What is courier van insurance?
Courier van insurance can help to cover the cost of the van you’re driving for deliveries in case it’s lost, damaged or stolen or you cause any damage to a third party. It can also help to cover the cost of the goods you’re transporting, should anything happen to them in transit.
This depends on the level of cover you choose.
Courier van insurance is tailored to the insurance needs of drivers carrying out multiple deliveries in one area. This is different to hauliers’ insurance, which offers cover for delivery drivers who tend to make longer journeys to make one or two larger drop-offs.
How does courier van insurance work?
Courier van insurance is made up of several policies. You’d normally have your standard business van insurance policy which can cover the cost of third party vehicles and their property. It may also cover your vehicle, depending on what level of cover you take out.
You’ll need to say you’re planning to use the van for carrying goods – and say what kind of goods – to make sure your van is properly covered for making business delivery trips.
To then cover the cost of the goods you’re transporting, you’ll need goods in transit cover. You may need to take out a separate policy or include it as an add-on to your standard business van insurance.
You may also need to add business insurance covers such as public liability insurance and employers’ liability insurance to your courier van insurance to make sure you’re covered against any claims that could be made against you in your job.
You can normally add these types of cover to your business van insurance policy and goods in transit cover.
What does courier van insurance cover?
Courier van insurance covers you for driving your van when delivering goods for business purposes, and it also offers cover for the goods you’re delivering while they’re in transit.
Courier van insurance
The level of cover you get for your courier van differs depending on the type of business van insurance you choose:
- Comprehensive cover: comprehensive van insurance helps to cover your courier van in case it’s accidentally damaged, whether the damage is caused by you or by another driver. It will also cover the cost of any fire damage to your own vehicle and if your van is stolen. Comprehensive courier van insurance also covers any damage you may cause to other vehicles and other people’s property when you’re driving
- Third party only cover: third party only courier van insurance is the minimum level of cover you need to drive your van and will cover the cost of any damage to another person’s vehicle or property – but not your own
- Third party, fire and theft (TPFT) cover: third party, fire and theft courier van insurance offers the same cover as third party only but also covers damage caused by fire, lightning, self-ignition, explosion, theft or attempted theft
Goods in transit insurance
A goods in transit policy helps to cover the value of the goods or cargo you’re carrying if:
- They’re stolen, damaged or lost in transit
- They may also be covered if they’re stolen, damaged or lost while locked in your courier van overnight
The level of cover offered by each policy provider can differ and the maximum cover value per item and per cargo load can also differ. That means it’s a good idea to read the policy documents in full before taking out cover to make sure you’ll be properly covered.
Your insurance policy may also cover the cost of any claims made for delivery delays.
It’s important to remember that goods in transit won’t offer cover for poorly manufactured goods or any goods damage that’s caused by the items not being packaged properly. It will only cover your goods for anything that happens in van transit.
Do you need courier van insurance?
If you’re providing a courier service and you’re transporting products or documents between a business and a customer in return for a payment then you’ll need courier specific van insurance.
If you need to claim while driving your van for business purposes but you’ve said you’ll only be using your van for social trips then you will not be covered. If caught you will be considered to be driving uninsured. That’s a £300 fixed penalty, six penalty points and your van could be confiscated.
Courier specific van insurance offers tailored cover for the day-to-day miles you do as a courier and the multiple delivery stops you’ll need to make to meet scheduled delivery times.
Your van make and model and engine size will often be larger than a regular car so insurers will see this as higher risk, which means you need to make sure you have the right level of cover.
Goods in transit cover isn’t compulsory, but you will be responsible for any loss, damage or theft that happens to the goods when you’re delivering them between a business and a customer. Insurance can help to make sure you can cover the cost of any claims against you.
Compare courier van insurance quotes
Comparing courier van insurance quotes can help you find the right deal for you. MoneySuperMarket’s van insurance comparison tool finds comprehensive, third party and third party, fire and theft policies for your courier van make and model.
You’ll need to say that you intend to use the van for making deliveries by selecting “Haulage” when asked what you intend to use the van for, and you’ll also need to give an accurate estimate of how many miles you’ll be driving to work each year to make sure you’re properly covered.
You can also tell us about any extra security features your van has and what additional cover features you need so you can see the best deals available on our site.
You’ll then be able to sort your courier van insurance quotes by insurer, annual price and excess fee to compare. Each deal will also say what features are included and what features will need to be added as extras – including courtesy vehicle, breakdown, EU and legal cover.
To add goods in transit cover and professional indemnity insurance to your courier van insurance policy, you’ll need to see if a provider offers this cover as an add-on to your policy or as a separate policy when you click through to their site.