Third-party liability
- Compulsory from registration onwards
- A trailer while coupled
- Also for private use
Insuring a van for a self-employed professional
As a self-employed professional you are not just insuring a van, but the only means of transport with which you earn your turnover and for which no employer provides a safety net.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands
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 activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
Technically the policy is the same as that for a van in a larger company, but your position is different. There is no employer to absorb your injury, no colleague to take over the van and no second vehicle if this one spends a week at the repairer. Those three points determine which additions are worthwhile on a policy for the self-employed.
First decide whose name the vehicle goes in. With a sole trader that makes little difference to liability, because there is no legal entity in between. It does make a difference to the build-up of no-claims years: in the company name they are held in the company's name and cannot simply be taken over into private ownership when you stop.
If you also use the van privately, report it. Commuting, shopping and weekend use are not business use. A declaration that departs from practice is the first thing that is looked at when there is a claim.
Independent, personal, sorted quickly
We compare your van insurance across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.
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Van for the self-employed: what is covered?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
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
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.
What does your premium depend on?
- Registered keeper of the vehicle. Private or in the company's name, with consequences for where the no-claims years end up.
- Your occupation. Installation, construction, landscaping or services give a different claims and break-in pattern.
- Ratio of business to private use. Mixed use and commuting belong in the declaration, including with a commercial registration.
- Annual mileage and area of operation. Regular jobs in the region weigh differently from driving across the country every day.
- Overnight storage. On the street outside your home, on an enclosed site or in a garage or shed.
- Replacement vehicle and excess. The arrangement for a replacement van and the excess you can afford to bear yourself.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your activities, turnover and 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.
Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
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.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Your own injury falls outside every motor policy
If you are injured on the way to a job, third-party liability cover pays the other party and not you. Unlike an employee, as a self-employed professional you cannot rely on the employer's obligations in Articles 7:658 and 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code; your client is not your employer. Without disability insurance or occupants' insurance you bear the loss of income entirely yourself, while your fixed costs continue.
Work out what is really in your van
Machines, hand tools, measuring equipment, a stock of materials and tomorrow's job: add that up against replacement value, not against what you once paid for it. That content calls for own-account carriage insurance, because own-damage cover pays only for the vehicle. Note the requirement that goes with it: virtually every policy requires you to empty the van outside working hours or park it in a locked space. If you do not comply, that policy will not help you either.
Downtime costs more than the repair
With a van that spends two weeks at the repairer, your work comes to a standstill. So look not only at the premium but at the service when there is a claim: is a replacement vehicle insured, is that an equivalent van or a car with no load space, and how long does the arrangement run? For a self-employed person that is often the most important condition on the policy, and it is precisely the one that rarely appears in a premium comparison.
What is not covered
The following, among others, are outside the cover: tools and materials in the load space, even with comprehensive cover; your own loss of income after an accident or during repairs; and the fit-out you did not declare, such as racking, load floor and roof rack, which is then not paid for in the event of a total loss. Courier or delivery work that has not been reported, hiring the van out to a colleague and driving under the influence are also excluded, as is intent under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
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.
Declare the fit-out with its value
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.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Do I register the van in my own name or in the business?
For liability it makes hardly any difference with a sole trader, because you and the business coincide in law. For the no-claims years it does: in the company name the business builds them up and you cannot simply take them into private ownership when you stop. For tax purposes VAT and benefit in kind come into play; have that choice discussed with your accountant before the registration is transferred.
Am I insured myself if I am injured?
Not on this policy. Third-party liability cover is there for the other party. Your own injury and the income you lose fall outside it. As a self-employed professional you have no employer bound by Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code. That calls for disability insurance (AOV), possibly supplemented by occupants' insurance that pays regardless of who was at fault.
Do I get a replacement van after a claim?
Only if that is stated on the policy, and what it means varies widely. Some insurers supply an equivalent van, others a car in which your tools do not fit, and the period varies. Ask about this explicitly before you take out the policy; for a self-employed person with a single vehicle this condition often weighs more heavily than a difference in premium.
May I also use the van privately?
Yes, but declare it. A policy taken out for business use only, while you go out in the van at weekends, departs from the declaration. When there is a claim the insurer can adjust the payout. A commercial registration also carries its own tax conditions for private use; that stands apart from the insurer's view of it.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare van insuranceThe main page
- Insuring a business vanIn the company name, several drivers, fleet
- Insuring a van with a commercial registrationTax requirements, private use, fitting-out
- Insuring an electric vanBattery pack, charging cable, NEN 9140
- Insuring a van for a courier serviceMany stops, changing drivers, load
- Insuring a van fleetFrom three vehicles, claims burden, changes
- Insuring a van for business useUse, load, drivers
- Driving for business as a self-employed professional: what an accident costs youReplacement vehicle, loss of turnover, injury to yourself
Ready to compare?
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
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.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.