Van insurance
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Compare van insurance
Getting quotes from lots of different van insurance providers can really help to cut the cost.
When you compare van insurance with us, we’ll show you the price, but also some of the policy features that are included or excluded.
That’ll help you choose the right cover for your van. We know how important that is – your van is more than just a vehicle to you, especially if your business depends on it.
What does van insurance cover?
As a minimum, van insurance will cover the cost of any losses or damage you cause to other people and their property while driving. That’s third-party cover and it’s a legal requirement.
You can choose third party fire and theft or comprehensive insurance to cover more eventualities.
Exactly what’s covered by your policy will depend on the type of van insurance you buy.
- Business van insurance: covers your van and – depending on the cover level you choose – your possessions, when you're using your van for work and to get there and back. If you're doing deliveries, you'll need courier or haulage cover too.
- Private van insurance: this covers you for social use only – things like trips to the shops, holidays and visiting family or friends – you can't do any commuting.
If you’re unsure which type to choose, our guide will help you pick the right type of van insurance cover.
Van insurance types
Your type of van insurance is defined in more detail than for car insurance. You’ll need to work out whether you need commercial or private insurance first. Then, the type of cover you need depending on how you use your van.
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Haulage
This is cover for delivering large loads over long distances. With this type of insurance, your goods in transit will be covered too.
Haulage cover is for single destinations though, so if you make multiple drops, you’ll need courier insurance instead.
You’ll also have cover for social use included.
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Courier
You'll see this called ‘carriage of goods for hire and reward’. It’s cover for delivering other people’s goods or property - and getting paid for it.
It’s usually for deliveries in a localised area and provides additional cover for the goods that you transport.
Social use is included too.
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Carriage of own goods
If you use your van to get to work, you’ll need this cover. You can get cover for your tools or goods too if you need it.
You’ll need to let the insurer know what you carry in your van. If you don’t specify it, it won’t be covered.
Social use is included as standard.
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Social use
For private use, like visiting friends and family and doing the shopping.
You can't commute - even to a single place of work.
What level of van insurance cover should I choose?
There are three levels of van insurance to choose from. Legally, you only need to have third party cover, but it won’t offer you, or your van, any protection. Compare different types of policies to find the level of cover you feel most comfortable with.
Comprehensive
This is the highest level of cover you can get. Fully comp insures your van against theft and fire, as well as covering you, your van and third parties involved in motoring incidents.
Third party, fire and theft (TPFT)
Third party, fire and theft is the middle ground between comprehensive and third party only cover. You’ll be covered for damage or injury to third parties and for fire damage, or theft, of your van.
Third party only (TPO)
This only covers injuries or damages to third parties – legally, you need it to drive your van. Just because it’s the most basic cover, don’t assume it’ll be the cheapest.
Check your policy wording so you know what cover you have in the event of van theft
If your van is subject to theft - whether the actual vehicle is stolen or just the things inside - your van insurance could help you recoup some of the costs. But it's important to make sure your van is secured and that you remove what you can from it when it's not in use. This will minimise its appeal to criminals and reduce any losses if there is a theft.Ryan Fulthorpe - GoCompare Van Insurance
As soon as you discover your van or something inside it has been stolen, get in touch with the police to report the crime, and then contact your insurer -any claims made will be subject to the policy wording.
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How to cut the cost of van insurance
Five ways you could make your van insurance cheaper:
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Pay for the year up front
If you can afford it, it’s always cheaper to pay for your insurance in one go
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Avoid modifications
Try to avoid modifying your van. Modified vans usually cost more to insure
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Improve security
Alarms, trackers and immobilisers can lower your premiums. Park your van securely in a garage or driveway if you can too
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No-claims discount
The longer you go without making a claim, the bigger the discount you’ll get
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Put your excess up
Generally, if you increase the amount you’re prepared to pay towards the cost of a claim, you’ll get cheaper quotes. Keep it affordable though, in case you need to pay it
Any-driver van insurance
With any driver insurance, anyone can drive your van at short notice – you don’t need to name them on the policy.
It means team members can easily share a van. And if you have a growing business, or temporary workers, you don’t need to add them to your insurance short term.
Watch out for age restrictions though – under 21s aren’t usually covered as standard.
Add-ons for van insurance
There are plenty of extras you can bolt on to your van insurance. Some you’ll pay extra for, while others are included as standard, depending on the insurer.
Legal expenses, breakdown cover, courtesy vans and protecting your no-claims discount are all options for you to consider.
They all add up, so only add the bits you really want or need. If you pay monthly for your insurance, you’ll pay interest on the extra cover too.
How much does my van insurance cost?
Our research showed that the average price paid for social-only van insurance is £572, while the average annual price for carriage of own goods is £565.*
The average price climbed considerably to £1515 for hire and reward and £1464 for haulage cover.
Your own quotes will depend on your vehicle, your driving history and your own personal circumstances.
*Based on the average purchase price for annual comprehensive van insurance policies purchased through Go.Compare by drivers with a full driving licence in January 2022.
Don’t forget your green card
From 2 August 2021, you won’t need a green card to drive in the EU (including Ireland), plus:
- Andorra
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Norway
- Serbia
- Switzerland
But you might need a green card for other destinations. You should always check your van insurance to make sure you’re covered.
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More van insurance cover options to choose from
The type of cover and van insurance you can get are pretty varied. You’ll still need to tell insurers how you use your van – whether that's commercial or private use, and with or without goods in transit.
But there are other types of policies that might work out better for you or your business.
Vehicle fleet insurance
If you run a business with more than one vehicle, this cover could be for you. It usually works out cheaper than insuring your workforce and each van or car separately.
Classic van cover
Make sure you’ve got the right protection for your prized motor. Lower mileage discounts are pretty typical for private use and commercial classics can get cover too.
Insurance for your minibus
The type of cover you’ll need for a minibus or MPV depends on the vehicle and usage, just like any van.
Pick-up trucks
If your car has a front cab and an open cargo area, you’ll usually need van insurance. They’re very rarely classed as cars by insurers.
Black box (telematics) van insurance
You can also get telematics insurance – commonly called black box policies – for your van, where the cost of your premium is based on how well you, or your employees, drive.
Temporary van insurance
One-day, short-term or temporary van insurance for light commercial vehicles (LCVs) is handy if you only need cover for a short while.
Compare van insurance
Make sure you’re getting the right cover, for the right price
Frequently asked questions
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You can buy van insurance up to 29 days before your current policy expires. But when is it cheapest? Well our research shows it’s better to buy early.
The cheapest time to buy your van insurance is 23 days before your existing policy runs out – it’s actually around 36% cheaper than buying it on the day you need it.[3]
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With any driver insurance, anyone can drive your van at short notice – you don’t need to name them on the policy.
It means team members can easily share a van. And if you have a growing business, or temporary workers, you don’t need to add them to your insurance short term.
Watch out for age restrictions though – under 21s aren’t usually covered as standard.
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Private van insurance is for ‘social use only’ – driving to see friends, do the shopping, etc. Unlike car insurance, there’s no ‘social and commuting’ class of use for van insurance.
So even if you commute to a single workplace, and you’re employed rather than self-employed, you'll need commercial insurance.
There are three main types of commercial van insurance to choose from:
- Carriage of own goods
- Hire and reward
- Courier and haulage
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Yes, if you’re self-employed. Insurance, repairs and servicing, fuel costs and some other expenses are allowable business expenses. Which means you can deduct some of these costs from your taxable profits.
Instead of submitting all of your van expenses separately to HMRC, you can use a simplified process – a flat deductible based on mileage. The flat rate includes insurance costs.
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Yes. It’s a legal requirement to have at least third party only (TPO) cover for your van. Plus, you need to work out whether you need a private or commercial policy to make sure your usage is suitably covered.
But whether you pick a higher level of cover than TPO or add any optional extras is totally up to you.
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Contact your insurer as soon as you can after an accident, theft, or other incident.
You’ll need to give them as much detail as possible about what happened so they can process your claim.
You’ll also need to pay your excess (the contribution you choose to pay towards your claim, set when your policy starts) so that your claim can proceed.
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Each insurer has their own rules. Some won’t cover drivers under 25, with others, it’s 21. Most insist drivers have held their licence for a year.
Age restrictions are common with fleet and any-driver van insurance too. It’s not impossible for younger drivers to get insurance, but expect less choice of insurers and higher premiums.
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Some insurers offer multi-van insurance, but we don’t offer quotes for multiple vans on a single policy.
You can contact some multi-van insurers for quotes, but make sure you get quotes for your vans individually as well, as it might be cheaper.
It’s quick and easy to change your vehicle details when you compare with us so it won’t take much longer to get quotes for all your vans.
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Yes – you can buy short-term van insurance to cover you for a few days or weeks at a time.
You pay for just the time you need and it’s usually quick and simple to arrange.
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Some jobs require you to travel a lot or carry around expensive stock in your van. Even if you don’t use your van for work, you might still be charged higher premiums if your job is deemed risky.
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It’s not so much about age, as about experience. Inexperienced drivers are a high risk to insurers, so van insurance premiums are adjusted to account for the likelihood of needing to pay out for a claim.
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You can, but whether an insurer will give you a quote depends on the other driver's details, driving and claims history. Remember, putting an inexperienced driver on your policy could push up your premiums. And incorrect information could invalidate your policy, so be honest about who the main driver is.
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If you earned it in your van, then yes. But If you have an existing NCD for a car you own, or owned, you probably won’t be able to transfer it over to your van insurance.
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You can cancel your insurance anytime - but expect to pay a charge. Whether you cancel within the 14-day cooling-off period or not, you’ll usually be charged an admin fee. You’ll have to pay for any cover you’ve had so far as well. To work out how much that is, your cover will be pro-rated.
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If you choose carriage of own goods cover when you take out van insurance, your good and tools will be covered.
Check the details of your policy to make sure it has the cover you need.
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It depends on the insurer and level of cover. But most fully comprehensive van insurance policies will offer you cover to drive abroad as standard – there are usually restrictions on how many days you’re covered for though, and the level of cover you have might reduce to third party only.
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Check your policy documents. Although policies frequently allow you to take your van abroad to some countries for a certain number of days a year, the cover might be limited to social use only.
That means you won’t be able to use your van for business abroad, even if you have business cover in the UK.
If that’s the case, you might be able to buy business use abroad as an optional extra from your insurer.
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You must tell your insurer about any accidents or losses, even if you don’t want to make a claim.
If a third party claimed against and you haven’t told your insurer about the accident, it could refuse to pay third party claim, leaving you liable for all the costs.
Legal costs and personal injury cases can run to tens of thousands of pounds – it’s just not worth the risk.
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Check your policy – this is sometimes an optional extra at additional cost.
If you do take out a policy that offers a courtesy vehicle after an accident, make sure the replacement will be an equivalent to your van, rather than just a courtesy car to get you around.
Van insurance guides and articles
Impact of rising diesel costs for van drivers and the wider economy
Modified van insurance
Private van insurance
Any driver van insurance
Does van insurance cover tools?
Short-term van insurance
Over 50s van insurance
Specialist van insurance
Multi van insurance
Researching Britain’s roads: What challenges do van drivers face?
Convicted driver van insurance
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Page last reviewed: 27 September 2022
Next review due: 28 November 2022
[3]Median best annual van insurance premium returned from all customers quoting through Go.Compare between January 2021 and May 2022.
[4]As of February 2022, there are 49 active van insurers on the panel at GoCompare.