If you are looking to borrow your friend’s van, it is vital that you take out the sufficient level of temporary insurance cover.
By doing so, you can ensure total peace of mind for you as the driver of the van, as well as ensuring the van owner’s no claims is at no risk.
The good news is yes, you can get insured on a friend’s van in the UK. Here’s everything you need to know to get your temporary van insurance sorted.
What is Temporary Van Insurance?
Temporary van insurance, also known as short-term van insurance, provides coverage on a van for a brief period of time.
Insurers such as GoShorty offer temporary van insurance for between 1 hour to 28 days, offering flexibility for coverage to perform activities such as moving house or taking large items to the dump.
One major benefit of temporary van insurance coverage is that policies can be arranged in a short period of time, in as little as two minutes. This immediate coverage is useful for situations where you need insurance on short notice.
How expensive is temporary van insurance?
Compared to annual policies, temporary van insurance is often a more cost-effective solution, with some daily coverage starting from under £20.
To get the cheapest temporary van insurance policy, make sure to use a comparison site like Pricepoint Compare!
Do you need to be insured on a friend’s van?
If you intend to drive a van on the road, you must have a sufficient level of cover to insure you driving that vehicle.
The minimum insurance level required in the UK is third-party liability, which will cover the damage to other people’s property and potential injury to others.
If you are borrowing a friend’s van, then chances are you want to minimise their risk. To do so, fully comprehensive policies will provide the most complete financial protection should the worst happen to the vehicle whilst you are borrowing it.
Temporary Van Insurance vs Named Driver
Taking out a short-term van insurance policy and being added as a named driver are two different approaches to securing insurance coverage for a van.
Both approaches have their own considerations and advantages, and neither are necessarily more cost-effective and suitable than the other; that depends on the circumstances of you and the van owner.
Temporary van insurance provides greater flexibility in terms of duration of coverage, as being added as a named driver typically involves being added to the annual insurance policy.
Being added as a named driver is typically suited for individuals who regularly use the van over an extended period of time, whereas temporary van insurance is perfect for those only using the vehicle in the short-term.
Short-term temporary policies are also typically quicker and easier to coordinate compared to being added as a named driver.
You can get a temporary van insurance quote online from providers such as GoShorty in as little as two minutes!
Deciding between taking out temporary van insurance or being added as a named driver often depends on the frequency of the van usage, and whether you would prioritise the need for immediate coverage or whether you need continuous coverage.
Can you protect the van owner’s no claims when borrowing the vehicle?
By opting for temporary van insurance, you can ensure that any claims made during the short-term temporary coverage do not affect the no-claims of the van owner’s policy.
This can help to give total peace of mind to the van owner before they allow you to borrow their vehicle.
If you are added as a named driver on their insurance instead, then a claim you make could impact their no-claims bonus and therefore the premium of the primary policyholder and owner of the van.
Does my insurance policy allow me to drive other vehicles?
A common misconception with UK car insurance is that comprehensive car insurance will cover you to drive other vehicles.
Whilst some comprehensive car insurance policies do include ‘doc cover’, which stands for drive other cars cover, this is not a standard policy that will feature in every policy.
Even if your policy does include doc cover, this coverage on other vehicles will likely be third party only. This third party coverage would only cover you for:
- Property damage
- Damage to another vehicle
- Injuring another pedestrian, driver or passenger
Third party insurance does not cover the costs of the vehicle you are driving or any medical costs you incur if you are injured in an accident.
Introducing GoShorty temporary van insurance
We have partnered up with GoShorty to offer temporary van insurance to drivers in the UK!
If you are looking to borrow a van for between 1 hour and 28 days, this short term cover is perfect for you. GoShorty’s short term cover provides:
- Fully-comprehensive cover, ensuring you and the vehicle are fully insured in the event of an accident
- 1 hour to 28 day flexible cover
- Low voluntary and compulsory excess
- Provides short term van insurance for drivers aged between 20 and 75
- Maximum van value up to £65,000
- Protects the van owner’s No Claims Discount
Get a temporary van insurance in less than two minutes using GetShorty!