Two thirds of van hire drivers are ‘van virgins’

Millions of us will hire vans this spring, but new research from iCarhireinsurance.com shows many drivers lack experience of driving these vehicles, and could be in for a nasty financial shock in the event of an accident.

This time of the year is traditionally when many of us move house and do DIY, with many of us hiring vans to help. But iCarhireinsurance.com has unearthed worrying levels of ignorance. Almost two thirds (65%) of hirers are ‘van virgins’, and have no previous experience of driving a larger commercial vehicle. Only 26% of those who have hired a van knew there were different road rules for vans, just 38% were aware of different speed limits, and only 12% checked routes for height or weight restrictions before setting off. Tellingly, 9% found other road users to be less considerate towards them, and over a fifth (23%) felt more likely to have an accident than when driving a car.

A quarter of people (26%) have hired a van to move house, 5% to move DIY debris and machinery, and 8% to help friends or family members who were not confident hiring the van themselves. The research also found overall 33% of people have hired a van and they are hired for a wide range of uses including camping trips, stag weekends and helping children move to university.

With van hire excess involving charges of up to £2000 in the event of damage or theft, regardless of whose fault it is, it is critical that drivers are covered. The major van hire companies are expensive and limited; they charge as much as £10-20 a day for protection, and only reduce the liability to £250-£750 rather than reducing it to zero.

However, there is a solution. Daily van hire excess insurance from iCarhireinsurance.com costs only £7.99 a day, and reduces the excess liability to zero.

Ernesto Suarez, Founder and CEO, iCarhireinsurance.com, said, “Hiring a van can be a really cost effective way to do DIY jobs and move house. But these savings can quickly vanish if the vehicle is damaged, and the excess isn’t protected. The chances of this are high, because as our research proves, many van drivers do not have experience of driving larger vehicles, and lack confidence.

“With so many bank holidays coming up, we are now urging drivers to check their excess liability before they hire a van if they don’t want to end up with a large bill they were not expecting. And next time you get frustrated with a van driver, remember that it might just be one of the 8% of hirers who are kindly helping a friend or family member who isn’t able to drive one themselves.