Van dealers and fleet managers are being given fair warning that resale values and the ongoing maintenance costs for van engines that meet Euro 5 emission requirements may be seriously impacted due to the very nature of the beast.

In order to comply with the Euro 5 emission level limits, many existing larger engines rely on diesel particulate filters. This may lead to issues for some owners whose journies are often ‘stop-start’ by nature. Because the engine doesn’t go through its full cycle under these conditions the particulate filters can become easily clogged.

On the ongoing maintenance side of things, as well as the actual cleaning and off road time that will be experienced, it is unsure how this issue will affect the price of van insurance premiums.

This is because van manufacturers do actually recommend that their vehicles supporting these filters are ran out from time to time to ensure the engine reaches a high enough temperature to purge the carbon particles. If first-time van owners do not do this there is a good chance that any replacements will not be covered under any manufacturer’s warranty. Drivers who think they may be covered under a breakdown ancillary to their base van insurance policy may come in for a nasty shock if they break down, call out the roadside assistance they have with their van insurance provider expecting to be covered but then end up with an invoice when they find they are not.

On the re-sale side of these vans, they are expected to lose any value extremely quickly. For companies that budget for seeing their company vehicles through the entire van life cycle expecting a certain amount of remuneration from the sale of its used commercial vehicles may be put off in investing in them if it threatens their budget too severely.

With the high cost of daily fines being imposed in the LEZ and now, certainly until brand new engines are conceived that will eradicate the particulate filter issue, the foreseeable issues with Euro 5 engines, going green seems to be carrying a very high price tag, at a time when the economy simply cannot support any extra outgoings.

To see how much of a reduction you can command by going greener on your next van insurance quote, choose from our commercial vehicle brokers using our online form.

One of the leading tyre safety organisations is doing everything it can this year to ensure that they are, quite literally, getting a grip.

Young drivers, who have just seen the first drop in van insurance for as long as many of the under-22 year olds who it will affect can remember, will be one of the targets of Tyresafe’s campaign to ensure that they get into the habit from a very early age of putting road safety before cost savings when it comes to their tyres.

Likewise, experienced drivers who may have been looking at other ways to save costs as the global economy has suffered, such as taking cheaper or re-tread tyres or dropping from fully comprehensive to third party van insurance, will also be reminded that their can be no cost put on road safety.

With the growth in UK sales coming more from fleet than any the domestic market in recent times, Tyresafe hope that their message also makes it to the decision makers in big business. Safe tyres are the back bone of staying safe on the roads, whatever the weather.

Many organisations may see a cost-saving here or there by going for the cheaper option, but it can have a negative effect. Part worn tyres or those of inferior quality simply cannot hold the road as well as those from factories that have the financial clout to test, and re-test, their product before they deem it safe for the road.

Any amount you think you’re saving will soon be lost as you expose your drivers to avoidable accidents, causing off-road time, lost man hours and increased van insurance premiums. This is especially important for young drivers as building up a no claims bonus as soon as possible is one of the quickest ways to start saving money and maybe even finding a broker who will offer them a cheap van insurance premium, if clean licenses are maintained and premiums continue to drop.

Tyresafe is also strongly urging businesses to ask their HGV and LCV drivers to routinely check the quality and road-worthiness of their vehicle’s tyres, at least by checking the tread every now and then.

To check how much saving you could could make on your van insurance, choose from 60+ insurance providers using our bespoke online form.

from: Focus on Brand You to ensure the right van and its insurance

Location, location – where your van goes and is left matters

Another consideration tradesmen need to take into account when looking for the right van is where their business is likely to take them.

If you’re in and around London, one of the deciding factors about your van is its emission levels. You do not want to invest in a new van, have your logo neatly sprayed on the side and take out the twelve months van insurance only to find it is neither Euro 3 nor Euro 5 compliant, whichever of the two is applicable to the size of your commercial vehicle. The LEZ is very real, as are the £100/day fines if your engine’s not clean enough. Make sure your investment doesn’t have you running that particular gauntlet on a daily basis – you’ll soon get sick of it, even if you don’t get caught.

Size is a consideration for any career that is going to constantly take you in and out of busy towns where parking is at a premium.

Where am I going to keep my new van?

One of the driving factors behind why there are so few cheap van insurance offers on the table at present is the rise in the number of thefts for vans, an epidemic sweeping the country as hard up individuals fall for the temptation of an unlocked van, even in broad daylight. Extra tool cover is great if you’ve added it to your base policy, but even then, the inconvenience of driving to site and having your van’s contents stolen whilst you’re sizing up the job is a headache you could do without.

Brokers look kindly on how securely you keep your van; many safety features are enough to put off the opportunist thief. If you have to choose between similar used (or new) vans when it’s time to make your purchase, keep the security aspect at the forefront of your decision-making process. This will ensure you keep your tools and reputation safe and give you a tool which you can use to get a cheaper van insurance deal out of your van insurance comparison site.

If your van is exposed on site, everything you can do to protect it will be welcomed by your van insurance broker. When you get your van home, if you do not have a secure lock-up or garage, make sure that you remove your tools overnight and invest a couple of quid on a sticker across the back doors that says as much. Make a show of removing your tools – you never know who’s watching you and safer, in everyone’s eyes, is a lot better than sorry.

To see how much you could save on your next van insurance quote with these additional features from over 60 insurance firms using our bespoke online form.

We can be as diligent as we like about getting the right type of van insurance for our business, spending hours shopping around on the Internet for the cheapest van insurance policy, but you just can’t factor in for forgetfulness, one of the major contributions to why there are so many crashes on UK roads every year because of the improper use of fog lamps.

If I were to ask you how many accidents there were in 2011 for this offence (and it is an offence which, although carries no license points, is an on the spot £30 fine), how many would you take a stab at? If not the annual total, per day? No?  Over 820 crashes, per day (on average) in 2011 for ‘misuse of foglamps’.

Taking a look around the forums, to see if there was any justification to that figure given in a report by a specialist vehicle insurer recently, there seems no supporting evidence for the total figure of 300,000 per annum, yet the amount of animated responses does suggest that this is becoming a very real and ever-increasing problem.

Four out of ten of the drivers of the representative 1,600 who were interviewed ticked the ‘forgot to turn them off’ excuse as the reason behind why they picked up the charge and subsequent fine.

However, what will disgust many young van drivers just starting out in their career and ever on the lookout for cheap van insurance to help reduce their start-up costs is the fact that 22% of 18-34 yr old drivers who picked up the fine had left their fog lamps on for ‘vanity’ reasons, because they looked good. Again, referencing the forums, it seems to be the iridescence of the rear fog lights that young drivers think ‘look cool’ as they’re pulling away from the driver in front at high speed that’s the attraction.

Not only does this ire other drivers but, at a time when getting cheap van insurance is stacked against young drivers, they’d be hoping that their peers would do everything possible to help repair their tarnished reputation, not alienating themselves further from the majority of drivers on UK roads.

Other worrying reasons for van insurance companies, when it comes to the range of excuses given in the survey for having fog lamps on when unnecessary, is that three in ten drivers actually ‘put them on by mistake’ and another one in ten really couldn’t give a reason for why they had them on. At least two out of ten gave a reason that brokers can investigate if they want to cut down on the number of claims: namely that, in some conditions, their standard lights were just not bright enough.

For young drivers, here are some other tips for helping you secure cheaper van insurance, whilst anyone looking to get a better deal on their van insurance quote could save a packet in minutes using our online form.