How to insure a van for a temporary period
There are lots of reasons why you might want to insure a van for a temporary period. Perhaps your usual van is off the road and you are using someone else's vehicle for the interim? Or maybe you usually drive a smaller van but need a larger one for a specific one-off purpose?
If your insurance is about to expire but you're planning on selling your van soon, it could work out cheaper to take out a temporary policy rather than renewing your annual policy and then cancelling it after a couple of months.
Sometimes people want temporary van insurance to move house or transport furniture. Whatever your reason, taking out van insurance to cover a temporary period is usually possible.
Do I need short term insurance when borrowing a van?
For those borrowing a friend's van, you should check first that you don't have a 'driving other vehicles' clause in your existing policy.
If the clause is in there, then check with your insurer to find out exactly what's covered and if there are any stipulations. For example, you may not be able to drive certain vehicles, or in certain countries, and you may only be covered for damage to third parties.
If there is no such clause or if the conditions don't suit your needs, you will need to choose one of the following options:
- Add the additional driver to the main policy - this can often be a timely and expensive procedure
- Purchase a short term policy to cover the additional driver for a set amount of time - this shouldn't affect your existing annual policy.
Usually, when you hire a van, insurance is included as part of the cost but if it isn't, you will also need short term van insurance to cover this.
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What do I need to take out a short term van insurance policy?
To get a quote for a temporary policy, you'll need to have ready:
1. The proposed driver's personal details -- name, address, DOB, occupation and an email address
2. The van's details -- the registration plate of the van to be driven
3. The cover period required -- usually anywhere from 1 day to 28 days
4. Details of any extras you might want to include -- e.g. breakdown cover
5. You may also need the driver's driving licence number -- or, if they do not have a UK licence, their passport number.
How do I temporarily add an additional driver to my existing policy?
To add an additional driver to an existing policy, you will need all of the information about the person that insurers usually ask for when taking out a policy.
This could include (but is not limited to) their name, date of birth, driving history (claims & convictions), years licence held for, address, and possibly other information.
You will need to speak to your insurer and ask them to make an adjustment to your existing policy, which normally means being charged an admin fee, as well as a possible increase in policy price.
Currently, you cannot compare short term van insurance with The Van Insurer.
