One of the things you must not do when applying for a van insurance renewal quote is misrepresent your circumstances, whether intentionally or through ignorance. Be sure of all the facts before you log on and do not make things up on your van insurance comparison site, for two main reasons.
No one truly understands the mind of the van insurance broker – it’s a scary place. You may think you are pulling a fast one by not submitting or falsifying information, but you may actually be increasing your van insurance quote. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, if you need to make a claim but the details of your cover do not match the circumstances of your incident, you may be disqualified for compensation, leaving you extremely out of pocket.
Be careful of what is actually included in your van insurance quote before you press the submit button. Ancillary products such as tool cover, a Green Card or breakdown cover may have automatically been tagged on. You may not need some or all of the additional items, which could save you a packet by deleting them from your final policy.
Security is taken very seriously by van insurance providers, as well as vehicle tracking. If you have invested in immobilisers, steering column locks or vehicle tracking soft- and hardware, be sure to let your broker or direct insurance company know. You can do little about the postcode where you either live or your business is based. If you are aware that your location is a criminal hotspot but have a secure lock-up where you keep your van or tools, again, this could entitle you to further discount off the base van insurance premium.
Best-selling models can save you money, too. In order to reduce off-road time and ensure availability of replacement components at a reasonable rate and turnaround, insurance brokers will look more favourably on a Transit, for example, than a rare Russian import you bought because it was cheap.
And finally, when you compare van insurance quotes, if you have the finance available use the slider to work out how much your premium will be if you are prepared to pay a bigger excess, i.e. the amount you are willing to fund any repairs from your own pocket before you expect your broker to dip into theirs. Even increasing this a little can save a packet in the long term.