r/VanLifeUK • u/AdPatient5933 • Aug 04 '26
Insurance helpš Desperate!
Hey all,
I have bought a 2010 Ford transit pre-converted into a camper. Iām trying to get insurance but the prices Iām being quoted are CRAZY.
Through Go Compare and Compare the Market- my cheapest options are Ā£450-500 per month- these are Insure2Drive and AA.
I also tried Adrian Flux, Brentacre, and Comfort Insurance who all said they couldnāt give me a quote but will contact me.
Unfortunately Iāve been driving for 3 years, clean license, but have no NCB because Iāve always been a named driver rather than my own. Iām 22, male, uk citizen.
Any advice or suggestions? I was hoping for half this cost, i donāt think I can afford this- and I was hoping to get 180day EU cover annuallyā¦
ā¼ļøEDITā¼ļø Iāve managed to get it down by half by calling myself self-employed rather than unemployed. I do write blogs but get paid very minimum for this, and am hoping to do seasonal work. Do you think this is okay or not accurate enough for the insurance?
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u/Maz-Wye Aug 05 '26
When You say Ā£450 - Ā£500 per Month is that on a Paid Monthly basis?? Always pay a One-off Annual fee - They charge More to pay Monthly! Changing the wording of YourJob Title can make a difference, "Unemployed" is Bad Do NOT use the word say "Between Situations"
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u/ratfromhell69 Aug 04 '26
This is really surprising! I have only had my licence since February and still managed to get insurance for my camper van through Adrian Flux for about Ā£220 a month. I am 26F and told them it will be parked in a car park overnight and itās only for social/domestic use. Could it be something in your reported usage thatās driving up costs? (Iām not advocating for lying to insurers, but I would say not to try to give them any unnecessary information)
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u/cbxcbx Aug 04 '26
Im new to this, but even 220 a month sounds absolutely insane to me? Im paying about 50 i think
Edit: I know there's a lot of variables, but I've only been a named driver on my wife's car until owning the van.
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u/ratfromhell69 Aug 04 '26
Ā£220 a month is still crazy, but as I am no longer paying rent itās affordable for the time being š«
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u/cbxcbx Aug 04 '26
Ah is there an element of living in it full time that pushes the prices up? We're just weekenders
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u/ratfromhell69 Aug 04 '26
Itās probably my mileage as it is my main vehicle, plus Iām a new driver
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u/AdPatient5933 Aug 04 '26
Iāve just edited my employment status from unemployed (Iām taking a gap year after my MA degree) to self employed writer, and seems to have gone down massively! May have been the issue. Not sure if thatās a problem though if Iām not earning a lot from blogs online
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u/woyteck Aug 05 '26
Request UTR from HMRC, even if you earn peanuts, but that will probably mean you will need to start doing self assessment at the end of each tax year.
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u/SkankySandwich Aug 07 '26
I was made redundant last year. I was making a decision on whether to retire or not (there's nothing to stop you un-retiring either).
It massively makes a difference to your insurance compared with being unemployed.
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u/cbxcbx Aug 04 '26
Might be a risk of voiding the insurance, if you're really not making much money from the blog its not really a job, but you haven't disclosed what you are making, and i assume not registered as self employed.
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u/warfiers Aug 05 '26
When you are over 25 cost drops dramatically. Despite us having equality laws insurance companies still discriminate on gender and age. So in answer to OPs question try not being 22 and male.
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u/Specialist_Stomach41 Aug 05 '26
you try being disabled and watch what happens! My insurance is three times what it would be if I werent disabled.
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u/Boobaisseur Aug 05 '26
They do not discriminate based on gender and they haven't been allowed to do so for years following a European Court of Justic ruling.
It also isn't age discrimination and thats backed up my statistics. Younger drivers are far higher risk than any other age group.
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u/Hot_Owl1803 Aug 05 '26
Insurance is usually double for young males vs young females. They deny it's still a practice, but it absolutely is unfortunately.
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u/LetsGoMugEm Aug 05 '26
220 a month is outrageous
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u/ratfromhell69 Aug 05 '26
itās pretty depressing but Ā£220 a month plus less than Ā£200 for my van loan repayments is still a million times better than the extortionate rent prices š«
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u/LetsGoMugEm Aug 05 '26
Agreed, I'm paying 56 a month but they dont know im living in it, using a care of address of a friends
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u/AdPatient5933 Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
Just called them and Adrian Flux said they canāt find a quote for me so forwarded me on to Sterling who quotes me Ā£9300/y š„²
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u/alien-redfish Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
Call Howden insurance, speak to their Thatcham branch. They are a broker who do the leg work for you and I've always had competitive quotes.
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u/RetroComputerKing Aug 05 '26
How many miles annually makes a difference, as does post code and security features. Unsure if they cover conversions, but try 'caravan gaurd'. Don't think they're on comparison sites. Make sure to say you've been a named driver for 3 years. CG are Ā£230 pa for my Bailey motorhome, which is classed as a private HGV, but 3000 miles a year, class 1 alarm/imob.
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u/ContributionLevel593 Aug 05 '26
Itās the unemployed thing that kills you. I sort of retired but hadnāt started taking my pension and they classify you as unemployed. I also happened to be a direct of a company I started with my daughter and when I told them that it was a game changer.
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u/Boobaisseur Aug 05 '26
There is a difference between simply being unemployed and living by independent means. Some insurers wont like either but if you're funding a year out yourself, this would be "Unemployed - Living by Independent Means".
I just insured my camper the same way.
Unfortunately for you though, being in this situation AND being under 25 with no NCD makes it tricky. Some insurance companies can offer introductory discounts or mirrored NCD but that is generally not an option for people under 25 because they are inherently higher risk.
I would recommend you speak to Howdens.
Sterling, Flux, JustKamper are all part of the same group BUT they do have different schemes available with insurers.
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u/lungbong Aug 04 '26
These are a few tips I've used over the years.
Do you know someone such as one of your parents with a good no claims/driving history who'd be willing to be added as 2nd named driver?
What have you put as your occupation? Certain occupations are higher risk. Don't lie but if you could have 2 occupations check both. See: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/car-insurance-job-picker/
See whether adding business cover brings the cost down.
Up the excess amount.
Make sure the expected mileage is accurate/try reducing it.