The red-faced, shouting White Van Man stereotype may be a thing of the past, according to new research from one insurer poised to launch their own van insurance line.
Supermarket giant Tesco’s insurance division, which recently announced its expansion into commercial van insurance, surveyed van drivers themselves, discovering that 70 per cent of their survey respondents completely reject the stereotype of the angry, rude van driver. Nearly three out of every four of those surveyed also said that they keep their van in good nick, making sure there’s no scratches or dents if they can help it.
It’s no longer just men who get behind the wheel of white vans, either. Research undertaken by Tesco found that the number of female drivers has risen, with to 15 per cent of them working as florists and nearly 10 per cent as tradespeople.
Tesco Bank’s managing insurance director, Julie Hopes, commented that it may be time to park the old stereotype. In fact, only 30 per cent of the commercial vans on the road are still white, with drivers adopting a whole rainbow of colours to differentiate themselves from all the others on the road, the research found.
Consumer demand for commercial van insurance has led Tesco to extend its insurance portfolio into the commercial vehicle market, industry experts say. The insurance offering is designed to provide comprehensive cover for drivers, who now spend n average of seven and a half hours every workday behind the wheel, and the new cover includes many features as standard, such as foreign use cover, lock and key cover, legal cover, a courtesy van, mobile repairs, and a courtesy van.