The Sprinter is rarely used as it left the factory; refrigeration, a tail lift, a camper conversion or wheelchair equipment determine the cover question here.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
We compare the offerings of several insurers
An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
On this model the question is not so much which van you have, but what has been done to it since delivery. The Sprinter is the most widely used base chassis for conversions in the Netherlands: box vans, refrigerated vans, service vans, camper vans and wheelchair transport. A policy that knows only the bare vehicle will also pay for only that bare vehicle when there is a claim.
Insurers work with the value according to the manufacturer's specification plus the declared conversion and accessories. Anything not stated there falls outside the assessment of the loss in a collision, fire or theft. We therefore always ask for the converter's invoice and have that value stated separately on the policy schedule.
If the van has been converted into a camper, it is no longer a light commercial vehicle and does not belong on a van insurance. For the passenger car models of the same make, we refer you to Mercedes-Benz car insurance.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Compulsory
Third-party liability
Damage you cause to others.
Required by law
As long as the registration is in your name
Suspend the registration when not in use
Third-party liability plus
Third-party, fire and theft
Causes beyond your control.
Fire and storm
Theft
Windscreen damage
Comprehensive cover
Comprehensive
Including damage you cause yourself.
Own fault
Vandalism
Replacement-as-new period
What is covered
Situation
Third-party liability
Third-party, fire and theft
Comprehensive
Damage to the other party
Yes
Yes
Yes
Theft
No
Yes
Yes
Fire and storm
No
Yes
Yes
Damage you cause yourself
No
No
Yes
Wear and mechanical defects
No
No
No
Driving without a valid licence
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.
Refrigeration unit, tail lift and box body
A refrigeration unit, a tail lift or a closed box body represents a considerable share of the value of the vehicle, but is not part of the factory specification. If the conversion is not stated separately on the policy schedule, only the chassis is paid for in the event of a total loss. Provide the converter's invoice and have the value recorded; while you are at it, check whether failure of the refrigeration and spoilage of the load are excluded.
Conversion into a camper van
If the Sprinter is fitted out with a bed, a kitchen and a water supply, it needs registration as a motorhome and a motorhome policy to go with it. A converted van that stays on a light commercial vehicle policy leads to argument about both the value and the use when there is a claim. Report the conversion before you set off and have the fit-out valued; otherwise the interior will not be paid for in the event of theft or fire.
Carrying passengers is a different use
Wheelchair transport, care transport and taxi journeys are excluded on an ordinary policy almost without exception. This is professional carriage of passengers, with a liability picture and an injury risk of its own. If you make journeys of this kind, say so expressly; insurers have separate products for it. Otherwise it emerges afterwards that the policy does not cover the use, at precisely the moment when someone is injured.
What is excluded
Not covered are: the load in the body, spoilage through failure of the refrigeration, wear and mechanical defects, and damage to a conversion or accessory that has not been declared. Damage caused by driving a van that is too tall into a viaduct, a roof edge or a car park is also your own fault and therefore covered only under comprehensive cover. See comprehensive cover for that difference.
What does your premium depend on?
Value including the body. The chassis plus the refrigeration, tail lift or box body together form the basis for the own-damage premium.
Length and height version. A long, tall version picks up more damage when manoeuvring, loading and unloading.
Type of use. A service van, distribution, refrigerated transport or carrying passengers is each assessed separately.
Declared conversions and accessories. Only what has been declared counts in the premium and in the assessment of a loss.
Storage and security. Overnight parking on a closed site weighs differently from parking in the street.
Cover and excess chosen. On a recent or financed vehicle, comprehensive cover is the obvious choice. The excess fine-tunes the premium.
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.
Only where it appears separately on the policy schedule with the value from the converter's invoice. Without that entry, the insurer pays for the bare vehicle in the event of a total loss. Note too that own-damage cover insures the equipment and not the consequences of a breakdown: spoilage of the load falls under a transport or goods policy.
My van has been converted into a camper; what now?
It then needs registration as a motorhome and a motorhome policy. The fit-out often represents more value than the chassis and is not paid for on a light commercial vehicle policy. Have the fit-out valued and report the change before you travel with it, otherwise only the van itself is insured in the event of fire or theft, and not what is in it.
Does the policy cover damage to the tail lift?
In a collision or theft it does, provided the lift has been declared. If the lift fails through wear, faulty hydraulics or incorrect use, that is not an insured event but maintenance. If you damage a customer's premises or loading dock with the lift, that ends up with your liability insurance and not with the motor policy.
I drove into a car park that was too low; is that covered?
That is damage of your own doing and is therefore covered only under comprehensive cover. Under third-party liability or third-party, fire and theft you get nothing for your own van. Damage to the building itself runs through the third-party liability cover of the policy. On a tall version this is a real risk, and it weighs with us when we advise on the type of cover.
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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