Delivery Van Insurance

Are you looking for cheap insurance, for a delivery van? Then why not invite a whole panel of insurance specialists to get quotes for you?

Why do I need this kind of insurance?

If you deliver any type of goods in the United Kingdom, and (and this is the important bit) get paid for it, you will almost certainly need a class of van insurance called hire and reward cover - sometimes known as courier, or haulage, insurance. This also applies to any other type of vehicle, too, whether you drive a van, a truck, a car, or even a scooter.

Can I get quotes online?

It is possible to get quotes from some van insurance companies which include hire and reward cover, and if you click on the 'Click here for quotes' button you will have the option of getting online quotes, or having specialists send them to you. Not many insurers do offer quotes online though, and those that do can be very picky about just which vehicles, drivers, and types of goods carried, that they are prepared to offer quotes for. It may be worth a try however.

Why don't more insurers offer online quotes for deliveries?

The reason for this is that it is a very complex subject. Insurers base their quotes on the anticipated number of claims that they will have to pay for, and the likely cost of those claims. There is a world of difference in the risk profile of, for instance, a van making single deliveries, each day, of clothing to retail premises, and one delivering multiple hot meals to many different private homes during a single shift, when the driver will feel under pressure to rush in order to get the maximum number of calls completed, before the food goes cold.

Also, there will be far more risk of theft or breakages from a van delivering, say, expensive but fragile pottery, than one carrying fruit and vegetables.

This means that many van insurers either don't offer hire and reward insurance at all, or just offer tailor-made policies, based on exactly what kind of work the driver will be doing, rather than blanket policies covering all kinds of work. The policies usually specify exactly which products can be carried, and this method might be far cheaper than an overall policy covering everything from beefburgers to scrap metal.

What about goods in transit insurance?

This is not a legal requirement (although many main contractors will absolutely insist on it) but it can usually be bundled with a hire and reward policy, which is sometimes a lot cheaper than buying it separately.

Don't tailor-made policies work out expensive?

Not necessarily. If you buy these through a firm of brokers (the way that insurance has been arranged for hundreds of years) the brokerage will usually get a commission from the underwriter (so no extra charge to you) and this is no different from the way in which the big price comparison sites make their money! There is the added advantage however, that when buying through a broker, you have a qualified expert who can not only make sure that you get the right policy, but who can also often search the whole market for your insurance package to help you look for the best value; and in the event of a claim there is someone you can turn to for help if necessary.

Naturally all the insurers on the panel are fully authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, which means that they are obliged to work in your best interests at all times. But then they would anyway 😄

So; why not get quotes now. It will cost you nothing to ask, you will be placed under no obligation whatsoever, and you might be pleasantly surprised at the result!