Commercial insurance on private van - claim?

Apogee

I have a Fiesta car van which is taxed privately and insured privately. However, it seems to be getting harder each year to get an insurer to quote for private insurance.

A number of them will quote for commercial insurance, but I am skeptical about what would happen in the event of a claim. Does anyone have any experience of making a claim on commercial insurance for a private van?

coylemj

Apogee wrote: »

I have a Fiesta car van which is taxed privately and insured privately. However, it seems to be getting harder each year to get an insurer to quote for private insurance.

Probably because they think you're pulling a fast one and trying to get insurance on the cheap. What I mean is that they are assuming that you are operating a business and the van is used for commercial purposes.

Apogee wrote: »

A number of them will quote for commercial insurance, but I am skeptical about what would happen in the event of a claim. Does anyone have any experience of making a claim on commercial insurance for a private van?

If the commercial cover includes social domestic and pleasure then you have nothing to worry about. If a commercial policy does not normally include SDP then I'd worry about all those vans you see driving around at weekends with wives and kids on board.

You simply have to ask the insurance company giving you a quote for commercial cover: 'does that include social, domestic and pleasure'?

To Elland Back

If you declare you are in a certain trade, you need to be able to back that up.

Bpmull

Afaik fbd will do private insurance on car derived vans so you could try them. Some of the commercial insurance policy's come with sdp on them which effectively covers private use but I don't know the ins and outs of it.

coylemj

To Elland Back wrote: »

If you declare you are in a certain trade, you need to be able to back that up.

I believe the OP's point is that he is not in any trade but the insurance people won't accept that he is using a car/van for private purposes only so he is being forced to take out a commercial policy which hopefully will cover him for trade and private use.

Class 2 (non-sales & not carrying goods or samples) should do the job, normally includes social, domestic and pleasure.

meathstevie

Most insurance companies will insure car derived vans as cars. If you have commercial insurance once S,D & P is on the cert you're grand.

To Elland Back

coylemj wrote: »

I believe the OP's point is that he is not in any trade but the insurance people won't accept that he is using a car/van for private purposes only so he is being forced to take out a commercial policy which hopefully will cover him for trade and private use.

Class 2 (non-sales & not carrying goods or samples) should do the job, normally includes social, domestic and pleasure.

I am well aware of that, I was just issuing caution over what he declares. Your point about covering him for 'trade and private use' needs to be qualified in that you will only have trade cover for 'the business as described in the schedule'. Get that wrong and you are in a bit of bother.

Apogee

coylemj wrote: »

If a commercial policy does not normally include SDP then I'd worry about all those vans you see driving around at weekends with wives and kids on board.

Thanks to all above for replies.

As I mentioned, they are quite happy to quote commercial insurance including social use. But when I press them on what happens in the event of a claim given that I'm not actually a trader, I get a lot of umms and ahhs in response.

Also, what is likely to happen to my NCB? I know that the likes of insuremyvan.ie will transfer private car NCB to a commerical van, but would I lose my NCB if I bought a proper private car in the future? Definitely not bothering with the hassle of a car van next time round.