With an electric van, the money is in the battery pack and the delay is in the workshop: repairs may only be carried out by technicians qualified to work on high-voltage systems.
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In brief
You insure an electric van as a motor vehicle, so with the compulsory third-party liability cover and, on top of that, third-party fire and theft or comprehensive cover. The difference from a diesel van lies in the traction battery. It is insured where the damage arises from a covered cause, such as a collision, fire or theft. What is not included is loss of capacity: a battery that gives less range after some years is not a sudden event but wear, and the manufacturer's warranty is the route for that.
Pay attention to the ownership question around the battery. If the pack is hired or leased separately from the importer, it is not part of your vehicle and falls outside your policy; damage to it then runs through the hire agreement. If the battery is in your name, check whether the insurer bases a replacement on replacement value as new or market value, because with this component that difference determines what you are left with.
The third point is practical: repairs to a high-voltage system may only be carried out by a technician trained for the purpose, in line with the arrangements laid down in NEN 9140. That limits the choice of repairers and lengthens the turnaround time. With a van that has to be on the road every day, the arrangement for replacement transport is therefore a more important point of comparison than the premium itself.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Compulsory by law
Third-party liability
Damage you cause to others with the van.
Compulsory from registration onwards
A trailer while coupled
Also for private use
Most chosen
Third-party, fire and theft
Theft, break-in damage, fire, storm and glass.
Break-in damage to locks
Theft of the vehicle
Glass and stone chips
Declare separately
Contents and fit-out
Tools, materials and the fit-out in the load space.
Own goods in transit insurance
Racking and load floor
Roof rack and towbar
What is covered
Situation
Third-party liability
Third-party, fire and theft
Comprehensive
Collision with another vehicle
Yes
Yes
Yes
Break-in damage to doors and locks
No
Yes
Yes
Tools stolen from the load space
No
No
No
Damage you cause yourself while reversing
No
No
Yes
Racking system and load floor
No
Sometimes
Sometimes
Damage to third-party goods during loading and unloading
No
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Degradation is not damage
Every traction battery loses capacity through charging cycles and ageing. Insurers class that as wear and exclude it, just as they do tyre tread or brake discs. Only a sudden and unforeseen event is covered: a collision in which the pack is hit, fire, or a puncture of the underside. For loss of capacity, the manufacturer's warranty is the route, usually expressed as a minimum remaining percentage within a given period. So keep the warranty documents with the vehicle records.
A hired or leased battery falls outside your policy
With some suppliers you buy the van but hire the battery pack. In insurance terms that pack is then someone else's property and not part of your insured object. If it is damaged, the hire agreement determines who pays, and that can be a substantial amount. Find out whether your insurer is willing to include the hired pack as an object insured as well, and record what value goes with it. Without that arrangement a gap arises.
Count in the downtime, not just the premium
Repair through a workshop qualified to work on high-voltage systems means less choice and a longer wait, certainly where the pack itself is damaged. When comparing, ask about the arrangement for a replacement vehicle: do you get an equivalent electric van with comparable payload, from which day, and for how many days? A diesel replacement often does not fit with a low-emission zone exemption or with the charging infrastructure your planning is built around.
The charging cable yes, the charging point no
With most insurers the charging cable counts as an accessory of the vehicle and is insured as well, including theft while the van is plugged into a public charging point. The charging point on your company site is not included: that is an installation falling under your buildings or business contents insurance cover. Also excluded are software faults and failed updates that immobilise the van, as well as damage from running the battery flat and from failing to charge in time.
Tools fall outside every car policy
What is in the load compartment is not part of the vehicle. Own-damage cover does not pay for its theft, not even under comprehensive cover. That calls for separate goods-in-transit insurance, with conditions attached: usually a locked garage, or emptying the van outside working hours.
A racking system, load floor, roof rack, tow bar or refrigeration unit raises the value but is not included in the list price. Without a declaration, only the bare vehicle is paid out in the event of a total loss, while the fit-out easily represents several thousand euros.
What does your premium depend on?
List price including the battery. The battery pack makes up a large part of the value and therefore of the own-damage premium.
Ownership of the battery. Bought, leased or hired. That determines whether the pack is on your policy.
Maximum permitted mass. Zero-emission vans are heavier. The weight class steers the tariff group.
Availability of repairers. Make and workshop network determine turnaround time and thus the cost of a replacement vehicle.
Charging situation. Charging on your own enclosed site or on the public road, with the theft risk that goes with it.
Annual mileage. More kilometres means more charging cycles, more stops and a higher chance of a claim.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Yes, provided it is your property and the damage arises from a covered cause such as a collision, fire or theft. If you hire or lease the pack separately from the van, it is not part of your insured object and the hire agreement determines who bears the loss. In that case, have it recorded whether the insurer is nevertheless willing to include the pack as an object insured.
What if my battery gives less range than when I bought it?
That is loss of capacity and therefore wear, not a sudden event. No own-damage cover pays for it. The manufacturer usually gives a warranty on a minimum remaining percentage within a number of years or kilometres. That warranty is the only route. Keep the delivery documents and have the state of the battery recorded at each service, so that you can invoke the warranty.
May any repairer work on an electric van?
No. Work on the high-voltage system may only be done by technicians trained and designated for it, in line with the arrangements in NEN 9140. That limits the choice of workshops and lengthens the turnaround time after a loss. So ask in advance what the insurer's repair network looks like and what arrangement for a replacement vehicle goes with it.
Is my charging point on the company site insured as well?
No, it does not fall under a vehicle policy. A fixed charging point is an installation on your site and belongs in the buildings or business contents insurance, or with the landlord if you rent. The loose charging cable is usually insured as an accessory, including theft while the van is charging at a public charging point.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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