Author: News Desk

Get all your facts together before comparing van insurance

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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.

Steps to help you secure a cheap van insurance quote

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With the multitude of choice of comparison websites one would be forgiven for thinking that cheap van insurance was easy to come by. However, as I’m sure many of you will verify, trying to retain, let alone reduce, van insurance premiums seems to be getting the exception rather than the rule.

With the end of the financial year rapidly approaching, finance departments will be  pressurising fleet departments up and down the country (or bank business account managers if your business a smaller concern – don’t you just love them, BAM’s?) for end of year figures and budgets as well as costings and forecasts for next year’s vehicle expenditure. Just where do you pitch it?

Are all of your vans and trucks going to make it through another 12 months or should they be auctioned off, now? How on earth do you budget for fuel, given the proposed duty increases then postponements (not that the first delay in fuel-duty increase wasn’t welcomed in January)? And how are OFT findings and the government’s intervention in personal injury claims going to affect van insurance quotes and premiums in the future?

Over the next two articles, we will highlight half a dozen tips that could not only save you a packet in minutes using our online form, but also promote good habits for enhancing savings year on year through the use of better practises in your own fleet management.

Building up a no claims bonus and then protecting it when it gets to a certain level (usually five years claim-free minimum to allow it to kick in) can see massive discounts to the ‘retail’ price of van insurance. Nine years is usually the longest term you can accrue continual discounts on your base premium cost; if you do drive so safely for so long, 90% discount is not beyond the realms of possibility.

If you receive an unexpected rise after years of clear driving for all of your named drivers, but feel awkward in questioning which one of them may have accrued points on their private license which may make insurance brokers see them as hazardous, you can use a link direcly to the DVLA, services which send you reports, monthly or more frequently if you have concerns, which detail all of your registered drivers’ activity and license condition.

Continued

VW T5 Best used van 2011 according to CAP

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For young drivers, finding cheap van insurance is not the easiest task in the world. Not that it’s particularly the driver who’s just starting out on his journey as a tradesman that’s particularly to blame. Those inexperienced that have gone before him and the boy-racers on the domestic scene have proved time and again that young drivers are more prone bangs and prangs necessitating a van insurance claim than those who’ve been on the roads for some time, up to 48% more likely according to one recent study.

In an article later this week, we will look at the AA’s recommendations for young drivers in more depth (we do have an article of the same ilk from BIBA in our archives for reference in the meantime), but one of the main ways a young driver can seriously cut down their van insurance renewal quote is by buying a used commercial vehicle instead of a brand new one. And that’s purely because the compensation required by your van insurance broker to replace an old van in toto is a lot less than a whole, shiny new one, proven more likely with a younger driver, as statistics have shown time and again.

What are the best used vans on the market?

According to CAP, the best overall used van for last year (2011) was the Volkswagen Transporter T5. From a choice of six commercials that made the shortlist, a six-strong panel chose the model due to its performance in each aspect upon which the vans were being judged. If you are a start-up business, a van that will not only deliver you reasonably cheap van insurance but is a good all-rounder has to be the place to start, as long as it is a suitable size for your business. If you’re delivering bespoke kitchen worktops, for example, it is no good buying a hatchback van; likewise, a Ford transit is hardly the model if you’re manufacturing small quantities of tiny fastening components, no matter how reliable or cheap the van insurance.

However, the T5 pipped its rivals on the six categories applicable to the contest (six shortlisted models, six judges, six criteria – it’s a wonder el Diablo didn’t feature somewhere, eh?), namely
1. It held its value, comparatively to other models in the same group
2. The range available for the model covered a multitude of requirements
3. You could plenty with it as it had multiple options
4. Perceived reliability, the assumption that it wouldn’t break down
5. Branding – the image of the manufacturer and model
6. Aftersales, support and the network of dealers and their relative professionalism

Interesting to see that half of the criteria for the competition were not judged solely on facts and figures, but rather on aspects that could be hard to either prove or disprove. Mmm.

To see if buying a used van dramatically affects the cost of your van insurance renewal quote, please feel free to use our easy to use online form to help save you a packet in minutes.

Insured van services protect against loss during transit

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There is a huge perception bestowed upon your company by delivering your packages or products using the correct mode of transport, a recent report suggests. CourierPros.com are dedicated to encouraging individuals to stake their claim to forego the 9-5 and get a foothold in this massively expanding opportunity.

With more consumers shopping from the comfort of their own home, willing to pay the relatively small fee to get the product from store to front door, CourierPros.com site walks interested individuals through every step of the process, from the initial business plan all the way through to finding the right cover and cheapest van insurance to suit your business.

Sam Knowlton, one of the co-founders of the online company, recently outlined the importance of having a fully-insured, appropriate vehicle to deliver a brand’s product, not just in the retail sector, but in the private sector, too.

Anyone in business has seen the struggling rep who’s either doing a favour for a customer or struggling to get a late delivery or replacement component out of the back of the boot, trying desperately to retain their composure as the package gets the better of them. Little do they realise the damage they could be doing to their company’s image by delivering thus instead of relying on an appropriate courier service who have van insurance to carry such goods, whereas the field agent may not.

Customer services are an unseen cost, with one error on a component, which may only have a relatively small invoice value, costing at least £25.00 to put right if replaced and returned in the appropriate manner, studies have found. Many distribution outlets that have supplied small-value items (where the invoice value is less than the cost of replacing them) are coming around to the idea that it is cheaper to write-off the product than raise replacement delivery paperwork, hold invoices for payment and raise new ones to cover the cost of replacements.

This alone costs companies thousands of pounds every year, as well as leaving the supplier open to exploitation from unscrupulous customers who see the opportunity to get freebies claimed in this manner.

In an addition to Mr Knowlton’s comments, he emphasised the extra security and tracking management that using courier vans that are insured against replacement and loss could have on a business. This fact alone could help cut down on the amount of customer services queries and add value to a company’s monthly bottom line.

If you wish to add more to your bottom line, see how much you could save on your current van insurance premium using our cheap van insurance provider online form.

Brakes and tread key to keeping a grip this winter

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We carry on looking at frost-proofing your van this winter by looking at tyre, brake and oil requirements. Missed our other two articles on cheapvaninsurance.co.uk? Click through to view headlights and battery, antifreeze & windscreen advice for your van and it cover this winter.

5. Get a grip – winter tyres are, as of yet, not a legal requirement in the UK, however some brokers may offer you additional discounts if you can prove you have invested in a set and you use them in inclement conditions. Whether you have bespoke winter tyres or your usual set, you should still check their depth. For standard tyres, you’re not permitted to travel (or at least won’t be covered in the event of any van insurance claim) without meeting the minimum 1.6mm depth requirement between tyre wall and top of tread. Read more about winter tyres and the effect on van insurance in our articles: were snow tyred of waiting for uk legislation and AA van insurance and winter tyre cover. Having the right tyre pressure is also critical in winter. In order to ensure the correct balance for your van, enhanced fuel efficiency and to relieve unnecessary stress on your already overworked battery ensure that they are inflated to optimum effect (details will be in your owner’s manual).
6. Take a brake-check before the weather turns too inclement. Whether you think your brakes may be stiff or spongy, it’s not worth taking the risk hitting the road with dodgy brakes when there’s ice and snow on the road. Slippery patches are often invisible, unpredictable and once you catch a rink of black ice, you may as well hand the control of the van until you come out of the skid – but be ready to brake accordingly as soon as you feel the van grip terra firma, accordingly. One incidence of your brakes not working correctly and it’s not just keeping your next van insurance premium at a reasonable rate that you may be worrying about. Van, especially those closer to the 3.5 ton upper limit of the classification, can react instantly when braking in the snow. Don’t risk your livelihood.
7. Turn up the heat by running your air conditioning, to stop erosion of any of its components. The traditional heater is no longer just a case of opening a vent to let the warmth from the engine fill the cab, but rather controlled via the electronic circuitry of your air conditioning unit. Yes, make sure you run it, but only do so when you know your battery is at its optimum for peak performance.

See and be seen – protect your van insurance this winter

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Is it, isn’t it? Will it, won’t it? Every time you look at the sky, it’s white over. Snow has fell, stuck, and been washed away all in twenty-four hours. Nothing like the two-three weeks solid of snow, ice and minus temperatures we had last year. But, being the UK, that could all turn on a sixpence and we could be encamped in two feet of snow overnight. With the first falling shards of this weekend threatening to emulate the blizzard that ran the length of the M6 all of last Saturday, we’re reminded of last winter, that smell on the wind and the bite on the cheek. It’s very real.

It’s one thing protecting your home against the inclement weather, but what have you done to protect your van, your livelihood? It’s okay having the best van insurance on the market to put any mishaps right, but what can you do to protect your no claims bonus, to ensure you’ve still got the cheapest van insurance your driving deserves once the threat of a harsh British winter finally tails off around Easter?

Over the next few articles, we look at how you can protect your van from most eventualities this winter and steps you can take to give you the best chance of keeping warm, should the worst happen and you get stuck behind a snowdrift down some far-off country lane, with only the moon as company.

1. See and be seen – you probably all remember the adverts in the late eighties when cyclists were first advised to wear luminous outer garments when driving at night, yes? Well driving in winter is the same for van drivers. It can turn very dark, very quickly and oncoming drivers need to see you quickly as well as those travelling behind; in order to prevent you rear-ending them and to keep your van insurance premiums down, you need to see them as soon as possible when the ground beneath your tyres is uncertain. Your head- and tail-lights can be the difference between you and an accident when visibility is low during a snowstorm or when sludge cakes your headlights, thrown up from the vehicles in front. If you’ve had a particularly slushy journey or it’s snowed heavily since you parked up, make sure all of your lights are clear of obstruction before setting out again.

Check to see what you’re covered for or any extra winter cover you think you may need on our cheap van insurance form.

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Ignorance won’t wash with your van insurance broker

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We carry on the series looking at how you can protect you, your van and its insurance premiums with more advice, just before the weather turns, as forecast, this weekend. Miss article one? It’s here[…]

2. Windscreens are particularly vulnerable in winter, both whilst driving from weather debris and from contraction and expansion as they are exposed to extreme temperatures at both ends of the thermometer. Whether it has snowed or not, frost will build up inside and out in extreme minus conditions, forming barriers to your visibility both in- an outside the cab. De-icer and a smooth-edged scraper are essentials in these conditions, but the effect can be lessened by draping a towel or newspaper over the windscreen when parked up for the night. De-icer in the bottle of your screen-wash to remove residue that you may have missed is also a must. What you must not do to remove any built-up ice is pour boiling water over your windscreen. The sudden change in temperature actually shocks the glass and it shatters and it is unusual that a van insurance policy will pay out for a replacement in the face of ignorance of this fact.

3. Antifreeze – does what it says on the bottle Minus temperatures do not have favourites – anything that it can freeze, it will. As well as including fluid in your water bottle to protect your windscreen, your engine is very susceptible, too. Radiators rely on water circulating to keep the engine cool; as soon as the mercury dips below zero, your grill is going to be useless when the kit behind it is as solid as a house brick. All radiators are not made equal – somewhere within your manual you will have guidelines outlining where and to what level the antifreeze goes – your model may even have a recommended brand that works best with your van engine. This is one aspect many drivers genuinely forget – if you are one of those, make sure you have breakdown cover tagged on as an ancillary to your van insurance policy.

4. Charges that actually do you good Whilst we’re tinkering under the hood, examine your battery! What’s the first thing you do in the morning in winter before you set out to work, whilst you’re finishing your cuppa and before you plant a sloppy one on your other half’s cheek (just before they get back under the duvet)? Yep – nip out to the car and let the heater de-mist the inside of the windscreen as you prepare to tackle the exterior windows. Batteries don’t like the cold as it is and you’re just extracting more juice out of them as the engine idles, putting nothing back through the alternator. If you’re making any journey that will take you away from accessible help, check your van’s battery. If the battery’s due for replacing, do it before the winter weather sets in; if it’s just sluggish and conditions allow, give the van a run out to put some juice back into the battery.

Recharge your next van insurance quote from over 60 firms using our cheapvaninsurance.co.uk online form.

New fleet of Vivaros boldly going into Eastern Europe

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Mid-Air Site Services, a company approaching a decade in business next year, are exporting the UK eye for quality and service by taking their plumbing, heating and ventilation expertise to the Polish/Ukraine border. As Europe becomes smaller and Health and Safety Legislation reaches places where once it has been overlooked Stuart Slack, Mid-Air’s managing director, is hoping to expand the family business further onto the Continent than ever before; the Polish contract is only one that could potentially come to fruition from one of many export quotes the company has quoted recently, including Germany, Belgium and Ireland.

In a recent interview, Slack expressed his aims for growth in the future, with the investment in the fleet of Vivaro vans as being a necessary expense with the outlay for the commercial vehicles and the extra van insurance cover for overseas travel, to help continue providing the basics that have seen his company grow from a South Yorkshire plumbing firm to a national contract service in such a short time. Those two strengths he reports as being quality and reliability and they have become the bywords that have seen the small family business serving the local community and hopes that those traits carry the company into Europe.

Repeat business has provided the backbone for the firm, still ran by the father and son team that inaugurated the outfit, and they’re hoping that the step up in grade of van and all of the associations that go along with a shift in focus in any SME will make the transition smooth.

In his interview, Slack referred to these changes in business, citing the new fleet as the key to a dawn in new successes. Acknowledging the investment, not only in the brand new fleet of commercial vehicles themselves but also the extension of the van insurance policies, which will now have to incorporate Green Card cover for European travel, he said that he had to shop around for the best deal for the fleet insurance cover but believes he was able to secure a great deal.

Let’s hope he has his workforce covered, too, as the first contract overseas sees the firm working on a printing plant’s ventilation system fitting and installing equipment to protect the buildings and employees from the many fire hazards associated with the printing industry.

If you’re looking to head to Europe, check out our article on EU van insurance cover: Van insurance ancillary products – Green Card, to see what level of protection is right for your business and see how it affects the cheap van insurance quotes available from brokers and insurers direct using our online form.

Get the facts right to maximise your van insurance claim

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In this day and age, getting a hold of cheap van insurance can be hard work in itself. Assuming that aspects and the level of cover are the same, why pay more from one provider than another, whether you’ve historically taken out your van insurance with one brand all your working life, or not?

The reason many van drivers feel comfortable just renewing their van insurance without even comparing online whether there are other cheap van insurance providers who can provide the same – or better – cover for less is twofold:
1. They believe getting a van insurance quote online is difficult, whereas the truth is it has never been easier to get cheap van insurance online – in fact it actually increases your chances of reducing your van insurance quote;
2. They feel their existing van insurance provider is adequate or doing a good job because they’ve never had to actually make a claim from them.

However, according to one very recent report, there are circumstances where van insurance firms are not paying out, or paying out less than the value the policy holder believed they were entitled to, in light of their claim. The reasons listed are, however, all valid according to the brokers’ guidelines; so here’s a checklist of pitfalls to avoid when first making a claim on your van insurance policy.

When processing a claim, it is important to present as clear and concise a report of what happened during and leading up to the accident so that the insurance investigator can piece together your claim as accurately as possible. There is little point in you having a perfectly valid claim if you do not share all of the aspects that will help you receive the maximum award with the person who is going to fight your corner for you.

You must also be aware of what you’re entitled to claim in the result of an accident from your van insurance policy, itself. If, for example, your van is run off the road and subsequently your tools are stolen from the back, you have to put in two claims – one for the accident that led to you being off-road and a separate one for the retrieval/compensation of your work gear.

If there are points which seem ambiguous or obscure, leaving you in any doubt, call the support staff at your van insurance company. If you have a valid claim, they will help you win as much entitlement as you are allowed under the terms governing your policy.

If, after all of this you are still dissatisfied with the outcome, the Association of British Insurers will be able to point you in the right direction, whether it is to enlighten you where you have misunderstood certain aspects of your van insurance cover, or in severe cases of misrepresentation, they may even contact the Office of Fair Trading on your behalf.

In our article: van insurance what to do in the event of an accident, there is a downloadable, two page document that you can print off and keep on your clipboard or in your glove box detailing what to do and what basic information you need to take down as a result of a road traffic accident. Please feel free to take a copy.

And whilst you’re here, see if you could save a packet in minutes by comparing van insurance from 60+ firms using our easy-to-use 5-stage online form.

NV200 has a few more inches to satisfy US market

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The Chicago auto-show saw the NV200, the latest compact cargo van from Nissan, make its American debut before the model goes on general release through distributors in spring. The utility van, a smaller version of the full-blown NV compact model, will follow on next year.

The angle for the design concept of the NV200 was to find a model that exploited a niche for an appropriately proportioned commercial vehicle. With a low-cost entry-point into the market yet retaining a decent payload for its size, this model promises to fulfil that role offering both a relatively cheap price tag and cheaper van insurance with a limited 2.0l cc double over head cam engine with a choice of gear boxes to suit your locale or driving style.

Much is expected for this model in the US. As recently reported here on cheapvaninsurance.co.uk, the crew-carrying version of the NV200 was recently chosen by New York City to be the next generation of its famous yellow taxi. Lead times on delivery expect to be reduced into the North Americas as the model s will be built just south of the border in the Nissan plant in Cuernavaca, Mexico for delivery straight into the approved Nissan dealerships across The States.

The current NV200 is already on duty in approximately forty countries across the globe, but release for the US market has been delayed slightly, possibly due to the extra 200mm added to length tailored specifically to hit that niche and a 12v power point for US appliances. With access for a standard Euro pallet in the back and a payload of over two thirds of a ton (e 1,500lbs), Nissan truly hope that the van proves flexible enough to satisfy the market.

To help deliver an all around thumbs-up, the driver’s comfort and needs have been well and truly addressed. Inside the cab, the focus is all about giving the driver what he wants and where he needs it. With everything from six-way positional seat which cab be manually adjusted to deflect prolonged stress on the lumbar, protecting the drivers posture away from the wheel to a virtual work desk with 12V power points and places for a laptop and folders, it could well be an office on wheels with the passenger seat moulded so that the back is a desk when brought flat into the forward position. I don’t know whether commercial drivers will see that as a good or bad thing but for self-employed tradesmen, it will be a boon.

If the UK version of the NV200 has taken your eye, or any other van, for that matter, check out how much you could save using our quick-step van insurance online form.

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