Tools in van insurance: what to check

Are tools included in van insurance?

Tools aren't usually covered by a standard van insurance policy. You may need tools in transit cover as an add-on or a separate policy.

Check the policy wording for the tools you carry, the places you take them and the conditions you must meet. Permission to carry tools for work doesn't mean those tools are insured against theft or damage.

Van cover and tools cover are different

Comprehensive van insurance can cover damage to your own van. It doesn't automatically mean your tools are included.

Our guide to the levels of van insurance cover explains how cover for the vehicle differs.

A plumber could have cover for damage to a van after a break-in, but no cover for the drill and testing equipment taken from it. The van and its contents need separate checks.

Carriage of own goods is a class of use. It allows you to carry your own tools for work, but doesn't itself insure them.

Read our guide to carriage of own goods for more on that distinction.

When you get a van insurance quote through Vancova, ask the specialist about tools cover as well as cover for the van.

What is tools in transit cover?

Tools in transit cover is usually an add-on to another policy or a separate policy. Read the wording to see which tools it includes and where cover applies.

Ask about theft and accidental damage separately, rather than assuming both are included.

A florist might carry cutting tools alongside flowers for a delivery. The tools and the flowers are different items to discuss with the insurer. Goods in transit cover insures the goods you carry.

Don't assume a tools policy includes your stock.

If you're delivering stock you've sold yourself, ask the insurer which class of use applies.

Ask what happens while tools are being loaded, carried into a customer's property or used at a job. The name of the cover alone won't answer those questions.

Check the limit per item and in total

Tools cover often has a limit for each item and a total limit. Both matter. A policy could have enough total cover for your kit while its single-item limit falls below the value of your most expensive tool.

Make an inventory before checking those limits. Include equipment that stays in the van and kit you load for particular jobs.

Batteries, chargers and specialist equipment can be easy to miss.

Ask how the policy treats a set of tools. For example, a drill, batteries and charger might be bought together. Check how the item limit would apply to that set.

The total limit matters if a whole toolbox is stolen. Add up what you carry and ask whether that limit applies per claim or across the policy year.

Check the excess for a tools claim too. Ask whether it's separate from the excess on your van cover, and how the insurer would value tools if you claimed.

Check the overnight conditions before leaving tomorrow’s tools in the van.

Read the overnight conditions

Tools cover often has conditions for equipment left in a van overnight. Check the exact wording, even if you usually park outside your home.

• What hours does the policy treat as overnight?
• Where can the van be parked during those hours?
• Must tools be removed or kept in specified secure storage?
• What locks or other security does the policy require?
• Does the wording set requirements for evidence of a break-in?

For a plumber finishing a late job, leaving the kit ready for tomorrow may be convenient. Check that routine against the policy conditions before relying on overnight cover. Ask the insurer to explain anything unclear.

Keep records and proof of ownership

Keep a record of your tools before anything goes missing. It gives you a way to check the amount of cover and explain what you owned if you need to claim.

1. Keep purchase records. Save receipts, invoices and other proof.
2. Identify each tool. Record its make, model and serial number where available.
3. Take photographs. Capture individual tools and your wider kit.
4. Update your inventory. Record tools you buy, replace or sell.
5. Store a copy elsewhere. Keep it accessible if the van and its contents are stolen.

If you bought tools second-hand or no longer have a receipt, ask the insurer what other evidence it would accept. Don't assume a photograph or bank statement will be enough on its own.

Explore how an excess affects what you pay towards a claim.

Make security part of your working day

Where practical, take tools out of the van when you've finished work. Lock the van whenever you leave it, even during a short stop. Keep keys secure and tools out of sight.

If you use a lockable tool chest or other storage, check it meets any requirements in the policy. Security equipment doesn't replace the need to follow the cover conditions.

Tell your insurer about changes to the van's original specification, including fitted racking. Even a change that seems minor should be declared. Keep your inventory current as your kit changes too.

Where else might your tools be insured?

Your tools may have cover under a separate tools policy or wider business equipment insurance. Check any policies you already hold, then ask the provider where that cover applies.

Work through the places your tools go: the van, your home, business premises and customers' properties. Ask about storage and use at each location.

Cover in one place doesn't establish that the tools are insured everywhere you take them.

If you keep work tools at home, ask your home insurer about them. Don't assume household contents cover includes business equipment or protects it while it's away from home.

Check whose tools are included as well. Ask specifically about hired equipment or tools belonging to someone who works with you, if you carry them.

Check the use of the van as well

A parcel courier may carry a trolley and work equipment alongside customers' parcels. Check those items separately. Goods in transit cover is usually separate from courier van insurance, and public liability is separate too.

Carrying other people's goods for payment needs hire and reward cover. Our courier van insurance guide explains that class of use.

Tools cover doesn't replace the correct class of use on your motor policy.

Getting a quote through Vancova

Start with the van insurance quote form at Vancova. A van insurance specialist will get in touch with your quote.

The FCA-authorised specialist explains the cover, gives any advice and arranges any policy you choose.

Sending an enquiry does not start cover. Insurance only starts when a policy is in place and its start date and time have been reached.

You pay Vancova nothing. PJG Financial Limited receives a fee from the specialist for enquiries passed on through Vancova.

Tools in van insurance questions

This guide is general information. Ask the specialist to explain your cover and check the policy terms.