HGV Insurance

Could you Save Money when you Compare HGV Insurance Quotes with Total Insurance?

  • Cheap HGV Insurance Quotes
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  • Compare Several Specialist UK Brokers

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What is HGV Insurance?

HGV (heavy goods vehicle) insurance, also known as haulage insurance, is designed for commercial use vehicles over 7.5 tonnes.

An insurance policy for this type of vehicle will usually cover the cab and driver, carried goods, and the trailer itself. There are other features that can also be added to these policies as further protections for the driver or business.

Drivers covering the UK won’t always need international insurance, so HGV insurance has some flexibility in its coverage. Insurance cover can be UK only, UK and Europe or International for long-distance haulage.

Compare HGV Insurance Quotes

We know how difficult comparing policies can be. That’s why our trained team are here to help you find dedicated brokers who want to quote you.

Our service is free and impartial with no obligation to buy.

HGV Insurance

What our Comparison Expert Says

‘Being a truck driving is a skilled profession that requires a high level of being alert, ensuring you and everyone is driving safely around you. Sometimes this don’t always go to plan often through no fault of your own. We’ll help you find a specialist truck insurance broker who will insure you correctly at the right price!’

How our process works

We’ve worked hard to refine our process and keep it as quick, easy and simple as possible for our customers.

Do I Need HGV Truck Insurance?

If you’re transporting goods it’s incredibly important to have insurance, no matter the distance you’re covering. Even if you aren’t driving the lorry, it will legally need to have insurance or need an off-road notice (or SORN).

HGVs can be individually insured or can be insured as part of a fleet policy managed by a business.

What Does HGV Insurance Cover?

HGV insurance in the UK is very similar to domestic car insurance in that there are different levels of insurance to consider.

  • TPO (Third-Party Only): This insures the third party in the result of an accident where you are at fault.
  • TPFT (Third Party, Fire, and Theft): This is the same as above but also covers you for fire and theft of your lorry.
  • Comprehensive Insurance: This insures and cover you and the third party.
  • Telematics Truck Insurance (Requiring a Black Box): This is often the most cost effective way to insure your vehicle providing real time data.

Of course, the size and value of goods in the vehicles can make these policies slightly more complex and any specialist use can mean that some of these aren’t an option.

What Does Insurance For HGV Drivers Include?

It’s fairly likely that your HGV is being used for business purposes or the transport of goods, but the specifics of this can impact the insurance available to you.

HGV Insurance Policy Features

The insurance policy for your lorry or HGV fleet can be tailored to include a number of additional features.

What Are The Requirements Of Your HGV Insurance Quote?

Before applying for HGV insurance, there are a few details that you’re going to need to make sure you’re fully covered and that your policy details are accurate.

What is the value of your Truck?
As with any type of insurance policy, you will need to know the value of the thing that you’re insuring. For HGVs, this essentially means ‘how much would my HGV be worth if I sold it?’ This helps to put a value on it in the case of an accident or in the instance that the vehicle is written off.

It’s really important that you don’t undervalue your vehicle as you may lose out on a payout reflecting its true value should an accident occur. Reducing an estimate by two or three thousand to reduce a quote isn’t worth the thousands you could lose out on should an accident actually happen.

What is the age of your vehicle?
The age of your vehicle will contribute to the final cost of your insurance, with newer models typically being less expensive than older HGVs. Newer models are less likely to break down and repair and vehicle retrieval can be considerably less. This might not be the case if your insurance policy is international though – long-distance retrievals can be very expensive.

What will you carry using your HGV?
This again goes back to the types of goods you will be transporting and where insurance priorities lie with cargo and goods on board. Lower-value goods will, of course, be cheaper to insure in most cases. A single HGV full of gravel, for example, will be cheaper to insure than one full of oil.

For some drivers, the type of goods carried can change regularly but it’s important to be covered for those higher amounts and it’s well worth altering a policy rather than losing out should something go wrong.

Where will you be transporting goods to and from?
Spend some time considering your possible delivery destinations. For some industries, most travel will be done within the UK, whilst others may lead the driver further afield. Food delivery, for example, will likely lead to driving within Europe.

Risks involved in these locations can mean that adding European insurance to a UK-only policy can impact the price. Even with the added premium, it’s essential that this policy information is accurate or you risk not being covered.

HGV Insurance For New Drivers
New HGV drivers may be limited in the policies that they can choose and may see some premiums rise with fewer years behind the wheel. Adding a new driver to a fleet policy rather than an individual policy may be one option, but it’s a good idea to compare HGV insurance options and see which are most suitable (and most reasonably priced) for you.

Can You Get HGV Insurance For Young Drivers?
It can be difficult for young drivers to get insurance on a car, nevermind an HGV, so it’s no real surprise that this is an incredibly common question for insurers. Lots of policies on the market that will only insure HGV drivers over the age of 25. For some businesses, this can present a challenge. For these cases, it can be really beneficial to speak to someone for advice.

Save Money On Your HGV Insurance

There are plenty of HGV insurance brokers out there but how can you know which of these brokers is offering you everything you need and offering you a great, affordable deal on your HGV insurance? The trick is to compare the options available to you.

How Much Does HGV Insurance Cost?

There are lots of different factors that impact the cost of an insurance policy. The vehicle age and type, goods transported, and the experience of the driver are just a couple of things that can make a huge difference.

So, how do I reduce the cost of my HGV insurance?

You can try to save on your HGV insurance in a few ways.

  • Employ drivers that are experienced and have clean licences.
  • Be aware of driver age and how this impacts premiums. (Many insurers will not insure young HGV drivers under the age of 25).
  • If you manage multiple heavy goods vehicles, look into fleet policies for better rates.
  • Pay annually rather than monthly where business capital allows it.
  • Use black boxes or cameras to determine liability should an accident occur.
  • Ensure there is a safe location for the HGV to be stored overnight.
  • Make sure the vehicle has any security devices appropriate for its use.
  • Avoid modifications to vehicles where they will make policies more complicated and increase insurance premiums.
  • Don’t over-insure. If you won’t ever be travelling abroad, don’t get international insurance cover.

Do I Need Insurance For My HGV?

Yes, it is required by law for everybody who drives any kind of vehicle on UK roads to have insurance. You are not required by law to have insurance for the products you transport in a truck like an HGV, but most businesses will only hire you if you do and it removes lots of potential risk for the driver or business.

It is risky to transport products across the UK, Europe, or even worldwide, thus it is advisable to insure all aspects of the shipment, not just the lorry.

Frequently Asked Questions

To produce a quote, HGV insurance brokers will need to see a valid operator’s licence. In cases where you are not driving for commercial gain or carriage of goods (like for classic vehicles), there might be options available.

Any vehicle above 3.5 tonnes will require an operator’s licence in cases where it will be used for commercial purposes or transport of goods on public roads. If you are driving a vehicle that is 44 tonnes, you will be needing your own operators licence and won’t be able to operate under a firms licence.

The operator’s licence can be held by:

  • The driver, if they own, borrow or lease the vehicle.
  • The employer or controller of the driver using the vehicle.

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