When you\u2019re looking to buy a van, you\u2019ll want to keep costs as low as possible \u2013 and that includes insurance. There are many factors that affect the price you\u2019ll pay for van insurance, and one of the most important of these is your van\u2019s insurance group. In this guide we explain what van insurance groups are, why they matter, and how you can keep your insurance premiums as low as possible.<\/p>
As with cars, every model of van that is made is placed into a van insurance group. The official Group Rating process for vans is delivered by vehicle safety research body Thatcham Research on behalf of the Association of British Insurers (ABI).<\/p>
The group that a van is placed in has a significant impact on how much it costs to insure the van.<\/p>
Van insurance groups work in a very similar way to car insurance groups<\/a>, with one key (and slightly complicated) difference.<\/p> As with cars, there are 50 insurance groups in total, numbered from 1 to 50, but with vans it\u2019s not as simple as 1 being the cheapest and 50 being the most expensive.<\/p> Before 2016, there were only 20 insurance groups (numbered 1 to 20).<\/p> From 2016, the industry moved to a 30-group system for newly registered vans. To avoid confusion with the older system used for vans registered before this date, the new groups were numbered 21-50. So, for clarity:<\/p> If you\u2019re buying a used van and want to check the insurance group to find out how expensive it\u2019s likely to be to insure, make sure you check the first registration date of a van. Two vans of the same model and trim, but one registered in 2015 and one in 2016, will fall into different insurance groups.<\/p>A van\u2019s registration date is crucial<\/h4>