Author: News Desk

Use van insurance to increase your liability cover

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Van insurance can be as cheap as you want to make it, but many traders, in their attempt to cut costs, can often leave themselves exposed by not having adequate cover in the event of an accident. As well as negating the point of having van insurance at all, it can also have dire consequences on the individual’s livelihood in the event of a claim against them.

As well as providing cover for third party only or ‘and theft’, it is imperative that a sole trader has made sure that their van insurance quotes incorporate some type of liability insurance within the policy somewhere.

The level of cover for this aspect of your van insurance will depend upon the nature of your business and how much your driving brings you in contact with the general public and how ‘at risk’ you perceive your business activities make you. Admittedly, the higher the value of liability you ensure your van for will add to your initial cheap van insurance quotation, but it is worth that little bit more for the peace of mind.

If you are using a van insurance comparison site, they are often excellent ways of factoring in this extra cover. But you will need to know what to look out for when you’re building in the aspects applicable to your business when you’re constructing your van insurance quote online.

Tradesmen’s liability is probably the one you’ll want to be looking out for as it incorporates both employer’s and public liability in one fell swoop, which in their own rite cover the tradesman for £5M and £1M as minimum legal requirements, respectively. This will then extend the van owner’s cover to staff, customers and anyone with whom ‘the business’ comes into contact with during the course of its day-to-day activities.

If your trade is purely as a driver for a larger organisation and you are an employee, it is highly probable that the firm for who you work will have built this cover into their fleet van insurance and you should not have to worry about insuring yourself over and above the level whilst carrying out activities on behalf of the company.

However, if the company has deigned that employees can utilise their commercial vehicles for personal use outside of working hours, it is critical that you confirm what level of van insurance is applicable to their benevolence and who is liable in case of any incident.

If you are dealing with a van insurance broker rather than with a specialist cover provider direct, it is possible that you will be able to get even cheaper van insurance by taking out more than one type of insurance with them, as long as they are licensed to provide a variety of policies, accordingly.

Take this opportunity to compare van insurance using our online form and see how much you could save by having liability insurance bolted on to your base cheap van insurance quote.

Is Jolly one of the seven dwarfs or one of the Plug-in EVs?

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Who wants to get cheap van insurance and a heavily discounted van all in one fell swoop? Don’t believe it’s possible? Think again.

The government has issued the list of ‘green’ vans that qualify for up to £8,000 discount (20%) as part of their Plug In Van Grant incentive. Of the seven included, four are available right now with the other three manufacturers’ models becoming available between now and May.

The criteria upon which the vans have qualified are exacting but, if met, all lead to cheap van insurance as well as the heavily discounted list price. The qualifying standards for the ultra low carbon emission vans is as follows:

i. CO2 emission < 75g/km – simply put, each van has to emit less than 75 grams of carbon for every kilometre travelled. This is well below the threshold set for the new low-band qualification for company vehicle tax, so by opting for one of the vans on the list you are not only going to get the cheapest van insurance quotes but also the driver will save on their personal tax

ii. Minimum 60 miles on one charge or 10 miles on electric-power only mode for hybrid vans – obvious milestone in itself but, put into practicality, it is suitable for businesses whose traversing takes them around town on several multi-drop local deliveries and collections but is perhaps unsuitable for motorway and distance driving

iii. Top speed > 50mph – the engine has to reach fifty miles per hour and performance remain unaffected with maximum payload on board; for businesses suited to this type of van, this should not inhibit usage. With a top speed around this mark, you are guaranteed cheap van insurance as you are less likely to cause considerable damage than a van that can reach 70mph+

iv. Meet EU qualified safety standards – speaks for itself.

The actual manufacturers that have had their models incorporated are diverse and global. Some you will have heard of, others are not such household names. From Azure Dynamics (who? you say – wait for it…) we have the Ford Transit Connect Electric (ah, now you know!). Mercedes Benz also make the list with their Vito E-CELL as well as another EU manufacturer, Renault, with their multi-award-winning Kangoo ZE. And to complete the models available now, there’s the Smith Electric Smith Edison, plus the variations on the model, namely SE2 & SE3.

Coming later in the year, we have 2 models from Faam due for UK release in March, the aptly named Ecomile and from the same family, the Jolly 2000 (and: no, that’s not a remake of a Fools and Horses episode, it is an electric van). Then finally in May, Mia-electric plan to bring us the Mia U.

If you have your eye on one of the ultra low-carbon models, you could save a packet in minutes by comparing cheap van insurance quotes using our online form.

Seven vans on EV shortlist hoping to dwarf insurance prices

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Seven low emission vans have been named in the government’s ultra low carbon emission ‘Plug-in Van Grant‘ scheme that will see fleet managers, business owners and tradesmen qualify for 20% off the manufacturer’s list prices for electric vans.

The announcement that the extension to the commercial sector from the domestic car market was made known at the beginning of the year.  However, it has taken several weeks for the finalised list of vans that will be included to be published and the list, which includes some vans that are already on sale and others that are scheduled to be released later in the year includes some unfamiliar manufacturers and models.  The exclusions are also quite surprising, especially after some of the extensive prototype testing we have seen in our own capital and awards that have been won for vans in other places in the world that have simply not appeared at all.

It is quite obvious where the governments incentives lie. Getting the economy back on track through saving businesses money and reaching carbon footprint targets is seemingly more important than bringing realistic prices for electric cars to the public as the discount for light commercial vehicles is a maximum of £8,000 compared to £5,000 for cars.

To make battery powered vans even more of a no-brainer for the busy tradesman there is a call for cheap van insurance to accompany the reduced cost of the van itself.

It is hoped that cheap van insurance can be achieved because of the price strategy that manufacturers have cobbled together for electric vans. Businessmen can buy the van, chassis, and keep the vehicle topped up with electricity but manufacturers are claiming ownership of the battery itself in perpetuity. As well as paying for the electric every month, electric van owners will have to shell out for the battery hire to whichever dealership they have purchased the van from in the first instance.

The offset in that cost is hoped to be achieved through cheapened van insurance as the broker or direct insurance agent will never have to be responsible for the upkeep of the battery, a high-priced component in its own right.

In the upcoming exhibition at Silverstone where manufacturers of this mode of power will be hoping to convince fleet managers that switching to electric power is the way forward, it is hoped that there will be clarification on this issue.

The criteria for the qualification of the electric vans will be explained in the following article, here on cheapvaninsurance.co.uk.

Big names to gather at Silverstone to push UK EV drive

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In the drive to continue the initial success of the UK’s commercial van and truck sector’s CO2 emissions drive, the invitation to this year’s EV and Low CO2 Fleet exhibition has been extended to van owners across the country. This year’s event follows the recent successful fleet management seminar at Silverstone, where the latest developments and innovations towards a smaller carbon footprint in the industry will be showcased.

There is expected to be a little more enthusiasm from the market now that the government have finally announced the list of vans eligible for the plug-in van grant and subsequent cheaper van insurance that’s expected to accompany the ultra-low emission models that qualify.

One pleasing aspect about the deal is that there will be no complicated paperwork to fill out; a statement accompanying the criteria and range for the electric vans incorporated in the green van drive explains that whichever dealer sells the van will handle the registration paperwork and take the discount of at point of purchase. And the saving is not to be sniffed at – with a discount of 20% (up to the value of £8,000), that’s a grand incentive to take the plunge and go electric.

Renault will have a vested interest in this year’s event as they now have production lines rolling ahead of the competition and will want to turn the event to their advantage. We understand that, at the show on April 18th, potential customers will be invited to test drive their award-winning Kangoo ZE. Their investment in mass producing vehicles for this market is driven by their belief that 10% of vehicles on UK roads will be powered by one battery or another within five years. Perhaps this show will shed some light on how likely this outcome will be and exactly what savings insurance firms will be offering to deliver the cheap van insurance that the market is expecting to coincide with the heavily discounted list price.

It is hoped that the event will attract some of the larger companies’ fleet managers. As with many new innovations, the market will move when one of the big names incorporates the change within their business strategy. If serious dents are to be made into the three million unit UK van market by the new Evs, it will be events like this where there is a concentration of field experts to allay any fears that will encourage that shift.

It may seem a long way off at the minute, but if the market can agree on a level for initial outlay and ongoing cost-downs through maintenance and cheaper van insurance, Renault may yet realise their dream.

Thieves move to North East; police in exhausting search

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The gang who have been making mischief this year in Manchester and Oxford stealing entire exhaust systems have moved on again, this time taking to the North East, van insurance experts are warning. As such, they are recommending all tradesmen and professional van drivers lock up their vans securely wherever possible.

Tip: for those drivers who do not declare that they have safe premises to their brokers could be missing a trick. Particularly in renowned postcode areas, having secure premises can significantly increase a drivers chances of securing cheap van insurance.

There is further insight into why the exhaust systems are being stolen, however. In a recent article following the thefts in other areas of the country it was assumed that the metal was the commodity that the thieves were after. However, a statement from the Cleveland police reveals a different motive.

Since the beginning of the year, Greater London has been a low-emission zone, whereby anyone driving within the ‘LEZ’ is subject to £100 per day fines if there CO2 emissions level is higher than Euro III legislation permits. The theory being explored by Cleveland police following the latest breakins and exhaust thefts now is that certain models of vans have catalytic converters which would bring otherwise non-compliant vehicles below the minimum accepted emission level.

To date, commercial vehicle insurers have looked kindly upon van drivers who are attempting to go green. Reducing emissions in this manner is just one of the ways to achieve a smaller carbon footprint.  These criminal actions will have the adverse affect on those van owners affected in the North who will more than likely see their once-cheap van insurance premiums increase as a result of claiming for replacement exhaust systems and the additional cost for them being fitted.

One local businessman who has had two Merc Sprinter vans robbed of their exhausts is convinced that the destination for the DPF particle filters is the capital. Whilst he was having his vehicles repaired the mechanics confirmed to him that there had been several instances of this type of theft recently. He even went on to say he’d heard unconfirmed reports that one organisation had seventeen of its fleet’s exhausts taken.

Cleveland police are investigating three similar offences, involving break-ins to get at the exhausts, reported over the course of the last few days. To date, they have had little success, but have not yet exhausted all lines of enquiry.

Fleet management award in innovation for Zurich start-up

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For businesses that have set up to deliver excellence in product or service, transport is not necessarily an area in which they excel. Rather it is a necessary evil to get their goods in front of the customer. As much as they may not like it, to ignore the costs would be a grave oversight.

Obtaining cheap van insurance, the right vehicle for the job and even adequate drivers can see business owners outside their comfort zone; however, that has been the status quo for some time. That is, since the prominence of the fleet management service that is making great inroads for organisations that are prepared to pay for a specialist service that takes care of that aspect of their business for them.

Zurich Fleet Intelligence is one such firm, and have recently won an award, the Celent Innovation in Service accolade, no less, for their strides made in the sector in the two years since their inauguration. They have taken telematics – a rapidly expanding market in its own rite – and integrated into a product that has the potential to take an average fleet and make it excel, delivering cost savings through improved performance, less wear and tear, better fuel efficiency and improved driver skills. The business owner can then take a summarised report to their broker and demand the cheapest van insurance that their fleet commands as they have the evidence in black and white to justify it.

However, Nick List, proposition manager for the company, insists that cost savings are a bonus and Zurich’s priority is delivering driver safety in a fashion tailored towards their customer base. Speaking after the award, he emphasised that their product development comes through interaction with clients and finding ways to meet their demands through continual improvement.  A sound mission statement if ever there was one.

The system itself is quite natty, and it is obvious, with all the improvements that can be made through on board monitoring, why companies are more likely to avail themselves of cheap van insurance quotes after implementation.

In a similar way that the AA Drivetech helps young drivers and those with high points find cheap van insurance through improved driving in their ‘pay how you drive‘ policy, this easy to implement integrated solution measures, tracks and assesses both the van and the driver’s response behind the wheel.

Through GPS, this information is posted back to a server and displayed on screen and can be saved as a usable file. The gathered information can be used to cut down on fuel consumption via using differing routes and avoiding peak traffic flow and, where driver improvements are needed, arrange any specialist training to bring the whole fleet together to an exemplary standard.

Initial reports have suggested extremely swift ROI, which is one of the reasons the firm has come to prominence in such a short space of time.

To see what you could save for your improved van driving, compare van insurance online using our simple online form to save a packet in minutes.

Using the force to obtain cheaper van insurance

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If you mention Yorkshire and police in the same sentence, you cannot help but think of Heartbeat and a downy-cheeked Nick Berry in 1960’s helmet and elbow-lengthed gloves hot-footing it up to the moors, fresh out of Walford and away from Aunty Pauline’s clutches. You certainly do not think of multi-tasking police forces joining together to save millions of pounds on fleet management and van insurance.

But that’s the story coming out of Yorkshire and Humberside as North, South and West Yorkshire forces have joined up with their east coast neighbours to put their four heads of transport together to combine in one super-pool of fleet resources. Originally destined to be a cost saving exercise in an attempt to knock £10M off their public expenditure, the venture is proving to be so much more.

Of course there are the better deals from the carrot that a larger fleet can dangle to brokers, now offering the cheapest van insurance possible to secure that extra volume of business. But a larger pool of talent has availed the forces of greater possibilities for future savings as much of the maintenance and vehicle modification can be carried out in-house.

The money the forces are saving from utilising inhouse mechanics and even using their own qualified staff to teach junior police officers advanced training skills will be put to use in other areas across the collaborative forces. For the sectors that cannot be controlled by the police themselves, such as van insurance, the forces are sharing the burden of those costs and redistributing the savings the same way as they are funds from other areas.

Another aspect to arise from this scenario is that all four forces now have standard vehicles, meaning that skills specific to that model can be honed to the nth degree and spare parts can be ordered in bulk to alleviate the risk of ever struggling to find the components to keep the fleet roadworthy, another aspect that van insurance brokers take into account when assessing the discounts applicable to an applicant’s request for van cover.

The West Yorkshire Police Commissioning Department in Bradford has been chosen as the nerve centre due to its accessibility by all four constabularies; the train of though here is that, by concentrating their efforts from one central location, it will lead to quicker mean response times across all four counties.

If your organisation is a multi-branch operation and you would like to save a packet in minutes, compare your fleet van insurance quotes using our online form

Van insurance for young drivers – get it cheaper

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In the last article we looked at why there was little chance of young drivers easily finding cheap van insurance; in this article, we look to see what they can do about it.

The AA, with their Drivetech initiative, plus other organisations who offer GPS drive monitor systems, have concerns for the number of young drivers on UK roads passing their test days before jumping behind the wheel of a van and the impact that scenario’s having on fleet van insurance quotes, as well as the potential ‘at risk’ status it puts them and other road users in.

Labelled the ‘pay how you drive‘ system, taking out this type of van insurance policy will stagger discounts as better driving milestones are accrued by the young driver (or driver who has a high insurance policy because of a high points tally). However, it can have the adverse affect of increasing the premium if the standard of driving deteriorates.

Good van insurance deals come in small packages

Start small. The physical size and engine capacity of your commercial vehicle will have a direct affect on your insurance quote. It is sometimes tempting, especially if you have the finance in place, to buy a brand new van that’s as big as your money can buy. When you’re starting out, don’t fall into that trap.

The theory is, the smaller the van, and its engine, the easier the vehicle will be to handle therefore the less likely a broker is to have to shell out for accident damage and repair. On this basis, they will offer you cheaper van insurance.

Likewise, the older the van the less value it will cost to replace. If your commercial vehicle has still got the production line paint wet when you take ownership, alarm bells will start to ring in your broker’s office. To get the cheapest van insurance possible, buy an older model with a smaller capacity and engine in as low an insurance group as possible to allow you to carry out your job, at least until you’ve started to build a no claims bonus history.

One aspect that many drivers overlook is a van’s security, the only real customisation you should be thinking of making. Articles that will score you points are steering (column) locks to deter the opportunist thief, immobilisers to stop the persistent one and a vehicle tracker to trace your vehicle in the event that it is stolen. All will qualify you for discounts that will pay for themselves, over time, even more so if you have a safe lock-up you can park your van in overnight.

And finally, if you do have some start up capital, increase your voluntary excess. The more you commit to paying in light of an incident, the lower your premium will be, the theory being you’re less likely to claim every time you have a small knock than if you’re only prepared to pay the minimum excess before expecting the broker to cover the rest.

Van insurance for young drivers – why so dear?

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Taking the plunge and setting out on the road of creating your own business can be a big, no, huge step for any young person with aspirations of making a go of it on their own. Especially against the current economic backdrop and headlines such as ‘95% of all new start-ups go under in the first year’. It’s a brave decision.

What most individuals fail to take into account is that every single aspect of making a go of your own business has many facets and it’s down to the owner of the business (that’s you) to sort them out. Some are obvious, some not so. Finding cheap van insurance is just one example that bears this point out exactly, and to give you a hand on your way, we’ll look to address just that over today’s two articles.

As often, before the budding entrepreneur realises it, they’ve not set enough capital aside, in arrears after six months of opening their doors so credit’s no longer an option and they’re destined to become just another failure statistic.

One such stumbling block for young tradesmen and drivers is van insurance and how to get the best deal if you’ve not had a chance to build up a safe driving history, thus availing yourself of the failsafe no claims bonus that many van drivers rely on year on year to deliver cheap van insurance.

The first van insurance quote for young drivers is a shock

The first time a young driver compares van insurance online they’d be forgiven for having the wind knocked out of their sails. The problem is not so much in their individual history, but those young drivers who have gone before them. Here’s a quick overview of why van insurance is so expensive for those aged 25 and under:

1. In their first twelve months of driving, twenty percent of young drivers are involved in an RTA (road traffic accident)
2. Twenty-five percent of all drivers who suffer fatal accidents on UK roads are under twenty five, a somewhat disproportionate figure as they only account for twelve and a half percent of drivers
3. Thirty five year old drivers are ten times less likely to be involved in an RTA than a male driver under the age of twenty one
4. Four in ten passengers who lost their life or were maimed in a car crash were in vehicles driven by young drivers, based on 2007 figures

These are very sad figures but, nonetheless, that is what young van drivers are up against and why they struggle to find a cheap van insurance quote when they set out on the road to being their own boss.

In the following article, we’ll look at those steps which can help reduce the impact that age has on a van insurance quote and/or other methods that cushion the blow.

DfT set to announce the plug-in grant LCV eligibility list

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Tradesmen and local businesses are eagerly awaiting the announcement expected in the near future detailing which of the electric vans will make it on the Department for Transport’s shortlist to be eligible for the subsidy they’ve extended from the domestic vehicle to now incorporate commercial vehicles, too.

In some instances, individuals and organisations may qualify for discounts of up to £8,000 to run in conjunction with the cheaper van insurance this type of van is expected to attract. And the cost savings go even further. Details in one recent report suggest that these vehicles will be exempt for company car tax, to boot.

As we reported earlier this week, last year’s rush to buy the green vehicle hardly got up to a canter with less than 1,000 punters opting to chance changing their habits and do their bit for the environment. However, it’s hoped that the discount, tax exemption, cheap van insurance and the fuel savings will be enough to tempt to the savvy business owner into finally making that change.  If those savings fail to sway the market, well, what else can be done?

Justine Greening is doing her best as Transport Secretary to get the industry sector on side promoting the range in anticipation of the DfT announcement. According to her calculations, fuel savings could amount to £100 for every 1,000 miles put on the clock compared to other fuel types for light commercial vehicles.

There is still reasonable doubt in the market place about topping up whilst out on the road, due to two issues concerning the battery. Details from manufacturers suggest that electric vans will push 100 miles on one charge, depending upon the load and how the van’s driven – if these are at the top end of the tolerances, the maximum on one charge could be limited to 60 miles, but that should still be plenty for the average round, especially enough for the city.

The other issue is that anyone buying the new electric van will never own the battery, if the planned lease/sale pattern is to filtrate the market as is foreseen. Yes, it’s great that the manufacturer retains ownership of it, both for worrying about the maintenance and the possibility of cheaper van insurance due to the fact that the broker may not need to insure that component against breakdown, but what if it conks out whilst you’re mid-run? It’s not as if you can call the AA to replace it. How quickly will the manufacturer get a replacement battery out to you?

Electric vans – and plug-in transport all round – is probably the future of motoring but with so many question marks still hanging over the range, it’s no wonder that businesses have had reservations about taking the plunge, thus far.

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