Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 45 total)
  • Van insurance – am I screwed?
  • padkinson
    Free Member

    I might be worrying about this a bit prematurely (I haven’t passed my test yet, it’s in 2 weeks), but I’m looking to get insurance for my family’s camper. The problem is, I’m 19 with no driving experience (not strictly true, I’ve been learning and doing plenty of driving for the past 4 months, but as far as the insurers are concerned I’m utterly clueless). It’s not a particularly fast van (2013 VW T5, 1968cc), but I guess the issue is the value.
    The comparison websites have basically laughed in my face and provided a number for a specialist insurer, which I’m imagining will require the sale of some organs.
    So, any tips/experience with this sort of thing? I kind of need the van for the summer, is this a realistic thing to hope for or am I screwed?
    It’s worth mentioning that the vehicle type hasn’t been changed on the V5 since the conversion, would this make a difference (positive or negative) to the price?

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    YOu are screwed

    You will have to pay through the nose for any insurance and I woudl not be letting anyone that age near any vehicle that size as the ideal “just passed my test vehicle”

    Insurance for young males is very expensive for a reason 1 in 3 of you crash in the first 12 months and 1 in 10 of you right of at least one vehicle- figures are not up to date but I doubt it has changed. The issue is not so much the value of the vehicle its how much damage you can do with it to others.

    Essentially no one really wants to insure you.
    We were all there once.
    I got a motorbike.

    sharkattack
    Full Member

    The comparison websites…

    There’s your first problem.

    Ring a specialist like Brentacre. It’s an actual office with humans in that you can explain your requirements to. They might just sort you out.

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    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    When you say its ‘your family’s camper’ presumably the van is already used insured by the owner? So you’d just need to be a named driver on that policy, not a policy in your own name. – Or is that what you’re trying to do?

    It’s worth mentioning that the vehicle type hasn’t been changed on the V5 since the conversion, would this make a difference (positive or negative) to the price?

    It would make a difference as to whether or not the insurance is valid, regardless of what you pay.

    Del
    Full Member

    you could try direct line. i get competitive rates off them for a van, but as above, you’re high risk.
    value of the vehicle i imagine means you also want fully comp?
    if it’s any consolation, a 1.05vw polo was ~ £750 fully comp if i took it for my first car, over 20 years ago.

    the-muffin-man
    Full Member

    When you say its ‘your family’s camper’ presumably the van is already used insured by the owner? So you’d just need to be a named driver on that policy, not a policy in your own name.

    ^ What he said!

    If it’s already the family camper you just need to get your name added to the current insurance. You don’t need to insure it again in your own name – which you can’t do anyway, as you can’t insure the same vehicle twice.

    And all modifications should be notified to your insurance company. And conversion to a camper is a pretty major modification.

    tomd
    Free Member

    To give you an idea I insured a similar van for £1200 a year in my late 20s with a few years Nc. That has dropped by 80% now I’m a bit older. I would expect it to be astronomical for you.

    Young male drivers and big vehicles are v high risk unfortunately.

    Sundayjumper
    Full Member

    IIRC insuring my 2CV in 1991 was ~£600. Seems bonkers now, but it’s part of being a dangerous young driver. 25 years later I insure three cars for about that figure even without adjusting for inflation. One of the few perks of being old.

    FWIW I waited until I was 20 before writing off a car.

    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    It’s worth mentioning that the vehicle type hasn’t been changed on the V5 since the conversion, would this make a difference (positive or negative) to the price?

    You need to get that changed before it goes on the road, if you don’t it wont be legal, and therefore any insurance would be invalid.

    Who owns the van?

    A van as a first car is going to be silly silly money. If its your parents van, just get them to add you to their insurance.

    padkinson
    Free Member

    If it’s already the family camper you just need to get your name added to the current insurance. You don’t need to insure it again in your own name – which you can’t do anyway, as you can’t insure the same vehicle twice.

    The current insurers won’t do that, so we’d have to switch to a different insurer with 6 months left on the current policy. Although I suppose that might work out cheaper than taking out my own policy.

    And all modifications should be notified to your insurance company. And conversion to a camper is a pretty major modification.

    I think they must know, as we bought is with the conversion from a professional company a couple of years back. It’s just that when I entered the registration on the comparison websites, the details given were just for the van, and made no mention of the conversion.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    as above, relatively powerful, large, expensive vehicle that’s wrongly recorded on the V5 and a brand new driver intent on a summer road trip with their mates.

    Why on earth would insurers see that in any way as a high risk…

    padkinson
    Free Member

    You need to get that changed before it goes on the road, if you don’t it wont be legal, and therefore any insurance would be invalid.

    Who owns the van?

    It’s definitely all legal, so I suppose the V5 must have been changed, but it seems that the insurance companies don’t take the conversion into account and are looking on it as just a van.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    You can’t have two policies running for the same vehicle.

    Pick up your phone and speak to some real human beings.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    insurance companies don’t take the conversion into account and are looking on it as just a van

    They do and they won’t be.

    the conversion changes their risk.

    padkinson
    Free Member

    A van as a first car is going to be silly silly money. If its your parents van, just get them to add you to their insurance.

    I do have another small car with the insurance all sorted, it just seems stupid to cram into that for races when I could be using the camper.

    as above, relatively powerful, large, expensive vehicle that’s wrongly recorded on the V5 and a brand new driver intent on a summer road trip with their mates.

    Why on earth would insurers see that in any way as a high risk…

    I’ve investigated a bit further and the V5 is correct, but the insurers seem to be ignoring it.
    And I’m under no illusions about the high cost, and know the insurers will be extremely wary. I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with this sort of thing.

    padkinson
    Free Member

    Pick up your phone and speak to some real human beings.

    That’s the plan, I just thought it’d be best to get a general idea before speaking to them.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Probably cheaper to hire your folks for the weekend than insure the van.

    AGain all our experience is
    1) ring an actual human
    2) it will be very expensive

    VanHalen
    Full Member

    i had a van as teh first car i bought. it was even a VW. It was a 1696 baywindow.

    cost me £3k to buy and £169 a year fully comp. Luckily it was a 69 so i could use classic car insurance.

    it cost a bit in maintenance but as a daily it wasnt that bad if you kept on top of it. by the time i got a proper car i had loads of no claims.

    the-muffin-man
    Full Member

    …it just seems stupid to cram into that for races when I could be using the camper.

    You just want to be flash at races then! 😀

    Most of us at your age were just glad to have wheels and independence – inconvenience wasn’t even a consideration! Chuck it all in the small car and accept you have to wait a little while for some things.

    padkinson
    Free Member

    You just want to be flash at races then!

    Most of us at your age were just glad to have wheels and independence – inconvenience wasn’t even a consideration! Chuck it all in the small car and accept you have to wait a little while for some things.

    I just don’t see the point of it sitting on the driveway unused. My dad bought it with his savings with the idea of it being something for me/him to drive to races in. Sadly he passed away within a few months of buying it, so didn’t really get to use the thing as he intended. I guess it’ll still be there when I come back from uni, so it could wait til then.

    padkinson
    Free Member

    Also, fear not, singletrack worriers, the van is legal! I’ve found the V5 and it details the conversion, as does the current policy in my mum’s name. It just wasn’t showing up on the comparison websites’ reg no. search.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    glad the van’s legal – I think people have really been telling you what you already knew – “it’s complicated but probably expensive”.

    Maybe your mum can take you to a few races. Might be good to get some time together using the van how your dad would have wanted?

    VanHalen
    Full Member

    phone adrian flux. yr mum might need to change insurers but if its insured as a camper they might be able to do something. it wont be cheap though.

    when i were a lad my mum looked at putting me as a named driver on our shonky old volvo and that was about £400 extra. that was 24years ago and insurers have caught on with risk and liability a bit since then!

    you could buy a crappy £500 van and get third party insurance? might work out cheaper for a couple of years?

    hugh_b
    Free Member

    Try a company called green light. They sponsor the vw t4 forum. Always been reasonable for me on a modified van policy. They are a broker who use various underwriters. I paid a little more to have liverpool victoria as mine.

    taxi25
    Free Member

    If it’s insured as a camper van adding you as a named driver might not be “that” expensive. Talk to the company who already insure it for your mum. Generally campervan insurance is a fair bit cheaper than it would be for an equivalent van.

    padkinson
    Free Member

    If it’s insured as a camper van adding you as a named driver might not be “that” expensive. Talk to the company who already insure it for your mum. Generally campervan insurance is a fair bit cheaper than it would be for an equivalent van.

    We’ve tried. They’re a specialists in campervans, and they said that that can’t insure me until I’m 21.

    taxi25
    Free Member

    Your screwed then 🙁

    Blazin-saddles
    Free Member

    Try Brentacre insurance. These guys really know their stuff re modified vehicles and problem scenarios. If they can’t get you cover, then you’re screwed.

    As mentioned above, you can’t insure a vehicle that’s already insured. If your mum has a policy already on it, the options are either named driver or reinsure the lot and cancel the 1st.

    garage-dweller
    Full Member

    I know others have said it but you should consider whether you really should be driving something that big and heavy on your own as such an inexperienced driver.

    While i don’t wish to sound like a patronising twit a little bit of input from someone whose driven a fair few vans including a t5 Caravelle over the years.

    It weighs roughly twice as much as a small car, its behaviour when braking and cornering is massively different (despite all the drives like a car balls that is spouted – they do drive nicely but not like a car), the visibility in certain areas is not great and it exhibits a fair few handling properties that could easily catch out someone who lacks experience who gets a bit enthusiastic.

    There is a reason that the insurers are showing a fundamental lack of enthusiasm for covering you.

    If I count amongst my ten closest friends who passed their driving tests more than half had had a significant prang within a few months and more than one written off car.

    You might well be loads better than average for a new driver but in my view you really only start learning when you head out alone and a flaming great camper will exaggerate every small mistake.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    Well said garage dweller.

    ads678
    Full Member

    I passed my test when I was 19, back in 95. My boss sent me out in works vans straight away, and within weeks I was driving a 7.5 tonner.

    I didn’t fancy pranging a works van, and I bet the op doesn’t want to crash his mums camper. T5’s are really not that big, and if he’s got his head screwed he’ll be fine driving it, even though he’s only just passed his test. Just don’t drive it like a **** OP.

    jivehoneyjive
    Free Member

    I learnt to drive in a LWB High Roof LDV Convoy (Poor mans transit) on teeny tiny country lanes… I did manage to wang it up to the axles in a ditch once, but nonetheless, if you can find an insurer gullible understanding enough to sort you out, go for it and don’t let the ninny pants haterz put you off.

    notmyrealname
    Free Member

    I think ads678 has hit the nail on the head there.
    Don’t drive like a **** and you’ll be fine.

    I was in I similar position, two days after passing my test at 17 I was getting sent out in the works breakdown van and doing breakdown and call out work. That was in an LT35 which is a good but bigger than a T5. Never had any problems and never had any accidents.
    A T5 isn’t a great deal bigger than a normal estate car like a Passat or an A4, just a bit higher.

    ontor
    Free Member

    I converted my van to a camper at your age and then got specialist camper insurance which cut the premium by 2/3…

    I disagree with a lot of the comments above, you’re clearly not going to be a testosterone fuelled, boy-racer in a van, just don’t drive like a pillock.

    tinybits
    Free Member

    The issue here is not what the op will drive like, it’s what the insurance companies, backed up by the accident statistics think he will drive like.

    Sorry OP, I think you’re a bit screwed.

    mattyfez
    Full Member

    Yup, insurance is all about statistics. Your not a nice lad going on a camping trip, you’re an inexperienced 19 year old in a big heavy vehicle, and therefore statistically very high risk.. that’s just how it works.

    oldnpastit
    Full Member

    Have you tried one of those policies that come with a GPS tracker thing?

    e.g. co-operative young driver insurance.

    orangeboy
    Free Member

    can’t see the issue with the the weight or size. Younger driver are just seen as a risk regardless of what they are driving
    A t5 is not large or that heavy.

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    can’t see the issue with the the weight or size.

    Its an issue of a young driver with less than a years experience – which is an insurance niche, and a commercial vehicle being used for non-commercial purposes – which is another insurance niche, which has been converted.

    So thats a niche of a niche of a niche. Lots of insurers won’t touch it and it’ll be outside of the parameters of comparison sites.

    Friends of mine who aren’t even young have gotten into similar pickles – again with a T5. A friend learned to drive in his late 30s and bought himself a T5 for his work when he passed his test…. then had to store it off the road for a year as he couldn’t get it insured by anyone until he had a years ‘experience’ even though that experience was a year not driving at all.

    johnnystorm
    Full Member

    I found that both comparison sites and supposed specialists were equally useless. Aviva however have been great. Unfazed by modifications and far cheaper. Easy to contact with online chat too.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 45 total)

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