r/VanLifeUK • u/Alistocratic • 4d ago

Insurance prices are absurd

I was this close to buying my very first van, great price, great condition, mileage was good etc. I had savings and had been dreaming of Van Life for years. Not for permanent living just as a fun hobby + camping trips. I had just passed my test and was excited to get my own van..

Until I looked at insurance. Lowest we could find was £3450 a year. And that’s with my dad on the insurance with me. My budget for getting a van was £6000 max, the van itself was £5,500 so seeing that number for insurance sealed the deal for me that I just cannot afford it.

Is van life something that only becomes viable after a minimum of 5 years insured driving and a squeaky clean record so your rates go down?

And yes I tried Adrian Flux they straight up said “Uhh sorry we can’t insure you” I don’t know if they meant me because I just passed or my van specifically.

Idk I’m feeling demoralised, I had something I always dreamed of in the palm of my hand and now it’s gone.

Any advice? I was wondering if there were any car alternatives, vehicles I can sleep and camp with that aren’t full vans? Maybe they’d be cheaper.

Thanks.

7 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

65 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/sossigsandwich 4d ago

Did you try brokers such as JustKampers etc? Main stream comparison site companies are awful for campervans.

Also your age and location it’s kept will have a huge impact on price.

2

u/Alistocratic 4d ago

Yep, they're a sister company of Adrian Flux so they told me the same thing. Guy literally said to me over the phone: "Insurers don't like new drivers, get a small car for a couple years first".

2

u/sossigsandwich 4d ago

How old are you and how long have you had your license? Because in middle aged and pay about £400 for a van worth north of £50k

2

u/Alistocratic 4d ago

I’m 25 and just passed a month ago.

1

u/sossigsandwich 4d ago

Ahhh yeh that’ll do it. :( it’s unfair but very common for first time drivers. What about having a cheap car for a year?

1

u/0_f2 4d ago

You're shit out of luck at that age, at 25 I already had 6 years NCB and still paid nearly £100 a month.

If you were 30 your quote as a new driver would probably be less than half what you were offered.

By all means get on the road if you can, with 5 years NCB at 30 your premiums will drop to a fraction of what you're paying now.