Just bought a new van? Or maybe you went and bought yourself some IKEA furniture without really thinking it through. And you don’t fancy paying for delivery.
Yup, that’s adulthood for you. One day you’re out doing bottomless brunch with your mates. The next day, you’re borrowing Matt’s van for an IKEA haul, because who doesn’t need a new bookcase, right? And a rug and floor lamp to go with it while you’re at it.
But then reality kicks in, and you realise you need insurance for that van, even if it’s just for a day. Panic sets in.
Relax, impulsive IKEA furniture buyers, that’s where temporary van insurance comes in.
It’s perfect for those times when you just need a van for a few days whether it’s to do a job while your own van is getting serviced or to pick up that gig-worthy drum set you found for a steal online.
But how do you choose the right van insurance policy for your needs without getting tangled in a web of insurance jargon? To help you work out the product you need, we’ve come up with a few key questions you need to answer so you can get really clear on the right policy for you. Read on to find out more.
What is temporary van insurance?
Temporary van insurance is a type of short term insurance that lasts a day. Most temporary van insurance products (like Zixty) are super flexible and can last anywhere from an hour to a few weeks.
So while temporary van insurance is designed to cover you for a short period, you’ll usually find it’s fairly easy to extend cover if you need it.
Plus, temporary van insurance offers comprehensive cover, rather than third-party van insurance. This means you won’t usually need to pay for repairs for your own van the way you would if you took out a third-party car insurance policy.
Why do you need temporary day van insurance?
There are so many reasons why you might need temporary van insurance. Here are a few scenarios where a temporary van insurance policy might make much more sense than an annual insurance policy.
You need to pick up some furniture you bought but your car’s too small
So you found a gorgeous vintage Chesterfield sofa on eBay and you just have to have it. It’s reasonably priced too. It’ll be the perfect addition to the retro vibe in your living room. That’s great and all, but Chesterfields are bulky by nature.
And while you’re constantly telling people how “deceptively large” your hatchback’s boot is, it’s not up to this particular task (shocker).
That’s okay, because you have a friend with a van. But, you can’t drive it without insurance. So what do you do? You get day van insurance, that’s what. It’ll give you the cover you need to drive a van so you can get your comfy sofa to your new house.
Your van refuses to start but you’ve got a job to go to
You and your trusty van are a perfect pair. It gets you and your tools to all your jobs quickly and safely. You provide an incredible service every day. You get paid. Clients rave about you and you get more business. Usually, it goes without a hitch.
Until it doesn’t. One day, your van just refuses to start. And you need to get to your next job in an hour. So what do you do? Call and cancel and watch daytime telly all day? It’s just not your thing.
But if you have a friend with a van who can let you borrow theirs for a day, you’re sorted. And with day van insurance that can be arranged in minutes through a handy app, you don’t even have to worry about all the time it’ll take to sort cover.
You bought a van-tastic second-hand van but you haven’t had time to organise insurance
Alright, we get it, you’re not always the most organised person around. You bought a new van, you’re due to collect it later today, but you haven’t even had time to shop around for an annual insurance policy yet. Oops.
Don’t worry – day van insurance is here to help you get all your ducks in a row so you can get your new purchase home. It can last as long as it takes you to drive your van home and buy yourself a great annual van insurance policy.
How long do you need temporary van insurance for?
After you’ve decided day van insurance is the solution for your problem, you’ll need to decide how long you need a policy for.
Some insurers, like Zixty, offer policies lasting anywhere between an hour to a few weeks. That means you’re covered if you need to do a quick trip to IKEA and you’re covered if you need the van for a few days.
Deciding how long you need day van insurance will help you narrow down the products on the market. For instance, if you want cover for a few hours, you might not want to go for a policy that lasts a minimum of 24 hours. Because why pay for more than you need?
The beauty of day van insurance is that it can flex to meet your exact needs – if you choose the right provider.
What type of cover do you need?
Typically, short term van insurance provides comprehensive cover for your van. This means that, unlike third-party van insurance, you’re covered if anything goes wrong and you decide to claim. You won’t be on the hook for repairs to your van because your insurer should cover those.
But, there are also other types of cover you might want to consider if you’re taking out day van insurance. For starters, many insurers offer breakdown cover as an optional extra with their policies.
Zixty’s breakdown cover add-on even comes with in-app help where you can send your insurer your exact location if you need help. This will give you peace of mind in knowing that help is just a few taps away should the van break down while out on the road.
Working out exactly what cover you want from a policy is key to finding the right product for your needs.
How quickly do you need temporary van insurance?
Sometimes you have plenty of time to shop around for the perfect insurance policy. But sometimes you need cover in an emergency.
Like, for instance, when your van doesn’t start and you need to borrow your friend’s vehicle in a pinch. In circumstances like that you need cover pretty quick. Like, right away if possible.
So you’ll want an insurance provider that can get you a quote quickly and that can get you on the road right away.
With Zixty, for instance, you can get a quote within just a few minutes of downloading our app. Then, you can get on the road in minutes with an active policy. And if you ever need to extend, it’s as easy as logging back into the app where your details will have been saved.
Are you interested in additional features like excess protection or breakdown cover?
Some temporary van insurance policies come with additional features you can purchase for extra peace of mind. For instance, here at Zixty, we offer Excess Protect. This add-on allows you to claim back £250 of your excess if you need to make a fault claim on your policy.
Also, we offer a breakdown cover add-on. It operates 24/7 and 90% of calls are answered within 20 seconds, so you’ll never have to wait long for help. Plus, you’ll be able to send your exact location via the app. So if you’re worried about breaking down in your van, consider adding this to your policy.
Do you want to go abroad with temporary van insurance?
Generally, you can use short term van insurance to go abroad, but this type of cover often comes with limitations, so you should definitely check your policy wording before setting off to make sure you’re appropriately covered. That being said, if you’re planning a Euro road trip in a van, you could use our van cover to share the driving, for instance.
But, there are some limitations you need to be aware of if you choose to travel around Europe with temporary van insurance. For instance, we’ll only provide the minimum level of cover required by the laws of the country you’re visiting. That generally means third-party cover so you’ll be responsible for repairs to the van or repatriating the van if necessary.
Also, our cover typically only applies to EU countries or countries that are part of the green card scheme.
Carbon offset your journeys with Zixty’s temporary van insurance
At Zixty, we like to go the extra mile with our policies. That’s why we introduced a free add-on called Zixty Miles.
When you enable Zixty Miles, we partner with Eden Reforestation to carbon-offset your journeys up to 100 miles a day every day while you’re a customer. We also plant a tree every time you take out a policy through us.
Plus, we give you an EcoScore to help you work out how green your driving is. If you get a fairly high score, it means your driving is eco-friendly. If you get a low score, we give you tips to make you more planet-friendly behind the wheel.
This means you can make your trip to IKEA as green as possible, safe in the knowledge that we’re working behind the scenes to make your journey as planet-friendly as possible.
Temporary van insurance with Zixty: The quick, easy, eco-conscious temporary insurance provider
Short term van insurance is a great way to get cover for driving a van instantly. Whether your own van broke down and you need to borrow a friend’s, or you simply need to move some bulky furniture, our policies can last anywhere between an hour and a few weeks. Day van insurance can start within minutes, giving you the cover you need instantly.
So if you’re looking for eco-conscious temporary van insurance that can start right away and last exactly as long as you need it, make sure to check out the Zixty app.
