What is a private van?

A private van is one that you use for social, domestic and pleasure purposes.

That means it's your every day run-around, your family vehicle, which you use in the same way you would a car -- except with the added bonus of a lot more storage room inside.

It is categorically not a van you use for business purposes and that includes for commuting.

What is private van insurance and who needs it?

In the UK it's a legal requirement to have insurance to drive your vehicle on the road and vans are no different.

Private van insurance is covers you to use your van as a private vehicle, that is, as you would use a family car.

What are the types of private van insurance?

There are three types of private van insurance and they're the same forms of cover that you find for car insurance.

They are:

1. Comprehensive insurance -- As the name suggests comprehensive van insurance is the highest level of cover you can get. It covers the costs of damage to you and your own van as well as third parties and their vehicles.
2. Third Party, Fire and Theft -- The middle level of van insurance covers you for damage or injury caused to third parties, as well as cover if your van is stolen or damaged by fire.
3. Third Party Only -- The lowest legal form of insurance in the UK. Third party insurance covers damage and injury caused by you to other parties.

What if I sometimes use my private van for work?

You cannot use your private van for business purposes, as soon as you do you'll need a commercial van insurance policy and your old private van insurance policy will be invalidated.

Should I auto renew my private van insurance?

If you want to save money, or at least make sure that you're not paying more than you have to, then you should compare quotes when your renewal is due, rather than auto renewing.

Often, motorists pay more to auto renew and could save money by comparing quotes again when their renewal is due.

How can I get cheap private van insurance?

You can get cheap private van insurance quotes by comparing with The Van Insurer.

We compare quotes from some of the UK's leading van insurance providers so you see lots of different private van insurance quotes after completing a single form.