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Van insurance

Compare cheap van insurance quotes

  • Compare cover from over 45 providers[1]
  • You could save up to £106[2]
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Why compare van insurance with us?

Compare over 45 insurers[1]

Get quotes from lots of different van insurance providers - it could really help towards getting a great deal.

We'll show you what options are available

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.

Another day, another good decision

We know how important your van is – it's more than just a vehicle to you, especially if your business depends on it.

Our van insurance providers

There are over 45 insurers on our panel for you to compare cheap commercial and private van insurance quotes from, including:[1]

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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.

Woman smiling while sitting in the driver's seat of a white van with some parcels in the foreground

How to get a cheap van insurance quote

It’s a quick and easy process - we only need a few details to get your quotes:

  1. Your details

    A bit about you, where you live, your job and driving history

  2. Van details

    Reg plate, make, model and estimated value

  3. Your plan for the van

    Intended usage, yearly mileage and where it’ll be parked

  4. Van modifications

    Declare any changes you’ve made to your van

Get a quote

How much does my van insurance cost?

Our research showed that the average price paid for social-only van insurance is £328, while the average annual price for carriage of own goods is £382.*

The average price climbed considerably to £1,137 for hire and reward and £916 for haulage cover.

Your own quotes will depend on your own personal circumstances.

  • Your age - Older van drivers often pay less than younger van drivers as they are generally viewed as having more experience.
  • Your address - If you live in an area with a lower amount of claims then you are more likely to pay lower premiums.
  • Your job - Having a lower risk or less dangerous job means the potential for lower premiums.
  • How much you drive - Lower mileage means a decreased likelihood of having an accident, which can sometimes mean cheaper van insurance.
  • Your driving experience - More experienced drivers are seen as a lower risk than newer drivers, particularly if they have no claims.
  • Your vehicle - If your van is in a lower insurance group you can typically expect to pay less than a van in a higher insurance group.
  • Criminal convictions - Van drivers with previous convictions are viewed as higher risk. Keep your licence clean and you'll likely pay less in insurance premiums.
  • Previous claims - A no claims discount helps to keep insurance premiums low.
  • Additional drivers - Adding a named driver with no claims and driving experience to your policy could also help lower your premium.

*The average purchase price for annual comprehensive van insurance policies purchased through GoCompare by drivers with a full driving licence in January 2023.

Does age affect van insurance?

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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.

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.

More on haulage cover

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.

More on courier cover

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.

Carriage of own goods

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.

More on social use

You can also get telematics (black box), one-day, short-term or temporary van insurance for light commercial vehicles (LCVs).

Still not sure? Read our guide to choosing the right van insurance.

More types of van insurance

Modified van insurance

Young drivers van insurance

Electric van insurance

Over 50s van insurance

Multi-van insurance

Convicted driver van insurance

Specialist van insurance

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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.

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 get a crime reference number. Then contact your insurer. Any claims made will be subject to the policy wording.
Ryan Fulthorpe - GoCompare Van Insurance

How to cut the cost of van insurance

Five ways you could make your van insurance cheaper:

  1. Pay for the year up front

    If you can afford it, it’s always cheaper to pay for your insurance in one go

  2. Avoid modifications

    Try to avoid modifying your van. Modified vans usually cost more to insure

  3. Improve security

    Alarms, trackers and immobilisers can lower your premiums. Park your van securely in a garage or driveway if you can too

  4. No-claims discount

    The longer you go without making a claim, the bigger the discount you’ll get

  5. 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

For more tips to cut the costs of your premiums check out our guide.

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.

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.

Breakdown cover

It can be cheaper to buy your breakdown cover separately from your van insurance, so make sure you’re getting value for money by comparing it on its own.

Legal expenses

Motor legal protection helps you claim from the person responsible if you’re involved in an accident and it’s not your fault. It’ll also help to pay to defend a claim brought against you.

Courtesy van cover

If your van’s damaged because of an accident, your insurer can provide a courtesy van while it’s being repaired.

No claims discount protection

For every year you drive claim-free, you’ll get a no claims discount on your van insurance. It’s valuable and has such an impact on the price of your insurance that you can protect it. That way, if you need to claim, it won’t reduce your no claims history.

Misfuelling cover

Covers the costs of draining and cleaning your tank if you’ve put in the wrong type of fuel. It probably won’t cover the costs of damage to your engine if you drive away.

Public liability insurance

Public liability insurance can help cover the cost of paying compensation if a member of the public claims against your business for personal injury, damage to their property in your workplace, or injury or damage caused during the day-to-day running of your business.

Employers' liability insurance

Employer' liability cover protects you against the cost of compensation claims due to employee illness or injury because of their work for you. It’s a legal requirement if your business employs one or more people.

Tool cover

Tools in transit insurance will cover your tools and equipment while it’s being driven around, loaded and unloaded. You’re also usually covered if your tools are kept in the vehicle overnight, as long as it’s alarmed and parked securely.

More van insurance cover options to choose from

The type of cover and van insurance you can get are 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.

More on vehicle fleet insurance

Classic van cover

Make sure you’ve got the right protection for your prized motor. Lower mileage discounts are typical for private use and commercial classics can get cover too.

More on classic van cover

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.

More on minibus cover

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.

More on pick-up truck cover

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.

More on telematics van insurance

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.

More on temporary van cover

Frequently asked questions

With any driver van 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.

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

Yes, if you’re self-employed. Insurance, repairs and servicing, fuel costs and some other expenses are allowable business expenses. This 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.

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. 

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 - and a crime reference number if applicable - 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If your insurer decides the van would be too expensive to repair, or is beyond repair, they’ll class it as an insurance write-off and offer you a settlement payment. This is based on its current market value.

You can also take out Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) insurance to protect you against financial loss if your van is declared a total loss or write-off by your insurance provider.

It covers the difference between the financial settlement for the loss of your van, which is based on its current market value, and the price you paid for it when you bought it.

It’s worth considering van GAP insurance if you’d want to buy a brand-new replacement van or if you bought your van on finance and still have outstanding payments to make.

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Van insurance guides and articles

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Page last reviewed: 12 August 2023

Page reviewed by: Holly Thomas

[1]As of September 2023, there are 49 active van insurers on the panel at Go.Compare.

[2]Customers who bought van insurance and provided their van insurance renewal price saved up to £106 with Go.Compare. Excludes all renewal prices where the price given falls above the the top 2.5% of all purchase prices for van insurance in the given time period.

[3]Based on Trustpilot: Our average rating of 4.6 out of 5 is from 619 people who left a review for van insurance comparison only. Last checked 17 July 2023.