As one of the UK’s leading courier insurance brokers, at Coversure Redditch, we know a thing or two about saving money on courier insurance quotes. With the price of diesel rising again – it’s now at an average of £188.9 according to the PA – and the cost-of-living crisis forcing everyone to find ways to save money, delivery drivers must look for ways to cut their courier insurance costs.
While the last few years have seen boom times for couriers in terms of demand, the rewards haven’t always been as high as they could be. While some drivers can still earn over £40,000 a year, many more are getting closer to the minimum wage for pressured, hard work that involves long hours and stressful working conditions. Margins have always been tight owing to fierce competition, but in the current climate, it’s paramount for courier drivers to make savings on essentials such as fuel and insurance.
To help you reduce the costs of running your delivery business, here are Coversure Redditch’s top ten tips for cheaper courier insurance quotes. Since 2000 we’ve offered van couriers independent advice and specialist policies from leading insurers. During that time, we’ve helped thousands of drivers cut courier insurance quotes without compromising the quality of their cover.
We hope these tips will be of use, but if you’d like some independent advice, please call (01527) 758 256, email Coversure Redditch or start your courier insurance quote here. Whether you’re new to the job or an old hand, are working full-time or part-time as a lifestyle courier, we’ll do our best to help you reduce courier cover costs.
Andy & Gavin
10 Ways to Save On Courier Insurance
1. Use a Specialist Independent Broker – courier insurance isn’t like car or home insurance which can be bought off the shelf from a price comparison site. To get the best deal on this type of cover takes specialist knowledge, contacts with the right insurers, and plenty of shopping around – something you probably don’t have the time for.
A specialist independent broker such as Coversure Redditch can save time finding cheaper cover. Also, thanks to our network of insurer partners, we can even find cover for younger or new drivers and for those who’ve had problems finding affordable protection owing to the areas in which they work.
2. Increase Your Policy Excess – if you’re a careful driver and have a good claims record, then raising your excess – the amount you pay in the event of a claim – is a simple way to save on your cover. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen more and more experienced drivers opt for a higher excess, and it cuts the cost of their policies.
3. Fleet Insurance – if your delivery business has two or more vehicles – be they vans, cars, motorbikes, or a mixture of all three – then you can get courier fleet insurance. Fleet cover can not only reduce the cost of cover per vehicle, but it can also save you on administration and give you flexibility in terms of your drivers and your vehicles.
4. Get a Named Driver Policy – any driver policies give you maximum flexibility, but they come at a cost. If you’re the only person driving your van for commercial reasons, then getting a named driver courier policy could save you money as it reduces the level of risk in the eyes of an insurer.
5. Get an Electric Vehicle (EV) – a couple of years ago, this was a radical suggestion, now it’s a more logical one. With the government raising taxes on traditionally powered vehicles, and with Clean Air Zones (CAZ) and Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) making entry into cities prohibitively expensive and with diesel prices heading back to historically high levels, now’s looks like a good time to switch to an EV.
Electric vehicles cost less to run too. Despite increases in electricity prices, vans such as the Ford E-Transit can do up to 196 miles on a £30 charge. Charging times have also plunged. The E-Transit, for example, will charge from 15%-80% in 34 minutes.
6. Get A Telematics System – fitting a telematics system – a computerised vehicle tracker – can also help reduce cover costs. Telematics has been proven to reduce accidents – a sure-fire way of lowering your premiums – as drivers tend to drive more safely when they know they are monitored. Also, if vehicles are tracked, they are easier to recover if stolen. The RAC has reported that van thefts are continuing to rise in the UK, with 30 stolen daily on average. This can only make insurers nervous, pushing premiums up, so having a telematics device makes a lot of sense. These systems are easy to fit and can cost as little as £15 a month – an expense you can recoup in fuel savings that telematics bring.
7. Check the Policy Small Print! – make sure you know what you’re buying. Some policies come with things such as the carriage of dangerous goods or European cover. If you don’t carry these type of goods or deliver abroad, then what’s the point of paying for them? This is another reason why it pays to get your courier insurance quote from an independent broker like Coversure Redditch. We can ensure you get the cover you need – nothing more, nothing less.
8. Secure Your Van – simple security measures, such as parking your van somewhere securely overnight and not leaving goods onboard, can help reduce premiums. Insurers are increasingly taking into account the fitting of dashcams and interior CCTV, as using the footage can prove fault in the event of a claim.
9. Pay Premiums Annually – many insurers will offer you a premium discount if you pay annually rather than monthly, so make sure you ask about this when you take out your policy.
10. Do Some Driver Training – 90% of all traffic accidents are down to driver error, and nothing will push up cover costs like a claim. By investing in driver training, you can cut the risk of an accident, cut the cost of your courier insurance policy, reduce the chances of being sued for damages and keep your vehicle where it belongs – on the road and delivering goods.
Get A Courier Insurance Quote
Well, we hope these tips will help you cut your courier insurance costs. If you would like a van courier or delivery driver insurance quote, please get in touch with Coversure Redditch. You can call us on Redditch (01527) 757 585, email Coversure Redditch here or get a cheap courier insurance quote here.
