risk. If the van regularly stays somewhere other than your home address, say so.

4. Modifications

Anything that changes the van from the manufacturer's standard specification may count: racking, roof bars, ladder racks, signwriting, tow bars, alloy wheels, engine remaps, lowered suspension or a full conversion such as a camper or mobile workshop. The Financial Ombudsman Service notes that even simple changes such as tinted windows or different alloy wheels can lead to higher premiums, and that an insurer may treat a modified vehicle as more likely to be stolen. If you bought the van second-hand, check what a previous owner may have fitted.

5. Annual mileage

Give an honest estimate of the total miles the van will cover in a year, work and personal combined. Your MOT history and service records can help you work out a realistic figure.

6. Drivers

You will need each driver's age, licence type, how long they have held it, occupation, any motoring convictions and any claims or accidents in recent years. Adding a named driver, or choosing "any driver" cover for staff, changes the risk and the price.

7. Van details and cover choices

Have the registration, make, model, year, value, whether it is owned, financed or leased, your no claims history, the excess you want and the start date. For a wider list of what insurers ask across products, see our insurance quote checklist.

Why one wrong answer can lead to a refused claim

For personal policies, the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 puts a duty on you to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation to the insurer. What happens if you get something wrong depends on why, under schedule 1 of the same Act:

• Deliberate or reckless: the insurer may cancel the policy from the start and refuse all claims.
• Careless, and the insurer would not have offered cover at all: it may cancel the policy and refuse claims, but must return the premiums.
• Careless, and it would have offered different terms: the policy is treated as if it had those terms.
• Careless, and it would have charged more: it may reduce any claim payment proportionately.

The Financial Ombudsman Service gives an example of how that last point works: if the premium charged was £75 but would have been £100 with the right information, the insurer is entitled to pay only 75% of the claim. The same article describes a driver with social, domestic and pleasure cover whose insurer refused a claim for an accident on the way home from work because he had not told it he commuted. The ombudsman told the insurer to consider the claim and pay it proportionately rather than refuse it outright.

Business policies work differently. Under section 3 of the Insurance Act 2015, a business must make a "fair presentation of the risk", which includes disclosing every material circumstance it knows or ought to know. The explanatory notes confirm this duty applies to non-consumer contracts only, so a van insured by a sole trader or company for work may fall under these rules rather than the consumer ones.

The practical lesson is the same either way: answer what is asked, accurately, and tell the insurer or broker when something changes during the year, such as a new job, a new driver or a modification.

What affects the price of van insurance quotes in the UK?

The Association of British Insurers says motor premiums vary with your age, driving ability, the type of vehicle and the area you live in. The other answers on the form, such as mileage, overnight parking and claims or convictions, feed into the price as well, and for vans, class of use and what you carry sit on top of those.

People often lower their premium in ways that keep the cover accurate:

1. Choosing a higher voluntary excess, knowing you pay that amount towards any claim. For example, with a £250 compulsory excess and a £250 voluntary excess, you would pay the first £500 of a claim.
2. Paying annually rather than monthly, which MoneyHelper says usually costs a bit less over the year because monthly instalments can include interest.
3. Improving overnight security, such as moving from the street to a driveway or locked compound.
4. Limiting drivers to those who actually need to use the van.
5. Protecting a no claims history.

What does not work is understating mileage, picking a cheaper class of use than you need or leaving off a modification. Those can bring a lower price at the start and a reduced or refused claim later. The same principle is covered in how to reduce car insurance without invalidating your policy.

How to get van insurance

1. Gather your details: the van's registration and value, every driver's licence and history, your no claims proof and a clear description of how the van is used.
2. Decide on the level of cover and any extras, such as tools, goods in transit or breakdown.
3. Get quotes. On Kompare, you get van insurance quotes by filling in a short form, and a specialist broker from the panel contacts you to talk through your needs and arrange quotes.
4. Read the policy wording before you buy, paying close attention to the class of use definitions, exclusions, excess and any conditions about overnight parking or tools left in the van.
5. Check your certificate of insurance matches what you agreed, including the named drivers and permitted uses.

How to check van insurance is in place

You can check your own van is recorded as insured on the Motor Insurance Database for free through askMID. This is worth doing after you buy a new policy or change vans.

Being on the database does not mean every driver is covered. GOV.UK warns that a vehicle being insured does not mean you are insured to drive it. If you are caught driving a vehicle you are not insured to drive, police can give you a £300 fixed penalty and 6 penalty points. If it goes to court you face an unlimited fine and could be disqualified, and the police can seize, and in some cases destroy, the vehicle.

So check two things: that the van shows on askMID, and that your certificate names you (or covers your type of driver) for the use you are putting the van to.