Van Insurance Quote

Reader’s Question:

I am shopping for a van, and I realize that vans are a bit larger than regular cars, so therefore could be seen differently by my insurance provider. Can I get online van insurance quote to get an idea about how much a van would be to insure?

Grace

Tacoma, WA

By all means, Grace, do that, get an online van insurance quote first. Before you purchase any vehicle, remember that you need to have insurance for it at all times. Our choice of vehicle is dictated by our taste, and sometimes we forget the practical aspects of vehicle ownership like its insurance.

A van will be classified as either a passenger vehicle or a truck depending on the weight and size of the vehicle, mainly by weight. Your car insurance company will have the discretion to classify the vehicle. Most companies, however, use vehicle information to make the decision especially in cases where there would be room for doubt as to what exactly it is. But for larger vehicles such as vans, especially a full-size van, your provider would most likely see it as a truck. See the weight of your van, if it is more than 10,000 pounds then it would be seen as a truck rather than a passenger vehicle, in spite of the fact that you will be using it for personal purposes. A mini-van, on the other hand, is still considered a passenger car. Though there is no real industry standard size for mini-vans, insurance providers are always guided by the weight of the vehicle. Keep in mind, though, that passenger vehicles are cheaper to insure than trucks and the larger and heavier the truck the more expensive its insurance will be.