Van Insurance Comparison

My van insurance

All road users must invest in insurance to abide by the law. The policy options available are ‘third party’, ‘third party fire and theft’ and ‘comprehensive’.

‘Third party’ insurance provides the lowest level of cover, offering protection for damage or injury to a third party as well as damaged property. ‘Third party fire and theft’, as the name suggests, covers other road users as well as fire and theft claims affecting the driver. But the most inclusive policy option is ‘comprehensive’ insurance, covering damage to third parties’ and the policyholder’s vehicles as well as personal injury and many additional extras.

Getting the best from van insurance:

Before purchasing a policy, remember to check what is and is not included. All policies will have exclusions and it’s important to check the exclusions when renewing a policy with your existing insurer too.

Consider the excess level too. This consists of a compulsory element and an additional voluntary contribution and, generally, the higher the voluntary excess, the cheaper the premium. However, when it comes to making a claim, this could be costly. The alternative is to contribute a smaller voluntary excess and receive a higher premium, though paying less should you need to make a claim.

A no claims discount could help cut the price of your premium. Discount levels vary but customers can typically expect to receive a 30 per cent discount after one year of safe driving, increasing to around 60 per cent after four or five years.

Should a claim result from an accident that wasn’t your fault, and providing the insurer can recover costs from the third party’s insurer, your no claims discount will not be affected. If the insurer cannot recover costs, you will lose your no claims discount entitlement. It’s not a no blame discount after all. However, there is the option to pay to protect your no claims bonus so that when claims do arise, you won’t lose the no claims bonus you’ve accumulated.

It is always worth checking your van insurance groups, based on the Thatcham Association of British Insurers (ABI) group ratings.

The main policy extras to choose from are:

Legal protection

This may be included on the insurance policy as standard or can be bought as an optional extra, usually priced between 15 and 40 pounds. Legal assistance covers at least £50,000 worth of legal expenses following accidents where a third party was at fault. The assistance pays for legal professionals to deal with the case, the recovery of any losses such as medical expenses, loss of earnings, policy excesses and the claiming of compensation where suitable.

Breakdown cover

Breakdown cover is readily available as a separate product but can also be bought as part of an insurance policy. Breakdown cover offers a range of assistance from home start to roadside rescue, vehicle recovery and onward travel support. The level of cover will depend on the individual policy.

Insurance while driving abroad

Insurers will provide a green card for those wishing to drive abroad. These are recognised in more than 40 countries and provide basic road traffic cover to drive abroad. To access the same level of insurance at home and abroad, a premium may be added.

Courtesy car

Many insurance policies will offer a courtesy car in the event of an accident or if repair work is required. Courtesy car cover can be bought as an added extra, providing a courtesy car in the event of a theft or write off too.

Windscreen cover

Windscreen cover is often included in comprehensive insurance policies or available as an optional extra and will cover the cost of repairing chips and cracks, or replacing windscreens.

Personal accident

Some insurance policies will cover the driver and passengers for injuries such as loss of limbs or loss of sight. Purchasing personal accident cover as an additional extra will offer enhanced cover with higher pay-outs for a range of injuries, including death.

Save money through my van insurance comparison

You’re already a long way to saving money on your van insurance by comparing policies with Myonlinecomparison.com. By inputting your van’s details as well your driving history and current circumstances, you can compare quotes from multiple van insurers in seconds.

Look out for discounts and special offers when shopping around too.

The ultimate way to reduce an insurance premium is to increase your no claims bonus. To reduce risk of theft claims, it is worth taking the following precautions:

Increase security with internal and external locks in addition to standard central locking. Examples include slam locks to lock doors automatically, which is a good addition for people who regularly dash in and out of their van. You may also want to invest in dead bolts for tamper proof locking, which are operated by central locking systems.

Empty the van at night and when left unattended. It is also possible to purchase stickers that warn would-be thieves that the vehicle is empty overnight.