Frequently asked questions about private lorry insurance
The questions we receive about a privately owned truck are rarely about the premium. They are about what happens if you do something that is not on the policy schedule.
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In brief
Most misunderstandings with a private truck policy come down to one thing: the description of use. That single line on the policy schedule determines whether payment is made when you claim. An insurer has calculated the premium on the basis of what you declared, and Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code links the payment to that declaration. If reality differs, a partial or full refusal follows.
The second source of questions is the value. What you paid for the truck, what you have put into it and what the loss adjuster assigns to it are three different amounts. Without a valuation report the market value leads, and Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code does not allow you to receive more than the loss actually suffered. A valid valuation is therefore the only way to have certainty in advance.
The third is the administration: suspending, lending, selling, converting. Each of those actions has consequences for the cover and none of them happens automatically. The questions that come up most often are set out below. The forms of cover themselves are explained under the frequently asked questions about lorry insurance and with insuring a lorry privately.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare van insurance.
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The four questions that come up most often
Four situations in which the answer is not what people expect.
May I lend it to an acquaintance?
In principle yes, provided that person has the required licence and there is no driver clause on your policy. If there is one, damage with a driver who is not named is not covered. Hiring it out for payment is always excluded, even if you do not call it hiring out. Damage caused by a borrower also counts against your own claims record.
What if it stands idle for six months?
As long as the registration has not been suspended, the requirement under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) continues to apply and the premium continues to run. Suspension at the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority) ends that requirement and road tax, but the vehicle may then no longer go on the public road. Ask whether your insurer will allow limited cover against fire, theft and storm to continue while it is in storage.
Is engine damage covered?
No. Mechanical damage, wear, corrosion and the consequences of overdue maintenance are excluded on every own-damage policy. A snapped timing belt, a defective turbo or a leaking head gasket is at your expense. Only where a technical defect leads to fire can the consequential loss be covered, and even then not the defective part itself.
I have converted it, do I have to report that?
Yes. An altered body, a living unit, a gas installation or extra lighting changes both the value and the risk. What has not been reported is not included in the sum insured. Fire caused by a self-installed system without an inspection certificate is almost always refused. Have installations inspected and the new value reassessed.
What does your premium depend on?
- Stated purpose of use: the most important variable on a private truck policy
- Maximum permitted mass: determines the acceptance category
- Type of cover chosen: third-party liability, third-party, fire and theft, or comprehensive
- Annual mileage: low limits produce a considerably lower rate
- Storage and security: often a condition and not a discount
- Age and driving experience: years of holding a C1 or C licence
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party liability | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| A tree blown over in a storm falls onto the parked truck | No | Yes |
| You hit your neighbour's car on the yard | Yes | Yes |
| Theft of the entire truck from a locked shed | No | Yes |
| A chip in the windscreen from a stone | No | Yes |
| Rust under the cab after years of being stored outside | No | No |
| Damage because you carried on driving with a leaking brake line | No | No |
Anything that develops gradually falls outside the cover everywhere. Only a sudden external event is covered.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
May I carry something for payment just once?
No. Even a one-off carriage for payment makes the use commercial, and that falls outside a private policy. It makes no difference whether the payment covers the costs or only the fuel. If you expect to do this more often, report it and have the truck placed on a business policy. That is cheaper than one refused claim.
What about a trailer behind the truck?
A trailer or semi-trailer with its own registration number falls independently under the insurance requirement of Article 2 of the WAM. While coupled, liability runs with the towing vehicle, but uncoupled it does not. If you also want own-damage cover on the trailer, that is always a separate agreement with its own insured value.
What happens if I report a claim too late?
Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report as soon as you are reasonably aware. An insurer may only reduce the payment if the late report has harmed a reasonable interest, for instance because it can no longer investigate the cause of the loss. Where there is intent to mislead, the right to payment lapses entirely.
Can I take my no-claims years from my car with me?
Sometimes. Some companies accept the no-claims years you have built up on a car policy, others start a truck policy on their own step or discount system. Ask before you switch and do not use the years on two policies at once, because double use is corrected when you claim.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Insuring a lorryThe main page
- Insuring a lorry for private useConversion, valuation, storage
- What does lorry insurance for private individuals cover?Forms of cover, recovery, exclusions
- Insuring a lorry privatelyHobby use, category C licence, limited mileage
- Private lorry insurance: what are your options?Private use, forms of cover, suspend or keep insured