The issue seems to be adding business use and lots of insurers won't actually insure it (Admiral just quoted £1400 private use only!). I'm only using it to drive between offices a few times a year, not on a daily basis as a builder / carrying anything etc, but work want to see I've got business cover in order to claim mileage.

Are you sure that your insurance company isn't presuming that "business use" means lugging around builder's kit and visiting high risk places such as construction sites?

You aren't actually using it for business. You're using it for commuting (unless I'm missing something here).

If he gets paid ppm by work they'll want to see he's business cover on his insurance.

Keep searching.

Going to a few offices is business use but as I recall there were different classes of business use. Once upon a time it used to cost an extra £16 pa for me but the last time I did it it was free.
Be clear it's you in a suit (give it take) a notebook and a laptop - assuming of course it is.

I use Aviva for my Navara including business use comes in at about £350
Also try Hasting Direct they gave me a good quote for my van.

Cheers for the suggestions. Will try aviva and Hasting direct next.

Yep, I've been clear it's me in a suit with a laptop... Directline seem to include business but of those I've tried so far, they either exclude it or class suit/laptop the same as builders etc.

Aviva = £1,213 plus £28 for legal cover 😯

They did have a "personal business" category though, which included commuting to other offices etc...

Personal business will be the one

Damn that is silly high, bit odd as mine is covered for proper business use i.e equipment and materials to various sites, my mileage is i guess quite low under 12k and my postcode is very good.

I used Adrian Flux for my MK3 Hiluxs. One of which was a Jap import. £400 and £600 iirc.

Private / social domestic and pleasure obvs.

Private / social domestic & pleasure wouldn't cut it - as mentioned earlier, my employer wants to see business use in order for me to claim mileage back on expenses (but the "personal business" category would be fine).

My postcode in Manc isn't the best, but my premiums didn't jump too much when I moved up here from a very good postcode in Berks. Annual mileage I'm looking at is 13k, so again not that high. I just can't figure out what the factor is which is driving up the price so much - there just isn't anything obvious!

Will give adrian flux a try when I get a sec - thanks for the recommendation!

If you swap the pickup for a car on Confused and the like what happens to the premium?

Always worth playing with options.

FWIW When I added (on Confused, not in real life) my 18 y/o onto my car the premium went from £303 to £9900 🙂

Nfu mutual mine is private i suppkse it depends where you live lie bu the big insurers were waaaaay out on pricing

Without meaning to sound harsh, how much would you be expecting to claim back in mileage from driving to the office a few times a year? If that amount is less than the premium increases for adding business use would it be better to insure for private use and forget about reclaiming the mileage.

I had this problem with an L200, used NFU who were great.

[i]If that amount is less than the premium increases for adding business use would it be better to insure for private use and forget about reclaiming the mileage. [/I]

Agree, but feels odd as I've not been charged for business cover for at least 10 years.

windyg - Member
I use Aviva for my Navara including business use comes in at about £350
Also try Hasting Direct they gave me a good quote for my van.

lucky7500 - Member
would it be better to insure for private use and forget about reclaiming the mileage.

Wouldn't work - I need to let business know how I'm travelling (personal car/train/hire car etc) so they would know I was travelling by personal car and expect to see insurance cert regardless of whether I was claiming mileage.

Run down of the charts so far, pop-pickers:
Adrian Flux - £1400-1500
NFU - won't quote as currently only quoting for more rural postcodes!
Aviva - £1,241
Hastings Direct - £1,529
Admiral - £1,410 (no business use covered)
Gladiator - £1,610 (brokers recommended on Navara forum)
2Gether - £1,700 (brokers previously used for commercial 4x4)

Totally perplexed as to what is driving up the premium - no one is able to explain why it's gone up so staggeringly from a 64 plate commercial Defender I was insuring at same address last week!

Ho hum, guess I'll just have to suck it up!!

Wouldn't work - I need to let business know how I'm travelling (personal car/train/hire car etc) so they would know I was travelling by personal car and expect to see insurance cert regardless of whether I was claiming mileage.

[i]Totally perplexed as to what is driving up the premium - no one is able to explain why it's gone up so staggeringly from a 64 plate commercial Defender I was insuring at same address last week![/i]

What was the cost when you just changed the pickup for a car, say Focus of the same age?

Those quotes are horrifying.
Used to use Flint brokers sometimes when insuring commercially. They always seemed to find me a good price.
Can you find a deal that allows you to limit your annual mileage and allocate a certain proportion of business within that? That's what we do now through Hastings.

Might be worth trying a few brokers. Used a broker for my T5. They understood that the van would get modded (windows etc.) and allow any changes except engine work to take place without altering the premium. The comparison sites wouldn't quote for that at all.

Might be one of those instances where internet isn't always best.

Yep, tried brokers (see the quotes above - some of those are from brokers).

Narrowed it down to the postcode. There must be something about the combination of vehicle at the postcode that makes it high risk. Didn't seem a huge hike in premium when I moved here with previous vehicles, but insurers seem to hate pick-ups at this address! I ran the quote for Aviva at my old address in Berkshire - £355 versus £1,241 for Manchester postcode!

'm only using it to drive between offices a few times a year, not on a daily basis as a builder / carrying anything etc, but work want to see I've got business cover in order to claim mileage.

But you're driving a vehicle thats designed for builders to carry things to site. If you're insuring for business use its a fair enough assumption to make that the business its being used for is the work the vehicle is designed for. (I know in reality crew cab pick ups are designed for accountancy loopholes so that small business owner can get the taxman to pay for the school run) But you've bought a commercial vehicle.

Another factor could be the Nissan one - what age is it? Theres quite a lot of them snapping in half 🙂

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But you're driving a vehicle thats designed for builders to carry things to If you're insuring for business use its a fair enough assumption to make that the business its being used for is the work the vehicle is designed for.

As above, that wasn't the thing driving up the premium, it was the postcode (well a combination of this particular vehicle and the postcode - previous vehicles hadn't suffered the same postcode premium).

I'm well aware I bought a commercial vehicle - it wasn't an accident! It's not the first I've owned and doubt it'll be the last. And it's privately registered and VAT paid so no tax / accountancy loopholes used 😉

Another factor could be the Nissan one - what age is it? Theres quite a lot of them snapping in half

Different generation so unrelated.