If you’re not sure whether cheap van insurance really does exist, there may be a few aspects that you’re not considering if you’re finding the same results coming back from comparison sites, all of which were more expensive than you ever thought possible.

The problem with van insurance quotes are that, for every business, there are combinations of variables that suit them best. Therefore, when you enter scant details of what you’re looking for from your van insurance policy, it is extremely possible that the not-so cheap van insurance quotes your query is returning are using different aspects to calculate your price.

You may be being charged for ancillary products, components added on but not necessarily part of the basic essentials to get you legally on the road, that you may not require. In order to get the most appropriate and cheapest van insurance possible to suit your exact requirements, you will want to know what you are looking out for that you can delete from your policy.

aspects to save you money on your van insurance quote

Tools, for those who create or repair for a living, are one thing that cover providers have very varied views of. Some van insurance brokers provide a minimal amount of cover in a fully comprehensive policy; any less comprehensive policy may not incorporate any cover whatsoever for the tools of the trade. The point is, if you are using your van purely to transport third party parcels, do you need any cover for tools if you have a breakdown product tagged on to your main van insurance policy? Probably not.

Are you declaring any safety features that you have added to your commercial vehicle? Van insurance providers look kindly upon businesses and individuals who go out of their way to protect their vans from the threat of theft. These features can be simple to obtain and install and extremely cost-effective; steering wheel and column locks are basic components that can be picked up from any vehicle accessory outlet and will put off the opportunist thief more often than not. Immobilisers and vehicle tracking stretch the budget further but pull favour with van insurance providers; all three security features can save more than they cost, not only in the act of obtaining your cheap van insurance quote but also to help avoid the hassle of having to make a claim if they prevent the crime from happening the first place.

With winter fast approaching, it would seem that all of the big guns in the van insurance market are preparing for the worst. Given the extent of the payouts from claims caused by the intolerable conditions the UK was subjected to over the prolonged cold snap in 2010 all of the commercial vehicle insurers are warning us of the dangers of driving in the snow and offering hints and tips of staying safe in the snow this winter.
On top of the snow, or rather, laying beneath, black and compacted sheets of ice are equally as treacherous – standard tyres simply do not stand a chance if braking too sharply and the possibility of your van gliding out of control is all too real. With the fitting of snow tyres, offering substantially improved chances of stopping in inclement conditions than your dry-weather slicks, you are less likely to damage the chances of a repeat cheap van insurance policy by having to make a claim via a weather inflicted accident.
With e-bay recently estimating that UK shoppers are likely to spend £31.5bn in the run up to Christmas, there is likely to be a whole lot more commercial delivery activity on our roads. If you are looking to take on some of the delivery work as a courier service over the festive period, first and foremost ensure that you have the correct van insurance policy to cover you during this period. You should be looking out for the ‘transport of goods only’ policy, i.e. you are neither the supplier or end user of the product, just the third party involved in getting it from a to b. And, if this is not your usual occupation, choose the 28-day cover – you needn’t opt for a longer duration. Filtering these two options should help you to get the cheapest possible van insurance policy for your requirements.
Secondly, a few more driving tips. Braking distance is massively increased on icy roads – leave at least double the space between you and the vehicle in front of you that you would under normal circumstances.
Stay in a higher gear to give you more traction when cornering but in lower gear when decelerating, allowing the van to slow of its own volition, to save having to brake sharply and risk going into slide.
Snow is white. Yep, it is. Glare can be a problem, both night and day. Dip your headlights at night-time; wear shades during low, bright sunshine in the day to keep yours and other drivers visibility at optimum levels. And whilst we’re talking visibility, ensure your water bottle is topped up with anti-freeze and you have de-icer to hand. Do not pour hot water onto your windscreen, otherwise you will be making a claim on your van insurance policy; cold glass and hot water is a perfect recipe for a cracked windscreen.
And lastly, be prepared for a breakdown. It will matter little that your van insurance covers you for roadside assistance in blizzard conditions – you may get stranded in an inaccessible location, so have a torch, mobile phone charger (but watch your car battery!), food, drink, blankets and plenty of layers of clothing. Anything that may get you through the night will help if you’re caught short up a snowy lane, in winter.

We recently commented that, for young drivers looking for cheap van insurance, one of the considerations when starting out was to go for a second hand motor, rather than buy one hot off the production line. There are, however, exceptions to every rule; to back that up, the US has given us a story that runs along very different lines.

With any commercial vehicle, there are ancillary products that you can add on to the basic policy so that your van insurance cover reflects the nature of your business. That is one area in which van insurance providers are flexible; however, it would have to be one heck of a lenient policy that you were able to add on the component that Charles Preston, from San José, found in the Chrysler he picked up to feed the poor in his home town.

Having paid £10,000 for the van second hand, the psychologist proceeded to ride around in the vehicle performing the good deeds he subsidised from his own pocket, paying little attention to the window that wouldn’t roll down the whole way. For his money, he’d got power steering, air-conditioning and boss tinted windows, so he wasn’t going to jeopardise his no claims bonus on his van insurance policy for the sake of this slight inconvenience.

After twelve months of relatively trouble-free driving otherwise, the van developed an issue with the brakes; the window he could live with, but for a critical component like stopping the vehicle, he was taking no chances, so went to the garage to get the problem checked out. If it was minor, he would pay for it; if it was a major issue, he had the option of taking it back to the sales outfit he bought it from, to help protect his cheap van insurance policy.

claim on van insurance policy a wind up?

With the car under inspection, Preston nonchalantly mentioned the window problem to the mechanic whilst he was checking out the brakes. The mechanic’s first assumption was that the insulation packaging had come out of alignment, beyond the panel in the door. In order to correct the issue without damaging the interior upholstery, the correction necessitated stripping the panel from the door, which he proceeded to do.

What they found beyond got them on to the police immediately; after further investigation, they found fourteen ‘insulation’ packs behind the panel in total – full of cocaine! In addition, there were five further packs behind the wheel configuration. It’s no wonder the car didn’t want to stop – it’s a wonder it wasn’t flying!

The value of the haul was estimated at half-a-million pound, perhaps a little more than your common-or-garden van insurance policy is likely to cover you for. Needless to say, with that much raw coke unclaimed, Mr Preston swiftly returned the van from whence it came, before he had a crack at being The Good Samaritan, again.

We’ve all seen the advertisements for Driving Test Instructors that encourage people with a license to pass on what they’ve learnt by going into business themselves and teaching people how to drive.

The hours can be anti-social, you must have an account with Debenhams underwear department for continual replacements, be on first-name terms with petrol station attendants and your car or van insurance premium must be astronomic. But other than that, it pays well.

However, there may be an even better opportunity for those wishing to teach the ways of the road, only this time around from a purely commercial sense.

Come September 2014, new EU regulations come into force, which will govern passenger transport, lorry and van drivers who want to tout their trade on home and foreign shores. As things stand, with a lack of training centres inaugurated, the Freight Transport Association are mindful of a) ingratiating the sector with trainers who are savvy with the new regulations b) not only finding enough drivers who will have to have relative ancillary products on their van insurance to cover them on the continent but will also need to attain the relevant qualification, gleaned from appropriate instruction courses.

EU roads will be safe driving haven?

In order to qualify for the European Driving License, without which commercial vehicle drivers may as well forget about earning any more no claims bonuses towards their next van insurance policy, an extensive, recognised assessment must be undergone and satisfactorily passed.

The duration for the modules which make up the new Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) is approximately 35 hours and can be sat over a maximum stretch of five years. Obviously, if you wish to carry on driving your van in 2014, that window of opportunity is closing more rapidly than the maximum course allowance, so you need to act sharply.

At current examination rates, it is estimated that less than two thirds will have successfully attained the DCPC in time for its introduction. The very real worry is that, by the time the industry realises its in trouble, there will be insufficient trainers to train that remaining 100,000 professional drivers. And it is a concern globally – UK distribution outlets, van insurance providers, public transport services – so many areas that rely on qualified drivers will have their bottom line threatened by a lack of available talent.

So, yes – vehicle driving instruction does have its drawbacks, with the worry-lines, alcohol depravation when you need it most and a van insurance premium equivalent to a premier league player’s weekly wage packet, but the foundations have been laid by the EU to make it a very prosperous venture, if you step up to the commercial plate.

As recently covered in our article ‘half a million claims blamed for van insurance rise’
by the time a 17-18 year old apprentice on standard government rates has forked out for the average van insurance for their age group, they are left working for £10/day. And that’s before you even take into consideration paying for the van, its tax and MOT and the fuel to get them to and from site.

This begs the question: is cheap van insurance for young drivers a reality, or has it been confined to mythological status until that magical age of 25, when vehicle insurance costs traditionally reach affordable levels?

The road-safety specialist charity Brake has confirmed in a recent report what many commercial vehicle insurance companies already suspect, that one fifth of young drivers will be involved in a road traffic accident in their first six months, and continue in a similar fashion for the first two years after passing their test.

With evidence like this, it gives the casual observer an insight as to why brokers are against cheap van insurance for young drivers. And until a marked increase in that statistic, things are unlikely to change dramatically in that regard.

ways to drive down van insurance for young drivers

There are, however, aspects that young van drivers can incorporate to significantly lower their insurance premium and, since the start of ongoing OFT investigations into higher commercial vehicle premiums overall, can use them in addition to the 5.6% decrease for 17-21 year olds that the market has seen.

Although all insurance brokers tar young drivers with a similar brush, some definitely have a more favourable outlook toward offering the younger driver cheaper van insurance, but it will depend upon market factors at the time of searching, so comparing van insurers is an absolute must, in the first instance.

Once you have narrowed the field down, test each quote with differing levels of ‘voluntary excess’  – the higher the voluntary excess, the lower the cost of the premium.

When starting out, do not go for an all-singing, all-dancing van, hot off the production line. An aged vehicle (not knackered, just older) will attract cheaper van insurance quotes for the younger driver, especially as you build up your no claims bonus for further reductions in the future.

And lastly, an absolute don’t: do not try to register your van in someone else’s name and assume it is then legal to have you as a named driver on their policy. This tactic is known as fronting and will instantly negate your policy, when discovered, making it worthless and denying you, the young driver, of legitimate no claims for future cheap van insurance quotes.

Despite price comparison sites being utilised more and more by domestic and commercial users alike, this enforced competition has still not been able to reduce the cost of car and van insurance in the UK.

The continuing trend, compared with inflation, is so disproportionate that the Office of Fair Trading is investing the reasons why the theory that exposure to competitor rates will secure cheap van insurance for the UK’s struggling business remains mythical.

Based upon information gathered earlier in the year by the AA insurance premium index, fully comprehensive vehicle insurance rose, on average, a staggering 40% in the financial year ending March 2011. If only that were true across the board, it wouldn’t be so bad for the aspiring apprentices of this world.

Rather than being cheap, van insurance for young drivers up to the age of 22 is between 64-80% more than in the previous year. It seems that what the government are trying to achieve by getting apprenticeships back up and running across the UK, van insurance in its own rite may deter youngsters from considering this career choice as a viable option.

With a weekly wage of £95.00 for those learning the ropes straight from school and their average annual van insurance being calculated at £2,341 (or £45/week), that leaves just £50/week, or £10/day, or £1.25/hour, based on an eight hour day. After paying for the fuel and the van insurance, could you imagine any teenager being tempted into a plumbing or construction apprenticeship, if they were expected to pay for a van, insure, tax and MOT it and buy the fuel?

More government intervention in September, by banning insurance referral fees in England and Wales is also intended to encourage cheaper van insurance rates; in an attempt to curb the ‘no win, no fee’ culture that is one of the main causes the insurance providers cite to justify the rises, it is hoped that these savings will be passed back on to the public and business sector.

With the backdrop to a lack of cheap van insurance policies being a doubling in payouts in the last decade, from £7bn to £14bn, it is possible to see where the Justice Minister believes that the rise has come from fraudulent claims and the system allowing it to happen.

The findings of the OFT are expected in December, so let us see if they believe that businesses up and down the country have been charged too much for their van insurance. I think we may already know the answer.