Forms of cover · recovery · exclusions
What does lorry insurance for private individuals cover?
With a privately owned lorry, the choice between third-party liability and own-damage cover is only half the story. The other half is who pays for the recovery when you are stuck in the verge with fourteen tonnes.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Wat dekt een vrachtwagenverzekering voor particulieren?.
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.
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- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
The compulsory layer is the liability cover under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM). That pays for the damage you cause to others with the vehicle and is particularly relevant with a lorry, because mass and braking distance increase the consequences of a mistake. It pays nothing towards your own truck.
Above that there are two own-damage variants. Third-party, fire and theft covers the events you can do little about: fire, lightning strike, storm, hail, theft, break-in, broken glass, collision with wild animals and damage during transport. Comprehensive cover adds your own fault to that: collision, overturning, leaving the road, vandalism. With an older truck the trade-off is not emotional but arithmetical, because Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code provides that you never receive more than the loss actually suffered, and with a written-down vehicle that is the market value.
Two elements are often forgotten. The first is recovery and repatriation: pulling a stuck lorry free calls for heavy equipment, and not every policy covers those costs or covers them up to a sufficient amount. The second is the structure: a living unit, a load bed, a crane or a horse compartment is not included in the standard value and must be declared separately. For a converted vehicle see insuring a hobby lorry; the broader explanation is set out under the cover under lorry insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare van insurance.
Where the cover ends
Four boundaries that recur on every private lorry policy.
Any carriage for payment
As soon as you carry goods for someone else with the truck in return for payment, even once and even for an acquaintance, you are driving professionally. That is not the risk for which a private policy has been accepted. The insurer can then rely on the use provision and on Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code and reduce or refuse the payment. For commercial use see business lorry insurance.
Wear, rust and mechanical defects
A blown turbo, a leaking cylinder head, a rusted-through floor or a worn braking system is maintenance and not an insured event. Own-damage cover exists for sudden damage from outside. Only where a technical defect leads to fire or to a collision can the consequential damage be covered, and even then not the defective part itself.
Alcohol, drugs and lack of entitlement to drive
Driving under the influence or without the required licence is excluded on every motor policy as far as your own damage is concerned. The injured third party is still paid under the WAM, but the insurer then recovers that payment from the driver. Intent and recklessness also fall outside the cover; Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code sets that out in law.
Competitions, shows and off-road driving
Taking part in speed or skill trials, truck pulling competitions and runs on closed circuits is excluded as standard. A convoy or a static show is usually not a problem, but report it in advance. Damage arising off the metalled road, for instance while driving along a sandy track or across a field, is also restricted under some policies.
What does your premium depend on?
- Type of cover chosen: the difference between third-party liability and comprehensive cover is large with a truck
- Weight and year of manufacture: these determine both the liability risk and the own-damage value
- Insured value of the body: a living unit, crane or load bed declared separately
- Annual mileage: a single journey a month gives a different rate from weekly use
- Storage: a shed, fenced site or the public road
- Excess: often higher than with a car because of the repair costs
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party, fire and theft | Comprehensive cover |
|---|---|---|
| You hit a deer crossing a country road and the front end is buckled | Yes | Yes |
| A defective night heater sets the cab on fire | Yes | Yes |
| The batteries are ripped out of the parked truck at night | Yes | Yes |
| You put the tail lift into a wall while reversing | No | Yes |
| A load of gravel you are carrying for yourself shifts and stoves in the load bed from the inside | No | No |
| The trailer behind the truck is damaged during a manoeuvre | No | No |
Third-party, fire and theft cover covers external causes; anything to do with driving, loading or coupled equipment calls for comprehensive cover or a policy of its own.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is assistance included as standard?
Rarely as a matter of course. Breakdown assistance and recovery of heavy vehicles are usually offered as a separate module and sometimes only with comprehensive cover. Ask specifically whether recovery after an accident, transport to a repairer and any return journey for occupants are covered, and whether that also applies abroad. Without that module you pay the recovery bill yourself.
Is the fit-out of my converted lorry covered?
Only if you have declared it separately and the insurer has accepted that value, preferably on the basis of a valuation report. Permanently fitted parts can then fall under the own-damage cover. Loose contents, clothing, tools and electronics almost always fall outside it and call for separate contents or tools cover.
What happens if I lend the lorry out?
The cover is attached to the vehicle, so another driver is in principle covered, provided they have the correct licence and there is no named-driver clause on the policy. If there is one, damage with a driver who is not named is not covered. Check this before you hand over the key, and simply register a regular second user.
Must I always report damage, even if I pay for it myself?
Under Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code you are required to report an event as soon as you are reasonably aware of it, including when you are considering bearing the costs yourself. Reporting is not the same as claiming: after reporting you can still decide not to have the damage paid out, so that your no-claims years remain intact.