While there are some obvious similarities between both van and car insurance, there are also a number of differences which set them apart from each other and it is these differences that have an impact on your cover and the costs involved. Vans are used for a huge variety of jobs that no other vehicle can perform and they also come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. It is all of these variations that have a significant impact on the kind of commercial vehicle insurance required.
When insuring a car there will not be any need for insuring the contents of the vehicle. However, any firm that has a van full of tools, expensive equipment or packages for delivery, will need it all to be covered against accidental damage and theft.
A commercial van’s usage will also be different from a cars, quite often they will be the regular choice for couriers, labourers, and very popular with delivery drivers. This means that the insurance quote will have to take much more into account when it is being calculated by any insurance company.
Specialist Courier Policies
For instance some delivery drivers will cover thousands of miles each and every month as they make deliveries throughout the country. The increased mileage means there is a greater risk of damage being caused, which means a claim on the insurance policy. Insurance companies take all of this into account when they calculate a quote for commercial vehicle insurance.
Named Driver Policies
It can be a very complex job working out van insurance, this is because there will probably be more than one driver covered, and depending on the type of business, the contents will be of vastly varying values. Each of these will come with an added risk which means an added cost. This is a major difference from a standard car insurance policy. Another reason it can often be more complicated sorting out a policy for a van is that a van can travel great distances in a day and the insurance will have to take into account that it could be left at any number of depots throughout the country.
Insurance Groups
When buying car insurance all insurers require information regarding the size of the engine, model and any modifications made to the car. However, when it comes to commercial vans, there are all kinds of shapes and sizes to take into account as well as the capacity, which can vary wildly and all of this will have an impact on the value of the van and the quote.
So yes there are some similarities, but also plenty of aspects that ensure commercial van insurance and car insurance are different.