What business van insurance do I need?

Courier Insurance

If you are transporting multiple goods for multiple paying customers in one journey, you will need courier insurance. Regular car or van insurance won’t cover these circumstances because as a courier you’re using your vehicle to make a living and regularly delivering goods for paying customers.

Is Courier Insurance Cheap?

Couriers can be perceived as being a higher risk on the roads simply because they‘re driving more frequently than most motorists and are therefore statistically more likely to be involved in an incident.

The minimum cover you can get as a courier is third-party, which protects others that may get caught up in an incident. This is usually the cheapest van insurance you can get, but it does mean you aren’t covered for as much.

What other business van insurance do you need?

If you own a courier business, it is a legal requirement to have employers’ liability insurance too, available through our sister trading style Brightside. Employers’ liability insurance protects your business against any compensation that may need to be paid in the event of injury or a work-related illness. For example, if one of your couriers sustains an injury whilst working, they may claim compensation. Having employers’ liability insurance ensures that any compensation paid out to the courier will be covered.

You will also need small business van insurance to protect your business from unforeseen circumstances that may force you to park up your catering van for a little while.

Types of business van insurance

We all need vehicle insurance to legally be able to drive. Vehicle insurance ensures you and your business van are financially protected if an incident occurs, such as an accident or theft. It also protects you against any damage that might be caused to other people and their property. The different levels available to those seeking business van insurance are:

• Third Party Only: Third Party Only covers damage caused to other people, which could be the public or other workers. Anything that happens to yourself or your vehicle is not protected, and you will be solely responsible.
• Third Party, Fire and Theft (TPFT): Third Party, Fire and Theft insurance cover protects other people and yourself in the event of your van getting stolen or catching fire.
• Fully Comprehensive: Fully Comprehensive insurance covers all the above, plus any damages that occur to your van in an accident or any other incident.

For further information on types of vehicle insurance, see our sister trading style Brightside’s guide to vehicle insurance on their site.

Do I need public liability for my business van?

You will not need public liability insurance if you are running a courier business from your van. However, if your business is a catering van business and you are interacting and selling your food to the public, you will want to be protected from any mishaps that may happen while you're working. As such, public liability insurance for catering vans is a must. For more information on our catering van insurance, see our dedicated Catering Van Insurance page.

Public Liability is not designed to cover your own property or injury to yourself – only third parties. So, if you have employees working for your catering company, or members of the public buying from your catering van, you and your business will be protected from any claims that may be made against you by these third parties.

Our Public Liability package also extends to cover Employers Liability Insurance, which is a legal requirement for any catering business that has employees, such as food trucks.

Learn more about our Public Liability add-on here >

If you don't already have public liability and/or SME insurance, our parent company Brightside can help connect you with UK insurers who can assist you in finding the right public liability insurance for your specific business’s needs.

Visit Brightside’s Public Liability page to find the right fit for you >

Why choose CVD for business van insurance?

Here at Commercial Vehicle Direct, we know that finding suitable and cheap business van insurance for your specific circumstances isn’t always straightforward. That’s why we have a specially trained team of experts ready to give you a competitive commercial van insurance quote by seeking to understand your individual needs first and tailoring your quote to them.

We are a specialist van insurance broker with access to a wide panel of insurers to compare van insurance quotes from. Our UK based expert call centre can offer you competitive prices for an extensive range of cheap business van insurance policies including optional extras such as RAC Breakdown cover, Excess Protection and Replacement Vehicle cover.

Give us a call today for your business van insurance quote and see how much you can save.