Commercial Vehicle and Van Insurance

Dial Direct specialise in the insurance of privately owned cars. We also cover for owners of light commercial vehicles and vans.

Commercial use is defined as the use of the vehicle for the transportation of goods or passengers for reward, the hiring out of the vehicle or use of the vehicle for paid driving instruction. Of these, a QuoteMart policy can be arranged to provide cover for the carriage of light goods only. For example this may include carrying goods from a cash and carry to a shop; the delivery of books or printing to a business address; use of the car for delivering pizzas or flowers; and, the use of the car to provide a courier service for documents.

The calculation of premiums for commercial vehicle insurance and van insurance differ quite significantly from those applicable to private car insurance. This is due to the large variety of commercial vehicles on the roads and the increased capacity of these vehicles to cause damage or injury because of their size and weight.

Insurers are less able to use drivers as a premium determining factor in commercial vehicle insurance and van insurance as companies employing drivers generally want a policy that will cover all of them to drive all the company vehicles.

The insurers must instead take into account:

• The loaded weight of the vehicle
• the nature and size of the load carried e.g. Hazardous loads.
• the addition of special equipment e.g. Lifting ramps.
• the goods carried e.g. Is the load the carriage of other people's goods?

Examples of commercial vehicles include:

• heavy goods vehicles and car transporters
• mechanical diggers and excavators
• ambulances and hearses
• mobile shops and canteens, delivery and ice-cream vans
• taxis and hire cars
• buses and coaches