Commercial Van Insurance

Many people rely on a van to keep their business running smoothly and part of this has to be having the correct insurance for your van and the people you might have driving them. When looking at insurance for commercial vans there are things which are very important to consider.

This isn’t just insurance for you, this is insurance for your business and thus, as such, there is a lot more at stake than there is with normal personal insurance.



You need to consider how important your van is to your business (this will help you decide how much you want to pay to insure it). Could you still function if it was stolen? How quickly would you need it repaired and back on the road if there was a problem? Would you need a courtesy van to ensure that your company continued to run smoothly and make a profit? What your vehicle is actually used for will also be important; are you carrying expensive goods which will require special insurance of their own?

Once you’ve started to get your head around these questions you can move on to looking at the different types of insurance which are out there for you and your company. You need to consider the needs of your business and then consider how best to cover these using insurance; what other things, aside from the physical van itself, need to be covered? Clearly if you’re transporting people then you need special insurance for this (see the page on this website about taxi insurance) and the goods you are transporting also need to be considered. Most policies do not automatically include theft in their policies and you may need separate policies to protect your tools and other items related to your business. The things inside the van are just as important as the van itself. Vans which are used to transport hazardous or toxic materials often cause some insurance problems as well. For fairly obvious reasons, some insurance companies are reluctant to insure vans which are used for this type of business and thus specialist cover will likely have to be sought out. If you have cooking equipment in your van which malfunctions and causes damage then this may well not be covered by insurers either. As you can see, it’s quite a convoluted and confused picture and you really need to look in depth at any policy which you have in order to assess whether it is good for your business and what exactly is covered.

Obviously for businesses, keeping costs and overheads down is one of the most important things to consider. Insurance, especially if you have a fleet of vans, is always going to be a big expense and thus people are always looking for ways to keep premiums down. Well, don’t worry, because there are a couple of things you can do in order to keep your premiums down. Make sure your van is secure. Lock it in a garage or a secure yard or car-park and ensure you have an alarm, wheel clamp or similar intruder deterrents. By showing that your vehicle is less likely to be stolen you can help convince your insurer that they are less likely to have to pay out in case of theft and this will thus reduce the premiums you have to pay. Another way in which you can help keep your premiums down is to pay an inflated excess. By paying more at the start, as long as you have the capital to do so, you can keep down your subsequent monthly payments. This doesn’t necessarily save you any money but it is a clever way of spreading out the costs and of relieving the pressure on your business to keep up with monthly payments. The bottom line is, however, that premiums are always likely to be quite expensive; commercial vehicles used in business have to do a lot more than private cars and they are much more likely to need expensive and costly repairs; the insurers are well aware of this and know that the only way to cover themselves is to charge higher premiums.

Commercial vans can be the lifeblood of any business big or small and thus protecting them and the people who drive them is a phenomenally important consideration. The most important thing, however, is not to simply go with the cheapest deal or the one which seems easiest to set up. Different policies will suit different businesses and you need to be meticulous in choosing a policy which is perfect your company. You know best how your company operates and what protections it needs; don’t let insurance companies dictate the terms to you, you are in charge, you can choose what you want.