Introduction to Cheap Commercial Van Insurance UK - unless vehicles are used for pleasure use only they may need to be insured on a Commercial Vehicle Insurance Policy. It is sometimes difficult to obtain a pleasure use only policy covering a van or Commercial Vehicle as the insurer will feel that the vehicle has been purchased with the intention of carrying goods. Basically this is a sound argument, why buy a van if you don’t intent carrying something in the back of it. There are four main types of van insurance uk.

1. Vehicles that carry goods.
2. Vehicles that carry people.
3. Agricultural & Forestry Vehicles.
4. Special Type Vehicles.

Vehicles that Carry Goods - Insurers tend to ask fairly similar types of questions to Private Car Insurance with an additional set of questions to help them decide on a premium. Whereas Private car insurance relies on a Grouping system , commercial vehicle insurance relys on the carrying capacity of the vehicle. The more the vehicle will carry, the more the insurance will usually cost. Some insurers will cover Vans up to 3.5 ton GVW at the same premium and then charge in bands above this rate.  The make and model of the vehicle have little bearing on the amount charged although it is worth pointing out that refrigerated vehicles will usually attract a higher premium. It is also worth remembering that when you buy your commercial vehicle insurance policy, it will not cover the Goods that you carry in the Vehicle. If you are a Tradesman for example, a Builder or Carpenter, you may wish to cover your Tools. It is sometimes possible to obtain Tools cover by extended your Public Liability insurance although be careful with the policy wording as a lot of the time, overnight Theft cover is excluded.If you carry goods for your self or for other people, then the contents of your vehicles can be covered under a Goods in Transit Insurance policy, the premiums for this type of cover are usually dependent on the type of goods being carried coupled with garaging and security arrangement.  There are usually four types of usage of goods carrying vehicles:-

1. Carriage of Own Goods up to 100 miles.
2. Carriage of Own Goods Unlimited
3. Haulage up to 100 miles
4. Unlimited Haualge

The pricing of the insurance does depend on the usage with carriage of own goods being the cheapest. It is usual to arrange Commercial Vehicle Insurance on an Any Licensed Driver basis and some insurers will require drivers under 25 to be excluded unless named. Unlike Private car insurance, Comprehensive Commercial Vehicle Insurance tends to exclude medical expenses, personal accident benefits and contents. Windscreen cover can also be sometimes excluded..  It is not usual to be provided with a courtesy vehicle following a claim thus the requirement for a Legal Expenses policy to claim hiring charges from a Third Party is more important.  If you operate more than three vehicles, it may be worth while enquiring about a fleet policy.  Under fleet insurance, a no claims bonus is not allowable; the insurer will calculate the premium based on the claims experience.

Vehicles that carry people - vehicles that carry people can be insured in a number of ways;

• Private & Public Hire - These are the two main types of insurance, Private Hire policies will allow an operator to carry passengers who have booked the service by telephone or by calling in to an office (This is often referred to as mini cab insurance.
  Public hire will allow the operator to ply for hire on the streets.
  In London the famous “Black” Cab or Hackney carriage is the only type of vehicle that you can hail on the street. They are the only type of vehicle allowed to use the term “Taxi”.If you wish to offer this type of service you will have to obtain an operators licence from your local authority and obtain suitable Private or Public Hire Insurance.

• Mini Bus Insurance - Mini bus insurance is reasonably difficult to obtain as insurers are worried about the number of seats and the possibility of large person injury claims if an accident occurs. This is a much specialised field along with the insurance of buses and coaches.  If you are a sports or social club or school, you may be able to arrange Minibus insurance on a Private basis, providing of course that there is no element of hire & reward involved.

• Agricultural & Forestry Vehicles - This a specialist area and policies are available which will cover the vehicle and can be extended to include Third Party Working Risks.

• Special Type Vehicles - Tend to be vehicles not covered by the above and will include Fork Lift Trucks, Bulldozers, Fire Engines, again, this is a specialist area.