What’s the cheapest van to insure?
As van insurance premiums are calculated on a wide range of factors, there is no simple answer to which particular van is the cheapest to insure.
However, there are some pointers which could help you find a van which is cheaper to insure than you might expect.
- Choose the smallest van you can for your intended use
- Pick a van with the smallest engine size possible for your needs
- If you’re buying a used van, check it hasn’t been modified
- Do a van insurance quote comparison on all the models you are considering before committing to buy
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Size of van
A smaller van is generally cheaper to insure than a larger one. The entry level small panel vans with a fairly low spec are often cheaper than the same model with all of the bells and whistles. This means they’re cheaper to replace and therefore cheaper to insure.
You need a van that is big enough for your intended purposes, but by choosing the smallest and lightest vehicle possible in that category, you stand a good chance of keeping your van insurance costs lower.
By looking at the bestselling small and large vans from July 2017 and then analysing quotes made on The Van Insurer between June and August, we’ve found which of these popular vans are the cheapest to insure.
Cheapest small vans to insure
| Van model | Average premium cost |
|---|---|
| Peugeot Boxer | £605.71 |
| Renault Traffic | £656.89 |
| Volkswagen Transporter | £676.57 |
| Vauxhall Vivaro | £985.67 |
| Ford Transit | £1,193.71 |
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter | £1,392.52 |
Cheapest large vans to insure
| Van model | Average premium cost |
|---|---|
| Renault Traffic | £443.80 |
| Volkswagen Transporter | £755.88 |
| Ford Transit Custom | £907.77 |
| Peugeot Boxer | £926.38 |
| Vauxhall Vivaro | £931.20 |
| Ford Transit | £1,171.90 |
Engine size
Engine size and top speed both influence which insurance group your van belongs to and, as you might expect, smaller engines have lower top speeds and are therefore deemed less likely to be involved in a serious accident by insurers.
A smaller engine, as with cars, often means that insurance premiums are cheaper; as, in the eyes of insurance providers, the less powerful the engine, the less risk of a claim being made.
The last thing that a van driver needs is their vehicle to be underpowered for the tasks they do regularly, so only choose a van with the lowest engine category that can still do the job you need it for.
See how much you can save
Compare van insurance quotes today!
Modifications
A van which has been modified is often more expensive to insure than one which maintains the manufacturer’s original specifications. This is because the insurance policy will have to cover the cost of getting a replacement van to the same state as the original.
Some modifications might not increase van insurance costs, but every insurance provider has their own rules on this, so most second hand van drivers prefer to buy a vehicle with no permanent aftermarket modifications.
Some of the cheapest vans to insure in the UK:
We analysed 3.4 million quotes given by our online portal over a period of three years and broke the results down by van makes to give an average annual van insurance cost*:
| Van model | Average premium cost |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Transporter | £679.66 |
| Citroen Berlingo | £849.99 |
| Renault Trafic | £858.75 |
| Peugeot Partner | £887.63 |
| Vauxhall Vivaro | £907.93 |
| Ford Transit Custom | £1,020.62 |
| Ford Ranger | £1,042.85 |
| Ford Transit Connect | £1,120.52 |
| Ford Transit (all others) | £1,136.81 |
| Ford Transit Courier | £1,252.77 |
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter | £1,419.67 |
