Van Insurance

Van insurance is a type of motor vehicle insurance that is specifically designed for van drivers. Vans are generally not covered by car insurance policies due to the nature of driving a van and the daily activities carried out.

If you drive a van you must, by law, have the appropriate cover to protect you (and others) from the likes of fire, theft, damage and accident. It doesn’t matter if you use your van for business or pleasure purposes, you must have van insurance.

Like car insurance, van insurance policies are divided into third-party only, third-party fire and theft and comprehensive – the type of insurance you need depends on the required use of the van.

Here at One Call, our van insurance prices start from as little as £177* without sacrificing on cover. Combined with FREE breakdown membership which is included as standard, you know you’re likely to find a great deal.

Your search for a great deal on your van insurance doesn’t have to drive you around the bend. Here are our top tips to consider when searching for a great deal on your van insurance:

1. Plan ahead and buy early – in most circumstances, you could save money if you purchase around 30 days ahead of your renewal.
2. Make sure your details are accurate. Don’t guess as it can have a bearing on the price you pay.
3. Increase your voluntary excess – some customers benefit from lower premiums if they apply a voluntary excess that’s affordable.
4. Protect your no claims – for an additional cost you can protect your no claims in the event of a claim.

The type of van insurance you need will fully depend on the need and purposes of your vehicle and the level of protection you wish to have.

If you wish to protect yourself and your van at the risk of an at-fault accident, you could benefit from a comprehensive level of cover. On the other hand, if you wish to have the bare minimum level of cover required by law, you will need a third-party only level of cover.

At One Call, we only offer comprehensive insurance. However, the great thing about this is that you’ll benefit from the highest level of cover available.

Here at One Call Insurance, we only offer comprehensive cover which is often just as cheap as the alternatives. However, here’s an overview of the different levels of cover provided in the general insurance industry:

Comprehensive

Comprehensive cover, otherwise known as ‘fully comp’, is the highest level of cover available. With this, you will be covered for everything listed under third party fire and theft – plus more.

A comprehensive van insurance policy will cover you for any damages made to your van (as a result of a non-fault claim), as well as medical expenses should you need treatment for an injury caused by a road traffic accident. Comprehensive cover will also offer windscreen cover protection too.

Third-party, fire and theft

With third-party, fire and theft, there would be no cover for your own van if you’re involved in an at-fault incident – this level of cover will only support the third part and their vehicle.

However, third-party, fire and theft will cover the cost of repairs or replacements needed by you if your vehicle is stolen or caught in a fire.

Third-party, only

This is the minimum level of cover you’re required to have to be able to lawfully drive in the UK. It covers the cost of damages and injuries inflicted onto a third party as a result of an accident (the driver of the other vehicle); however, it will not cover the cost of damages or injuries suffered by you. If your van becomes damaged as a result of an at-fault accident, fire or theft, you will not be covered and you will have to cover your financial loss.

If you use your van for business purposes, for example if you manage a construction company or a painting and decorating business, you may be looking to purchase commercial van insurance. Or, if you simply use your van for social, domestic or pleasure purposes, you may be looking for private van insurance cover.

Here at One Call, you’ll receive the same level of cover – regardless of the cover type you’ve chosen. So whether you’re driving for work or leisure, you can sit back and relax knowing you’re fully covered by us no matter what.

If you’re involved in an accident that isn’t your fault, legal cover can help provide protection against financial costs incurred, such as legal fees and losses.

All of our van insurance policies include a basic legal cover as standard – meaning that you will receive free legal advice, access to a 24-hour legal helpline and referral to a solicitor who can act on your behalf in the event of a non-fault claim.

It is a requirement to promptly report all incidents even if you do not wish to claim for your own damage. If you are involved in an incident, or your vehicle is damaged, stolen or vandalised, you will need to call our Claims department on 0203 738 7300.

To ensure we can deal with your claim quickly and effectively, all claims must be reported within 24 hours of becoming aware of the incident, as it may cause difficulties if a claim is reported at a later date.

You must stop if you are involved in any incident. If you own the vehicle, you must give your name, address and insurance details to anyone who has a good reason for asking. This would include authorities and any third parties also involved

If you do not own the vehicle, you must give the owner's name and address and the registration number of the vehicle. Do not apologise or admit fault in any circumstance.

To help is speed up the process of your claim, and contact anyone else that may be involved, please collect the following information in the event of an incident with a third party:

• Full details of the other driver(s)
• Phone Number(s)/ Contact Details
• Any involved registration number(s)

You also need to make a note of injuries caused, witnesses, police officers and report references. We will then provide you with the support and information you will need to get your vehicle back on the road as quickly and safely as possible.

Yes, you can – we’ve partnered up with Safely Insure, to provide flexible, temporary van insurance packed full of benefits like:

• Fully comprehensive cover
• Learner driver cover
• Flexible cover from 1 – 84 day
• Instant cover
• Your No Claims Discount will not be affected
• Option to add European cover

Here at One Call, our van insurance policies cover both commercial and personal use. So, it doesn’t matter whether you drive your van for business or pleasure, you can count on us to provide you with a great deal on your van insurance.

All we will ask you to do is confirm whether you use your van for business use for carriage of own goods, business use for carriage of goods for hire or reward, or business use for haulage. You will see this as an option when you proceed on your journey of purchasing van insurance.

Just like the above, our van insurance policies cover commercial and personal use. So, if the sole purpose of driving your van is for business reasons, that’s fine – but did you know that you’ll be entitled to drive your van for pleasure purposes too?

All we will ask you to do is confirm whether you use your van for social, domestic and pleasure purpose only. You will see this as an option when you get a quote.

Yes, you can. You will no longer be required to carry a ‘green card’ should you wish to drive to Europe. However, it is worth noting that if you do wish to drive your vehicle to Europe, you will not be covered by breakdown under our free product. To be covered for breakdown whilst driving in the EU, please upgrade to our Platinum breakdown membership today.

One of the great benefits of our van insurance policies is that you’ll have the option to add tools protection cover. This will provide you with financial protection should your tools become lost, damaged or stolen whilst in your van.

This will depend on your insurer.

Most of the insurers on our panel will accept no claims discount earned on a car, however this is not applicable to all. If you would like to check this, please speak with us via live chat before you purchase and we will gladly find that out for you.

Yes, we offer comprehensive van insurance for builders.

When getting a quote, you will need to select why you use your van. As a builder, you may wish to opt for business use for carriage of own goods.

You may also wish to consider adding tools protection cover to your policy, as this will provide you with financial protection in the event of your portable hand tools and portable power tools being damaged or stolen. Public liability insurance is also worth considering as it can come in handy, as it offers financial protection if you were to cause damage or injury to a third-party whilst at work.

You should go ahead with van insurance as normal. However, when getting a quote, you will need to select why you use your van. If you offer a man and van service, you may wish to consider business use for hire or reward, or business use for haulage.

You may also wish to consider adding public liability insurance to your policy, as this offers financial protection against third-party items which may become damaged whist in your care.

Yes, we offer comprehensive van insurance for plumbers.

When getting a quote, you will need to select why you use your van. As a plumber, you may wish to consider business use for carriage of own goods.

You may also wish to consider adding tools protection cover to your policy, as this will provide you with financial protection in the event of your portable hands on tools and portable power tools being damaged or stolen.

Public liability insurance is also worth considering as it can come in handy, as it offers financial protection if you were to cause damage or injury to a third-party whist at work.

Insurance providers can choose to be ‘rated’ according to a ‘financial strength score’ which is provided by international rating agencies like Standard and Poor’s 500 index (S&P), Moody’s, Fitch Ratings and AM Best. Essentially, where insurance providers specifically ask to be scored, their rating is awarded according to their financial strength and ability to pay claims. The higher the score, the likelier an insurance provider is to pay out a claim.

An un-rated insurer is one which does not carry a financial strength rating – this is often because they choose not to participate as the rating is expensive to purchase and is not required by law. A rated insurer is one which does carry a financial strength score.

There are a number of benefits of using unrated insurers, the most important being that they’re usually much cheaper and competitive than a rated insurer. Second to this, unrated insurers are more likely to cover personal circumstances that rated insurers will not, such as young drivers or drivers with convictions.

In terms of risk, as an unrated insurance provider has no official risk rating – there may be a chance that their financial strength is weaker than a rated insurer – which could impact their ability to pay claims now and in the future. Although both rated and unrated insurance providers are capable of collapsing, statistically, it is the unrated insurers that present a greater risk of doing so.

Whilst no one can guarantee the financial stability of any insurance provider, rated or unrated, here at One Call we like to offer both rated and unrated insurers on our panel of insurance providers, so that we’re able to cater towards a variety of customer needs and circumstances.

However, please be reassured that we carry out rigorous and regular due-diligence on unrated insurers to monitor their financial strength in every way we can – such as: monitoring complaints data, auditing financial accounts and reviewing solvency and financial condition reports. We also track credit scores and press coverage to give us a full picture of an insurance provider’s financial stability.