NCB for a Van?

Ice Rich · 7 Jan 2008 at 12:00

Hi all,

Im 21 and have 4 years NCB. I drive a golf but due to work commitments I need a small van. I was thinking I could easily sell my car, get a van on the road with the money and save a few ££'s.

However, just talking to my dad who said my 4yea NCB would not be counted as a van is seen as a cemmercial vehicle and I would have to start my NCB again. I would have to rethink my plans if that was the case as my insurance is quite low at the moment and i dont want to be paying 1000's all over again.

Any advice is appriciated.

oap · 7 Jan 2008 at 12:03

You should be ok to use your no-claims.

SB118 · 7 Jan 2008 at 12:09

NCB is NCB.

Ice Rich · 7 Jan 2008 at 12:09

oap said:
You should be ok to use your no-claims.

I really hope thats the case, i only want a little kangoo van. I paid my insurance is full last month for my Golf, do you know how the insurance process works switching vehicles i.e is it easy?

MAPeX · 7 Jan 2008 at 12:16

Ice Rich said:
I really hope thats the case, i only want a little kangoo van. I paid my insurance is full last month for my Golf, do you know how the insurance process works switching vehicles i.e is it easy?

Just ring them up and give them the details of the new vehicle. Depending on cost they will ask you for extra funds or refund you the difference. Its that simple

I did it last Thursday and my Documents came this morning.

K.C. Leblanc · 7 Jan 2008 at 13:28

Ice Rich said:
I really hope thats the case, i only want a little kangoo van. I paid my insurance is full last month for my Golf, do you know how the insurance process works switching vehicles i.e is it easy?

Phone the insurance company and ask. They usualy quote you a new price. If you want to go ahead you agreed a change over day and they adjust your payments, they also often add an admin charge. I did change cars four times in the space of 2 months.

As far as tranfering your NCB it depends on your insurer. You'll have to ask them.

SB118 · 7 Jan 2008 at 13:39

K.C. Leblanc said:
Phone the insurance company and ask. They usualy quote you a new price. If you want to go ahead you agreed a change over day and they adjust your payments, they also often add an admin charge. I did change cars four times in the space of 2 months.

As far as tranfering your NCB it depends on your insurer. You'll have to ask them.

I'll be surprised to find an insurer that will change from a private to a commercial vehicle on the same policy. They're usually underwritten by different companies.

Ice Rich · 9 Jul 2010 at 10:35

Sorry to post this but I now, finally, have a van.

My insurers are Admiral (I checked others too) and I was NOT able to move my car insurance over to a van as that is classed separate commercial insurance. Even if I said I was only using as Social, domestic + pleasure because the V5 states it is a van there is no way to get round it. I would have had to start building my NCB up again.

Most insurers these days will do something called 'take into account' the number of NCB you have built up on a car when transferring to a commercial. However, from my experience on the quoted prices there is hardly any difference.

In the end I managed to get a cheap Renault Kangoo which has windows in the back so is classed as a normal vehicle on the V5. I was then able to use my NCB and the transfer from going from my old car to this was only around £120 with comprehensive business insurance also instead of SDP.

However, if I were to have bought a vehicle classed as a 'Van' (even the same type as i drive now) then I would have been looking at a insurance cost of £1200.

Glaucus · 9 Jul 2010 at 13:21

^^
surprised so you couldn't finish with admiral and get your ncb paperwork and then use it with another company?

SB118 said:
NCB is NCB.

Not quite, they aren't usually transferable from one category to the other. Although some companies might give you a discount.

SB118 · 9 Jul 2010 at 15:21

AcidHell2 said:
Not quite, they aren't usually transferable from one category to the other. Although some companies might give you a discount.

I must have got lucky, when i moved from a pug 406 to a transit the new insurer accepted my NCB without batting an eyelid. Same going from the transit back to a car.

Just one of lifes lucky people i suppose

Glaucus · 9 Jul 2010 at 15:42

SB118 said:
I must have got lucky, when i moved from a pug 406 to a transit the new insurer accepted my NCB without batting an eyelid. Same going from the transit back to a car.

Just one of lifes lucky people i suppose

That's same category.

SB118 · 9 Jul 2010 at 15:45

Damnit, i'm not lucky

Ice Rich · 9 Jul 2010 at 16:06

AcidHell2 said:
^^
surprised so you couldn't finish with admiral and get your ncb paperwork and then use it with another company?

Not quite, they aren't usually transferable from one category to the other. Although some companies might give you a discount.

Because the NCB paperwork would have shown I was last driving a car and I presume they would pick it up from that.

Glaucus · 9 Jul 2010 at 16:21

Ice Rich said:
Because the NCB paperwork would have shown I was last driving a car and I presume they would pick it up from that.

I doubt it, as they are all under a class B license, so they shouldn't care, They don't deny NCB going from a Micra to a sports car. This would back that up

SB118 said:
when i moved from a pug 406 to a transit the new insurer accepted my NCB without batting an eyelid.

doofer · 9 Jul 2010 at 16:26

Years ago I went from a Sierra Sapphire to a Transit, had to change Insurance Co. as the Sapphire insurers did not do commercials at all, my NCB transferred no problems whatsoever as they did when I eventually went from the Transit back to a PLG Car.