Maybe you’re moving house or just having a big clear out and you need a van to pile all your belongings in to. Or perhaps your son/daughter is off to university and you need to pack up their bedroom.
Whatever the reason, and whether it's a few days, weeks or months that you require the vehicle for, you will need insurance. But rather than going to the bother of getting a 12 month policy which you’ll need to cancel further down the line, MoneySupermarket can help you get a great deal on a temporary van insurance policy.
Don’t be tempted to go without insurance
Last year saw the introduction of tough continuous insurance enforcement regulations by the government in response to the large number of uninsured drivers. This states that every vehicle must be insured. Therefore you must make sure you are insured as failure to do so could result in a hefty fine, a possible court prosecution.
The only exception to this is if you have declared your vehicle off the road by means of a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) which you can obtain from the DVLA.
Make sure you are vigilant about the number of days you insure the van for. Accidentally getting this wrong could mean you are driving illegally without cover. It’s also important to be aware that some providers will place age restrictions on their policies. Also, you will also only be able to get temporary van insurance if you have a full UK licence.
Advantages of temporary van insurance
The main benefit of taking out temporary van insurance cover is that you avoid having to get a 12 month policy which you’ll only be using in the short term and will then have to cancel later on down the line.
This can leave you substantially out of pocket as providers often impose a penalty fee for customers who cancel their policy early and you’ll only get back a percentage of your remaining cover.
Therefore it is much easier to get a policy that will cover you for a specified period of time.
Drawbacks
You will have to have a full UK licence in order to get temporary van insurance. It’s also important to be aware that some providers will place age restrictions on their policies.
How to get cheap temporary van insurance
Your age, circumstances and length of time you want to insure the vehicle for will all be taken into account when getting temporary van insurance cover, and will affect the cost of your premium.
There are also different levels of cover to choose from which generally fall into three categories and will affect the price you pay. While it may be tempting to go for the cheapest, it could prove to be a false economy if you were to have to put in a claim.
The most basic level of insurance is third party, and the minimum required by law. If you were to be in an accident when driving the van, you would be covered for the cost of any damage caused to the vehicle of the third party or their property and for any injury that they suffered. However, any damage to your van would have to be paid out of your own pocket.
The next level up is third party fire and theft. As well as the above, this would pay out if your car were to fall victim to thieves, or if was involved in a fire. Therefore it gives slightly more protection than basic third party.
Comprehensive temporary van insurance cover will give you the highest level of protection, so that in addition to all of the above, if you were in an accident and your van was damaged, your insurance policy would cover you for the cost of repairs.