Often van owners are self-employed and so their income can depend on their vehicle which must be kept on the road whatever the circumstances. If their van is out of action so is their source of income, so good cover is essential.

Our 'My Van Quote' team have pieced together the following tips to help reduce your premiums:

• Use your garage to keep your van off the road overnight or look at finding another secure location if this is not possible.
• It is common for motor insurance policies to have a minimum excess in case of claims. However if you are prepared to increase this excess we can help find you a much cheaper insurance quote.
• For further reductions fit a Thatcham-approved alarm and immobiliser or tracker and can find up to 7.5% discount in some cases.
• The cheapest policies will arise where the number of drivers is restricted. The best case scenario would be just yourself driving, but if you have other drivers then restricting your policy to named drivers only will be cheaper than having any driver. Wherever possible avoid naming drivers under 25 as this can more than double the cost of your insurance premium. The same applies to new licence holders who can pay up to 50% more than drivers with nine years or more experience.
• Wherever possible avoid making claims - only use your insurance when you really need it. For example if your excess is say £150 and you have to make a claim under £300 you may lose money overall taking into account the increase in premium when you renew.
• If you can avoid claims for four years you will be entitled to no claims discount protection. Up front this may cost you an additional 10 - 15% but can allow you to make a certain number of claims in a given time period without affecting your no claim discount. The exact conditions of the protection depend on which insurer we select so ask about this.
• Often your van insurance policy will not cover tools and goods whilst in the vehicle so either make sure you unload the van overnight or take out separate insurance for these. Ask us about Goods in Transit insurance.