Thousands of drivers aren’t sure if they drive a car or a van. That’s according to research conducted by a leading price comparison website.
In the last year, 129,000 van vehicle registrations were entered into a car insurance comparison tool. Meanwhile, 48,564 car registrations were entered into a van insurance comparison tool. Does this mean the line between vans and cars is becoming increasingly blurred?
Research shows that 40 percent of drivers use their van primarily for ‘social, domestic and pleasure’ purposes. More than half (52 percent) of vans now have three seats or more.
The popularity of double cab pick-ups also muddies the waters, with the likes of the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok able to mix business with pleasure. Thanks to their car-like cabins, huge load areas and excellent towing capacity, these vehicles have struck a good work-life balance.
MoneySuperMarket has named six vans that could be mistaken for cars: Ford Fiesta Sport Van, Toyota Hilux Invincible, Vauxhall Corsa Van, Mitsubishi L200, Nissan Navara and Renault Clio Van. It’s also worth mentioning that most modern Ford vans drive as well, if not better, than many family SUVs.
Vans-tastic
Vehicle classification categories are set by the government. They are used to define the type of vehicle, so if it’s N1 or N2, it’s classed as a van, and you will need van insurance. If it’s M1, it’s a car, and you will need car insurance. The category will be listed on your vehicle’s V5C registration document.
Interestingly, 40 percent of vans insured via MoneySuperMarket are used solely for personal use. The most common occupation given for van owners is ‘retired’, while the sixth most common is ‘housewife’ or ‘househusband’. These factors suggest that many vans are purchased for social and domestic uses.
Making sure you have the right cover is important. Failure to do so could mean that your policy is invalid, which means you’re unlikely to receive a pay-out in the event of a claim. A van insurance policy is likely to place greater emphasis on content and accidental damage.
Rose Howarth, van insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “The high number of van drivers applying for car insurance through MoneySuperMarket highlighted some confusion around people not knowing their vehicle classification or insurance categories – when looking at some makes and models classified as vans, this isn’t surprising.
“Drivers can check the classification of their vehicle by checking their V5 logbook, however to make it easier MoneySuperMarket have created a handy tool that can identify whether your vehicle is a car or a van and direct you to the right insurance type for you.”
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