I can't get insurance cover for my Hijet - Can you help please?

Hi folks

Bettys insurance needs renewing and as I've started a new job where I am expected to produce cover showing I have 'business use' cover, I thought the process of getting a renewal would be easy - not so and several hours later, I still can't get a new policy sorted.

I have just got the old policy out, and yikes, I don't think the van was ever covered correctly, as I chose a private policy and she is down as being an 'MPV' - The policy runs out in a week so unless I have a crunch in that time, I'll be ok.

Now as I'll be carrying people in my van occasionally, I get why I need to show business cover, trouble, is, if I choose a commercial policy, they do not include this type of cover - I just spoke to a guy over the phone at Swintons, and he explained what I already know.......I need a private policy with business use.......yes, that's correct, but try getting cover for a Hijet that shows as a van and not an MPV or 4x4

Has anyone else needed similar cover and knows where I can go for the correct insurance? I'm panicking that I've got to sell Betty to keep my job (the Swintons guy put this in my mind)

Many thanks in advance
Tara

Hello, I had a similar weirdness when swapping my policy from escort van to mpv with morethan.
I had commercial insurance with private use only, morethan could not find any refererance to the existance of a Hijet mpv, only the van or pickup model.
MPV= private car, van=commercial.
So I am thinking that maybe at least they could have the correct vairient listed. Dont give up!

Mine are with Aviva - never had a problem. A1 insurance in Bournemouth are a good broker too.

Are the people paying you to be carried? If so, you'd need hire and reward cover - like taxis and private-hire - and that is pricey!

PFM wrote:Mine are with Aviva - never had a problem. A1 insurance in Bournemouth are a good broker too.

Are the people paying you to be carried? If so, you'd need hire and reward cover - like taxis and private-hire - and that is pricey!

Hello

No, I will be a carer and will take folks shopping sometimes, and to doctors / hospital appts and that kind of thing.

I'll go and have a look at Aviva and see how I get on.

Thanks for the replies folks (if anyone else can recommend insurers for my situation, I'd be glad to hear of them )

Tara

PFM wrote:Mine are with Aviva - never had a problem.

Hmmmm, no good.......Aviva are exactly the same - there is only one HIJET to choose from, and that's an MPV:



I had to say I didn't know the reg, and manually add the details, because Aviva didn't recognise the reg!

I can't insure it on a car insurance policy, but can't get the correct cover on a van policy it seems - I don't know what to do

Hi we have ours insured with Admiral and its a MPV we have business class 2 I think which has a set amount of personal mileage plus a set amount of business mileage but it's for a sole trader working in retailish only condition is no automotive use.

rich the mechanic wrote:Hi we have ours insured with Admiral and its a MPV we have business class 2 I think which has a set amount of personal mileage plus a set amount of business mileage but it's for a sole trader working in retailish only condition is no automotive use.

Hi Rich

The trouble I'm having is mainly because mine isn't an MPV, just a two seater van without seats in the rear. (If I said it was like I did last year by pure accident, and had a claim, the insurers wouldn't pay out)
I can't get a policy like yours because I'm employed, not self employed, and even if I try that avenue, I can't get cover for carrying others, and could still make the policy void. What a nightmare!

my wife is the sole trader but doesn't have a driving licence the hijet belongs to her in her name but I am employed full time and the insured driver I think that if you are carring passengers you need to have a hire and reward policy as you are being paid to take people shopping, in theory if your mate says can you take me and a pile of crap to the dump I'll give you a few beers you are being hired and rewarded and therefore if you have a accident on the way to the tip you are not insured

I get ya, but mine isn't an MPV. If it was, I can get private insurance with class 1 bussiness added really easy from many insurers. It's nuts! I've spent another couple of hours on this tonight, and I'm staring to panic

Firstly, don't panic. You will be able to find insurance. I find that when web quotes can't handle the situation, a 'phone call usually gives you the answer you want, and you can usually find a freephone number for the insurers. It's OK doing it online for straightforward stuff but anything trickier may need a human response.

Thanks for the reply PFM, but I've been on the phone to that many insurers I've lost count.
I've just come off the phone with Admiral, who do not have my van on their systems - Mine is a 1550 kg model, and they only have a 1300kg model, or one with the correct weight which comes up as a 4x4. They just can't quote me, as I have to be insured correctly or invalidate my insurance.

If anyone has a 1.3 bog standard Hijet insured with class 1 business rates, please please mail here or PM me - I'm getting pretty desperate and out of avenues to try.

Many thanks
Tara

I note that your screenshot implies that Aviva only insure a 1.3 MPV. Well, mine is a 1.0 MPV which was insured with no problem but they seemed to think Hijet meant van. However, they did insure it with no further problem.

If I were you, I would forget about using the internet approach with them and ring them up; then you will be able to explain exactly what you require. Mind you, it is a foreign call centre but they're not too bad.

Thanks Bushwhacker, but knowing my luck, some Joe Bloggs in a call centre will be more than happy to insure me incorrectly, and then as I've been told several times today, when it comes to a claim, you have no proof of the agreement to insure, and end up technically uninsured.

The last guy I chatted with at Admiral was very genuine and told me of the pitfalls - he called the insurers to check if they would cover me under a 1300kg rather than a 1500kg, and even they refused to cover me unless I had the exact correct details for my van.
I can't run the risk of relying on someone thinking of their commission before my cover. It's all very well them saying we will 'add a note' to your file, BUT when the underwriters look at a claim, they will refuse to pay out if the cover isn't spot on.

I'll just keep on persevering until I find my van on someones system.

Note my van isn't on another site either. In fact, this is what I find on all sites

The top option is spot on, except the weight of the van is different by 200kg - BUT, the weight is correct at 1550kg for the pick up and 4x4.

Is there any chance that my log book is incorrect and that the van is 1300kg and not 1550kg ??

Jeez, I'm finally sorted!
I got van (not car) cover with a company called Gladiator for £242.61 fully comp - a great price to include class 1 business use for a 2002 Hijet / 1296cc (at last, a company without a pull down box that didn't go into vehicle weights, which was what was causing a headache)

I'll double check the e-mailed policy later tonight, but I think I'm ok now insurance wise.

Thanks all

Glad you persevered and found cover. Insurance companies are good at wriggling out of situations but as long as you've been completely honest with them to the best of your knowledge and belief and they put you on cover, they've got very little chance of escaping. You're right to examine the policy closely but, hey - take the evening off after all your efforts and leave it till tomorrow.

I did forget about it and go out for a few hours I can't believe it took me two days to sort this out......I always shop around for the best deals, but this was a totally different kettle of fish!

Thanks for your replies

Glad you got it sorted

Cheers Rich

That sounds a great price ,swinton was £350 in london with street parking, last year now £638,I have just paid it.
They started at around £680 then went to £591 then when I saw THEY had noted 2002 model instead of 2003 it went back to £638.
My last insurance co Egg of 6 years went up from £350-400 to £500 last year so moved to swinton for £350.
This year egg is £1500 its gone mad.
I am not so sure honesty is the best policy and being smart as poss but vague is the only option.

When the hammersmith/fulham tow guys (via parking ticket) lifted it and dropped it from 3metres crushing the front end and the roof/rear door.
The repairers were ready to replace alsorts no prob to increase profits.
No one was checking anything on the insurance in that instance.
In the current climate they would more likely try and not pay out though I think.

If anyone has any other insurance co to check out for a 2003 hijet self employed on a limited basis and details I may still be able to get rid of swinton at the £638 mark less a cancelation fee probably?
Its the most I have ever paid since 2003 so want to tell them to shove it, even if I have the threat of a fee,as thats the art of negotiation in london.
Im losing at present on that front though but want to go through the motions and see what pans out.
Every year I hit probs with vehical ID and it "always is a drama" as with Tara,s case so not Isolated at all.

Oh dear, we seem to be the unlucky ones - much of the problem is down to differences in vehicle weights and models - if the model you own (such as an MPV which is listed everywhere) is listed on the sites, then there's no problem. As you say, every time I tried searching for my van by reg number, the sites kept saying that my vehicle was unknown. If you then singularly added the specs to find it, the drop down boxes offer the wrong vans

Give Gladiator a go online, and give them a call if you get stuck. I phoned them yesterday just to double check that I was insured with business cover (my employers would stop me working without that) and the guy on the phone confirmed this, and checked by calling the actual insurers for me.

Good luck chuck!

Thinking about it the not listed model specs sound familiar are your vans manufactuer UK imports or dealer imports models not being recognised was a problem for a while with bikes when the exchange rate meant grey imports were worth doing and UK spec is not always the same as Europe spec.

rich the mechanic wrote:Thinking about it the not listed model specs sound familiar are your vans manufactuer UK imports or dealer imports models not being recognised was a problem for a while with bikes when the exchange rate meant grey imports were worth doing and UK spec is not always the same as Europe spec.

Mine isn't an import

tara100 wrote:Jeez, I'm finally sorted!  
I got van (not car) cover with a company called Gladiator for £242.61 fully comp - a great price to include class 1 business use for a 2002 Hijet / 1296cc (at last, a company without a pull down box that didn't go into vehicle weights, which was what was causing a headache)

I'll double check the e-mailed policy later tonight, but I think I'm ok now insurance wise.  

Thanks all  

hiya I've had the same problem as you did with insurance my van is same weight as yours 1296 panel van 2003 daihatsu hijet 16v efi and I tried gladiator and they never had my van on their system either only coming up as 4x4 or pickup Tec is your van the same as mine xx

aviva says mine is commercail van and v5 says van with side windows but it fact it was built as mpv!! aviva for mine is around the £630 mark (stupid money) when my last car was a hyundai coupe 2.5ltr and i was paying under £400

Had an issue like this last year with a recovery truck i owned, a previous owner had downrated it from 4.5ton to 3.5ton so it never came up on any insurers database so i looked at having it replated back to original spec only to find out that i am not licensed to drive anything over 3.5ton my only solution was to sell truck, as said above its worth taking the time checking and double checking your policy cause insurers will wriggle out of everything and its not just down to them not paying out when you have had an accident, if you get pulled and you are found out to have discrepencys in your policy that is potentionally 6-8points a £200 fine and the loss of your motor. remember its the responsibility of the policy holder to make sure the details are correct NOT the insurer

Surely you have a trade policy being a mobile mechanic so you could just add it and drive it?

HighlyJetted wrote:Surely you have a trade policy being a mobile mechanic so you could just add it and drive it?

i could drive it fine but i couldnt use it for recovery, i needed a seporate policy to cover the truck and the car being transported, was a load of b/s really

Sounds like it might have been a twin rear wheeled transit?

twin rear vw lt