One of the biggest contributory factors for large organisations not getting the cheapest van insurance deals for their fleets of commercial vehicles is when departments are split and each left to look after their own pot.
Okay – if all vehicles are insured in one go, it’s going to be one hefty bill, but in the long term, the savings can mount up. And it is simple mathematics – the more vehicles you insure, the greater the overall savings.
Here are three aspects that can be implemented as the threat of a double-dip recession looms and memories of winters of discontent come pouring back to those who can remember Arthur Scargill being arrested on the picket line just as Thatcher came to prominence.
Firstly, if you have more than one vehicle to insure, most cheap van insurance brokers will suddenly become a whole lot more inexpensive if they can tag another vehicle onto the same policy. And that is not just greed. One of the hardest things in business is to go out and get new customers cold off the street. If you can grow your sales from within, you cut out all sorts of unseen marketing and salesman’s salaries from the equation. The customer is left with not just cheap van insurance, but very cheap van insurance, too – everyone a winner.
Secondly is annual cover, compared to short term. It is tempting, especially as we watch the pennies, to think of the month’s target figures and only pay for what you have to. But this is false economy, in the long term. If you obtain cover for a twelve month period, it not only delivers cheapest van insurance possible for the term, but saves you the hassle of keep renewing your 28-day cover every month.
Right at the top of the pile, high on the B2B list of corporate objectives, is group insurance. Many of the larger commercial vehicle insurance providers will be only too happy to provide an umbrella for all of your company’s cars, including the saloons and executive models for the field sales agents and management. At this highest level, if you can incorporate all of your fleet into one rolling policy you are looking at saving hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, annually. If your organisation has the money in the pot, that really is the most effective way to go to ensure not only your cars are covered inexpensively, but also provide very cheap van insurance, too.
Author: News Desk
Van drivers – a breed of their own
We’ve all heard the infamous tales of the white van man. Travelling at break neck speeds in urbanised areas and thinking the 70mph speed limit is just something you have to hit in third gear. Heaven knows how they get on looking for cheap van insurance, with that stigma attached to their breed.
One thing you can’t say they lack, other than the perceived ignorance of UK speed limits, is passion. And that theory has just been backed by research conducted by one of the van insurance industry’s big boys, Swinton.
The survey unearthed aspects of the UK van driver that, until now, had been part of urban folklore, and nothing more. The key factor – and this will come as no surprise to commercial vehicle insurance providers within the industry – is that over half of them prefer their van to their domestic vehicle. That’s right – 53% of them would rather bomb about at the weekend in their van than their private car.
Other than the added mileage clocked up, this does have other implications, especially if the van drivers believe that their cheap van insurance stretches to their car, or vice versa. Very often, one policy for domestic use does not convey legal entitlement to drive their van.
The reasons for the preferences, and the uses that some drivers put their vans to, are quite surprising.
The main justification drivers gave for these preferences was that driving the van commanded more authority on the road. You can see where this is going, already.
There was a safety aspect, too, and that was the commercial vehicle often offers greater visibility to the road, ahead.
Third on the list was purely the space issue – what that space is used for, as almost 20% said they’d used their van on a first date, I’ll leave up to your imagination.
Fourth – and one that perhaps has the greatest implications when looking for very cheap van insurance in the future – is that collatoral damage, such as scratches, graizes and bumps, is almost expected on the van in the industrial workplace, whereas the value to a private car, financially and socially, would be harder to accept. Especially if they were looking to keep the no claims bonus in tact on the domestic vehicle.
And fifth on the list is reputation – van drivers quite like the ideology of being known as ‘the man with the van’.
In addition, the survey also revealed that one third ran errands for family and friends outside of work, which may or may not contribute to the fact that over half of the van drivers polled spent up to 65 hours a week behind the wheel of their commercial vehicle.
For those amounts of hours spent on the road, whatever the cost of the policy, it would be considered very cheap van insurance for the value of cover over driving time.
So, next time you see that man in the van, just don’t go looking him directly in the eyes – you may be scared of what lies beyond….
Cheap van insurance guide – part five
In the penultimate article in our guide to delivering you the tactics with which to arm yourself in the search for the cheapest possible van insurance, we’re going to look at two aspects that van insurance providers often do not declare.
One can save you money from the outset and the other can cost you in the long run, if you incorrectly assume that your van insurance policy covers each and every eventuality that driving can bring and don’t check the small print of your policy.
The first aspect is something that you will only get offered once, when taking out van cover with a new broker. And this is an introductory offer.
In order to entice you to move, insurance companies are very aware of how much van drivers cherish their no claims bonus, thus amend their offer; but only if they have to. The amount of reduction usually reflects the discount you would expect to receive for the period which you have been driving without making a claim under your existing van insurance policy.
personalised van insurance worth the extra expense
The second aspect is personal to you, as the business owner. Irrespective of price, not all van insurance policies are created equally.
You may well think that paying more for your commercial vehicle cover guarantees the highest level of cover, but that is simply not the case. You may find that a very cheap van insurance policy suits your requirements more adequately, especially if you trade only locally or the costs of your tools are negligible.
There is no guarantee that every aspect of your transport requirements will be covered by basic van insurance, so it is up to you to check the small print – painful, but there is absolutely no other way. It is, after all, your livelihood that may be at stake if you have to shell out for expenses that your policy does not cover.
If you check the intricacies and they do not suit your business needs, most van insurance providers will offer you specific add-ons to complete the cover – these are normally found under the heading ‘ancillary items’.
It can grate, to pay more than you think you have to, but a cheap van insurance policy can prove worthless if you expose yourself to elements that you know you may encounter in your day-to-day business.
Build your van insurance policy to suit your business and it will justify the expense.
Cheap van insurance guide – part six
The final part of our guide to bringing you the cheapest possible van insurance to ensure that you have appropriate cover for your business looks at the ancillary items mentioned in part five.
These are items that may not be covered in the basics of a van insurance policy but, for a small amount extra, you can fortify your cover to provide you, your business and your livelihood with components that protect you in most eventualities.
One of the aspects overlooked by many when looking for cheap van insurance is the legal expense that follows a road traffic incident. Policies may cover for third party fire and theft, where a third party will be paid if you are at fault but what happens when it is the third party at fault?
If you are not to blame for the incident, you will need to be able to lean on your van insurance policy to reclaim the costs that you have incurred getting you back on the road in the swiftest manner possible. Unlike domestic vehicle insurance your van is your livelihood – the more time you are without it, theoretically, the more money you stand to lose.
As such, you need to check that your van insurance covers you for:
• all costs incurred in the reparation of your van are claimable
• earnings lost due to the inability to work following an accident
• actual injuries to yourself and those travelling with you
• damage to your belongings, which can include electronic devices and clothing
• if you claim on your policy for repairs, you will have paid the excess – it is possible to claim this back, too
In the event of a roadside breakdown, due to an accident at the hands of a third party, you will want to be on your way (if you are able) in the shortest possible time. If you have suffered mechanical or telematics malfunction and are immobilised as a result, you can insure yourself in varying increments to get you on the way, again.
This can be from roadside rescue alone to a whole package that rescues you, your vehicle, takes you home and provides transport so that you can continue on your way immediately until your own vehicle is returned, repaired.
Obviously, the more of those stages you insure against the price will rise, accordingly.
Additionally, if your business transport incorporates an attachment like a trailer or takes you to the continent, you can arrange rescue in those instances, too. Again, these are ancillaries that you only need add on if it is likely you are going to need them.
So there we have it – a six-part overview to help you tailor your van insurance to your business needs. It is only a guide, but should help you achieve the cheapest possible van insurance for your business by filtering those components out that you don’t need, but ensuring that you incorporate everything that you do.
VW & HUTC look to 2013 to implement cost-saving measures
Here at cheapvaninsurance.co.uk, we’re all for saving both commercial and domestic van users money on their van insurance. Our comparison facility offers a gateway to some of the best cover providers in the UK van insurance market, based on searches that I, as merely the writer of the news bulletins, lose interest in as soon as they say algorith…
…see, lost it already.
But what does make me sit up and take note is when one of the big boys makes an announcement about saving UK van drivers money. Especially with measures that not only are cost effective in the long term, but can also lead to improvements in the efficiency of anyone’s business.
If that means the guys who bring my wages around in a transit every Friday get here a little swifter (yeah, right?!?!), then great – I’m all for that.
However, the sort of white paper Volkswagen have just released bears no picture of the queen, and is certainly not heading my way.
Indirectly, the announcement has little to do with cheaper van insurance, per se, but that actuality could be achieved if the stepping stones thar Alastair Hemmings mentions in his report are followed. As Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles UK national fleet manager, he must know a thing or two on the subject.
From his position, he can see the opportunities businesses of all sizes are missing out on with the technology currently being built into the vans and technology off-site that can integrate fleet management into your business seamlessly. The intellect that goes into some of these projects, collectively known in the trade as telematics (integration of technology and data, to you and I) presents business owners alternative ways of cutting costs, other than looking at operating procedures, shopping for lower fuel deals and comparing the market for very cheap van insurance, every now and again.
To be fair to the consumer, when addressing the white paper the information can be said to be biased towards VW, but you have to take that as read. But owners of commercial vehicles of every make and model can truly benefit from advanced technology that seems to be moving forward in leaps and bounds every week, not like in years gone by when we had to wait for the motor show to see how the market was going to live with the change in the seat-belt law, or other such headliners of the day.
Moving forward, VW would like to see UK Van drivers, of which there are 3,000,000 registered, “utilise fleets more effectively and…implement simple measures to cut operating and whole-life costs.”
Combine this strategy with the announcement from Volkswagen US on the same matter, “the companies [they and HUTC, telematics partner, 2013 onwards] will bring to market a suite of connected services for safety and security, convenience, and diagnostics, while offering drivers a new level of service and accessibility.” and you can see that automotive manufacturers still are not convinced that the global recession is in decline.
When the big boys are going out of their way to help their global customer base, existing and targetted, cut costs to this extent, you just get the feeling that the worst is yet to come…
…the upshot is, though, that if safety is being taken to the next level, it should have a positive effect on your van insurance renewal premium; from 2013, onwards, of course.
Prepare your van for winter
Be prepared for a lot more vans on the road over the coming month.
That’s the message from those in the know in the retail sector at any rate. With more vans comes the need for more van insurance policies, so, as well as a visible increase in activity on the roads, as shoppers order their gifts online across the UK over the internet, there will be much online van insurance processing as demand is expected to exceed deliverability in the run up to Christmas.
A report from UK courier company Hermes UK on the way that Volkswagen are integrating telematics into with a new partner from 2013 hints that there are already 3,000,000 vans on UK roads, with the likelihood of more being employed as we approach December.
It seems that anyone with a van may be able to pick up extra work as a further report by Eptica Christmas 2011 Retail Experience Study suggests that 46% of UK shoppers intend to order gifts for delivery in the week leading up to the end of year celebrations. However, if you are tempted to explore this avenue of extra income, make sure that you have up to date van insurance – with so much extra congestion, there are likely to be more incidents, meaning more claims.
The last thing you want, if you’re looking to earn a bit of spare cash for Christmas, is to be shelling out simply because you didn’t take a van insurance policy. In most instances, the cover you have for your domestic vehicle does not stretch to a commercial one.
But, don’t fret; unlike car insurance, which is usually an annual policy, when looking for very cheap van insurance, most brokers offer short-term or 28-day cover. Many people take out this type of commercial vehicle cover when moving home, so the brokers can accommodate you if you are looking to pick up a few extra hours this yuletide.
In order to stay safer, one internet insurer hinted at a couple of precautions UK van drivers can take. Even though we have had a dry, mild autumn, icier roads are expected for the third successive year. Two of the main problems in these conditions are insufficient tread and poor visibility. With those factors in mind, and to reduce the amount of van insurance claims come winter, a spokesman for the firm reminded van drivers to fit seasonal tyres and to ensure that windscreen wiper fluid contains anti-freeze, as well as your radiators. Just those two advance preparations will reduce your chances of having to claim against your van insurance considerably, whether you are a regular van driver or purely seasonal.
Whatever the cost issue, the underlying message is, as always, stay safe on the road this year, and ‘winterproof’ your van!
Cheap van insurance guide – part four
It’s true enough to say that we don’t very often prise much from the claws of insurance brokers. Ever seen a poor one? Didn’t think so. That’s why it’s imperative to get the cheapest possible van insurance from the outset.
Even when you do make a successful claim, you often walk away feeling as if you have had to justify your very existence, not just be recompensed for that which you have paid you dues, by way of premium instalments, in advance.
One of the reasons we do begrudge making a claim, which does have a massive bearing when looking to renew and get cheap van insurance, is that by going through your insurance broker to resolve a motoring incident with your commercial vehicle you will negate your no claims bonus.
It matters not if you were completely innocent, nor what the size of the payout was (for which you may have had to pay the excess). The fact that the insurance firm has paid out on your policy will strike out any opportunity of getting a reduction on your renewal, when it is time to do so.
That is why so many people, especially if they have only incorporated the compulsory excess, who are involved in minor incidents where a repair or replacement of goods damaged will amount to less than the excess and/or subsequent costs, will often prefer to settle any differences in cash.
No claims bonuses can differ from provider to provider, but the ethos that affects your search for cheap van insurance is pretty similar throughout the industry.
A ‘no claims bonus’ will be discounted from your renewal if you have made no claims during the period of the previous or existing policy. Most van insurers will increment the discount relative to consequent years in which you have not made a claim. The percentage off the full premium can go as high as 60% for long-term driving without (claimable) incident. Once you reach that maximum discount, many brokers will give you the option to protect that amount (for a small increase in your premium), year on year. Without this protection, the no claims will become invalid after a gap of two years. In the search for very cheap van insurance, consistent safe and incident-free driving is one of the largest single factors to be taken into consideration.
If you are an existing customer with an insurance firm for your domestic vehicle, you may be able to factor any no claims on that policy into your van insurance policy; however, this rule may differ from broker to broker. It is always worth asking as a provider who assumes your loyalty may not point this fact out up front, without prompting.
Steering towards cheaper van insurance
In our S.I.L.V.E.R. series, we are looking at elements that you can affect in your search for cheap van insurance. Age, gender, even location of your business are static factors that have a bearing on the cost of your premium that you cannot change. however, there are security and pre-emptive measures that are looked favourably upon by brokers that are cost effective, simple to implement and can knock pounds off van insurance quotes.
Today, we are looking at the S, which, in our case, is for steering lock; whether that is a simple column lock or more advanced wheel lock, both are effective deterrents to any would-be van thief. These are additional devices to the steering lock, which was introduced in the late sixties as an integral part of the steering column. They can be disengaged by either ignition key or electronics and software, depending upon the age of the van. This component on its own has no affect on obtaining cheap van insurance quotes, as all makes and models have one type, or another.
steering locks good starting point when driving down the cost of your van insurance
If you are starting out in business and cannot afford to stretch to full immobiliser installation, then these are a good starting point if you’re searching for cheap van insurance for young drivers.
The steering column lock is a device which enshrouds the column in a casing which, by design, provides a barrier between thief and ignition switch. The steering wheel lock is simply a progression from that device, with an additional bar that slips through the steering wheel to prevent the wheel turning, even if the column lock is breached.
Neither could be described as an achievement in finesse and, at first, they can be cumbersome and take some getting used to to engage every time you get in and out of the car. The fact that they are bulky and extremely visible (often painted a luminous colour) can work to the van owner’s advantage. Just the sight of one through the windshield can be enough to put off the casual car thief.
Of course, the less often your van is attacked, the longer your no claims bonus will remain in tact, helping you achieve very cheap van insurance in the long term. For the investment, they will pay for themselves over time and they are a good starting point when it comes to proving to your broker that you are serious about driving down the cost of your commercial vehicle cover.
Van insurance factors beyond your control – part 1
When it comes to obtaining cheap van insurance quotes, there are things you can do to increase your bargaining power with your chosen broker, and there are things you can’t.
The factors that you can incorporate into your business, or apply directly to your commercial vehicle, to help drive down the cost of your van insurance renewal quote we are covering in S.I.L.V.E.R. series. These are the cost-effective, security conscious features such as fitting immobilisers, locking your van away in a secured area, having a steering lock to hand and being able to track your vehicle.
All are simple one-step processes that show your broker that you are serious about safety, have evaluated recommendations and are working with them to drive down the cost of your van insurance.
Aside from those factors, there are elements that will affect the price of your premium that you can do nothing about, but it doesn’t do any harm to be aware of what they are. If nothing else, it will save you the embarrassment of actually fainting when next you come to renew your commercial vehicle insurance.
First and foremost is your age. At seventeen, you may consider yourself to be the safest driver on the road. Fresh from passing your test, free of habits that can creep into your driving over time and with the latest driver’s theory exam question still clattering around your skull, you may think that to be penalised in this way is a tad unjust.
There are policies tailored towards this scenario, but finding cheap van insurance for young drivers can be an uphill slog. The only way to ensure you are not being totally ripped-off if this is a concern is by comparing van insurance policies and filtering out those that stretch your budget too far. If you are under 25, be prepared.
And, like everything in life, size matters. All other factors being equal, the general rule of thumb is that the bigger the van, the higher the premium. Not only can a larger van carry more cargo, but also insurance brokers see them as more cumbersome to handle. Hence, the smaller your van is, the better the chance you have of picking up cheaper van insurance.
Van insurance factors beyond your control – part 2
Cheap van insurance policies are not a thing of urban myth. If you are armed with the right information and know where to look, even very cheap van insurance is within your grasp. In our S.I.L.V.E.R. series, we are looking at that the aspects of your commercial vehicle fleet which you control that will help you drive down the cost of your van insurance.
In this mini-series (part one here) we are looking at the factors over which you can do little or nothing about, but know what to look out for and how those elements affect the price of your policy. In part one we looked at age and size.
In part two, we will conclude this overview with a few of the less-obvious factors, but nonetheless will play a part in obtaining an accurate, if not cheap, van insurance quote.
Cheap van insurance for women does exist and is more catered for now than it ever has been. However, it is not so cut and dried as female car insurance. Everyone knows that the fairer sex often get better deals on car insurance than their Neanderthal counterparts. Brokers see women as more attentive, less likely to travel long distances and, if they do have an accident, it is more likely to be a bump than a write-off. All of these factors count towards reducing the domestic vehicle premium. Even though the same can be said of all of those factors when it comes to driving commercially, the difference, if any, is less noticeable when obtaining van insurance quotes for women.
The type of load you envisage transporting may have an impact on your van insurance premium, too, depending upon the type of cover you opt for. If you are going for third party (with or without fire and theft), the load is unlikely to be insured, in any case. However, for fully comp van insurance quotes, if your cargo is likely to be ‘precious’, you may find your quote more expensive.
Location, too, places a role in deciding your final premium. Not only where you’re based, but where you’re likely to roam. If you are living in an area with a propensity to little crime, then you stand more chance of obtaining the cheapest possible van insurance than your counterpart who lives or works in a high crime-rate region.
Also, if your job takes you abroad, you can expect to pay a reflective amount to cover this, although this option often comes as an extra, or bolt-on to the main policy.
There we have it; you may not be able to change them, and you certainly won’t like them if they mean a higher premium, but if your policy seems a little steep, just remember to check all of the details in this mini-series and make sure your broker has got the information right.
