Van Insurance Explained: Choosing the Right Protection for Your Business

August 2026

Allianz Commercial Van Insurance helps get you and your business on the road. If you use a van for work purposes, you'll need the right protection so that you are covered should something go wrong.  

If you're a tradesperson and you use your van for your day-to-day, you'll also need to take out van insurance.

Allianz offers two levels of van insurance cover; third party fire and theft, and fully comprehensive.

Third-party fire and theft covers the third party vehicle as well as the occupants of that vehicle. It also covers fire and theft damage to your van, trailer towing, tool of trade cover^, driving abroad and step back no claim discount.

Step back no claim discount is for customers who hold four or more years no claim discount. This means if you have a claim worth less than €10,000, you won’t lose your full no claim bonus discount, it will step back to two years. Claims greater than €10,000 will see your no claim discount reduced to nil. 

Fully comprehensive includes all of the above, plus accidental and malicious damage and windscreen cover. 

For more details, see our van cover information page.  

^Excluding: subsidence, flooding, water pollution and damage to pipes and cables. The maximum liability we will cover it €6,400,000.

Allianz van policy also covers social domestic and pleasure, in connection with your occupation.

Answer: Most insurers will allow you to transfer an earned No Claims Bonus from a private car to a commercial van policy, provided the car policy is being canceled or substituted. However, you generally cannot active-use the exact same bonus simultaneously on both a car and a van at the same time. If you plan to keep driving your private car alongside your new van, some providers may offer an introductory discount based on your named driving history instead.

Answer: Insurance policies contain strict security conditions regarding vehicle negligence. If your van is stolen while the ignition keys were left in the vehicle or while the doors were left unlocked and unattended, your claim will almost certainly be rejected under standard policy exclusions. Always turn off the engine, remove the keys, and engage manual locks whenever you leave your vehicle—even if only stepping away for a brief moment on a job site.

Answer: An excess is the predetermined out-of-pocket amount you agree to pay toward the overall cost of any claim before your insurer pays the remainder. For instance, if your policy carries a €250 accidental damage excess and you incur €1,500 in repair costs after an incident, you pay the initial €250 and your insurer covers the remaining €1,250.

Answer: Basic commercial van insurance usually extends third-party liability cover to a trailer while it is legally coupled to your vehicle, meaning any third-party damage caused by the trailer is covered. However, accidental damage to or theft of the physical trailer itself is generally excluded unless you specifically add dedicated trailer protection or specified commercial equipment cover to your policy. 

Check out our van insurance FAQs for more.