Insurance - is my pickup a car or a van?

nekosuki

Evening all

Had the renewal quote for my car insurance through today so am looking around for a cheaper one!

It's a pickup truck, used for SD&P only.

Thing is, one of the comparison sites seems to think it's a van and has given me van insurance quotes which are 50% cheaper than my renewal! (even with the same company)

Am I missing something here? VAT? Something blatantly obvious?

Is it a car or a van? Does van insurance cover you just like any other policy?

I don't want to follow my money saving head and then come a cropper if I need to make a claim!

Cheers all

raskazz

What is the specific make and model of the vehicle?

nekosuki

It's a '91 Toyota Hilux.

StephenMarsh

Without knowing the exact model its difficult to say for certain but more than likely going to be a van. Just make sure you rea dthe terms and conditions of the policy before purchasing but you should find its no different or very little difference between a van policy or private motor especially if its only for sd&p but as I say read the policy wordings is the best advice..

foggytown

I think the real test is whether the VAT would have been reclaimable when it was originally purchased. Cars no, vans yes.

StephenMarsh

foggytown wrote: »

I think the real test is whether the VAT would have been reclaimable when it was originally purchased. Cars no, vans yes.

VAT claimable or not if an insurer wants to quote for it as a van they will do.

VAT would only be claimed if bought for a business ?

foggytown

StephenMarsh wrote: »

VAT claimable or not if an insurer wants to quote for it as a van they will do.

VAT would only be claimed if bought for a business ?

I guess I wasn't clear. If a BUSINESS had bought one of those vehicles when new, would they have been able to reclaim the VAT? The point is that, if the OP has an insurer willing to qive a van quote then, if it ever became necessary, he could demonstrate that the gov't classified it as a van for VAT purposes and nobody could accuse him of false information.

raskazz

If it's a Hilux Surf then it's a Private Car type. If it is any other model then it's a Commercial Vehicle type; although, ot make things more confusing you may find specialist 4x4 type schemes on limited mileage that may quote for it as a private car regardless.

missi1

The only thing that is nomally different between the van and car policies is that on a car policy with Comprehensive cover you can usually drive another car third party only where as with a van policy, you normally cant drive other vehicles.
Also, have you tried going on money supermarket.com and typing your registration number in as this might help with figuring out what type of policy it is suited to. Usually, if it's over 3.5 tonne it is classed slightly different than placing it on just a van policy.

Jane2005

It would more than likely be classed as a light commercial vehicle, I have a Navara and it's insured on a commercial vehicle policy even though it's only used for SDP. One thing to be aware of when owning a commercial vehicle, is that many insurance companies will not accept your NCB if you ever decide to switch back to a private car.