Category Archives: Insurance
Becoming an Uber Driver in London
Since it was first launched in 2009, taxi booking app Uber has become popular in many countries around the world.
It’s popularity continues to grow in the UK and in particular in London, where many residents have opted to become an Uber driver.
If you have thought about becoming an Uber driver in London then the guide below should prove very helpful.
Requirements
The are certain requirements you must meet in order to be eligible to work as an Uber driver. In addition to being at least 21 years old and having a full UK driver’s licence, you must also have the required amount of driving experience.
Because Uber taxis are private hire, you’ll also need to hold a private hire taxi driver’s licence.
Getting a licence
In order to get a private hire licence, you’ll need to apply to TfL for it. To qualify for a private hire licence you’ll need to pass a medical test, be of good character and also pass a competence test.
You’ll also need to have a driver’s licence and be at least 21.
Getting a vehicle
If you work as an Uber driver then you’ll need to have your own vehicle. Uber requires that their drivers have a car that is 2008 or newer. The vehicle must be either a 4 door car or minivan, be free of cosmetic damage and have no commercial branding on it.
Uber offer a number of buying and rental deals for drivers that don’t already have a suitable car.
Getting insurance
There are many insurance providers who offer Uber insurance and you are able to get the exact level of cover you require depending on your budget.
The cheapest type of cover you can get is a third party only policy. Although this provides no real protection for your own vehicle it does make your vehicle road legal.
You can also add other types of cover to an Uber driver insurance policy, such as breakdown assistance, personal injury, legal expenses and windscreen repair.
If you want to save money on cover then below are some good ways to do this –
- Get a lot of quotes – Getting quotes from many providers is an excellent way to save money on Uber insurance since it prevents you from overspending.
- Pay upfront – If you’re able to pay for your insurance at the beginning of the policy for an entire year rather than monthly then most insurance will offer you a good discount.
- Increase excess – Increasing the excess on your policy is another easy way to save money.
A Guide to Truck Insurance
Whether you are an owner driver or have your own trucking firm, you must make sure that you’re protected by getting a good truck insurance policy.
To help you make the right decisions, below are the different types of truck insurance available as well as some great ways to keep costs down.
Types of truck insurance
- Road risks – Road risks insurance is a necessity for all vehicles in the UK in order for them to be road legal. When getting road risks cover for your truck(s) you can choose from a third party only policy; third party, fire and theft; or fully comprehensive.
- Fleet insurance – If you have a number of trucks that you need to insure together then you can do this by getting a fleet insurance policy. Fleet insurance often ends up being cheaper than getting individual policies too so it’s a good way to save money.
- Liability claims – Liability claims are something that all business owners must be prepared for. You can get a good amount of liability cover included in a truck insurance policy to ensure your business is fully protected.
- Legal expenses – Fighting liability claims in court can get very expensive so having legal expenses included in your policy is certainly not a bad idea.
Ways to save money on truck insurance
- Get a lot of quotes – Getting a lot of quotes will help you to save money on truck insurance since it will prevent you from overspending on a policy you could have gotten cheaper from another provider. Sites such as https://www.cleangreencars.co.uk/ truck-insurance/ make it very easy to get truck insurance quotes from different providers.
- Hire good drivers – When you’re hiring drivers, you always need to think about how they’ll affect the cost of your insurance. Reliable drivers that have plenty of truck driving experience and don’t have any convictions will be the cheapest to insure.
- Secure your premises – Making your premises secure will also help to lower the cost of your insurance since you’re less likely to have your vehicles damaged or stolen.
A Guide to Motor Trade Insurance
Any businesses that deal with vehicles, whether it’s working on them, cleaning them, transporting them, buying and selling etc. has to have motor trade insurance.
Motor trade insurance is a type of cover that provides protection for the common risks that are involved in running a business in the motor trade.
If you are thinking of starting a motor trade business or are just interested in how motor trade insurance works then below is a guide to help you.
Types of motor trade insurance
- Road risks – This type of cover is vital when you work in the motor trade. It will ensure that you and your employees are able to work on and drive customer vehicles. You can choose what level of protection you want from third party only; third party, fire and theft; and fully comprehensive.
- Liability claims – Liability claims are a risk for all types of businesses, especially those that are in the motor trade. Having a good amount of public liability cover included in your policy is therefore always recommended.
- Part-time motor trade insurance – If you work in the motor trade only part-time then you can get a policy that covers you only for when you need it.
- Combined motor trade insurance – A combined motor trade insurance policy enables you to protect all aspects of your business together. This means you can get cover for road risks as well as protecting your premises, tools, stock and cash.
Some of the benefits of getting quotes online
- Save time – A big benefit of getting motor trade insurance quotes online is that you can save a lot of time. Usually it’s simply a case of filling out one quote form to get quotes from several different providers. This is much easier than calling different providers by phone.
- Save money – By getting quotes very easily, you can compare them and pick the one that’s the best value for money. This is one of the best ways to make sure you get the best deal on motor trade insurance.
- Easily adjust your policy options – Getting cover online means you can easily add and remove cover options as you desire.
Working as a HGV Driver in London
Working as a HGV driver in general can be very stressful but when you add London driving conditions into the mix, it amplifies that even more. That being said, working as a HGV driver does come with some benefits. If you enjoy being on the road and don’t want to be stuck behind a desk all day then working as a HGV driver could be the perfect career for you.
Below are some of the practical things you need to consider as well as some advice on getting HGV insurance.
Things you need to consider
- Suitability for the job – One of the most important things you need to think about is your suitability for the job. Not only will working as a HGV driver in London be very stressful at times but you’ll need to have a good amount of experience either working as a HGV driver or have done plenty of training. If you don’t deal with stress well then it’s almost certainly not the job for you.
- Available hours – You also need to consider whether you’re prepared to work long and anti-social hours, as this is often expected of HGV drivers.
- Insurance – Another thing you may need to take care of in order to work as a HGV driver is insurance. There are some companies who cover their drivers but if you need to take care of it yourself then you’ll need to think about the cost and exactly what type of cover you need to get.
Where to get HGV insurance
There are many places you can get HGV insurance quotes online, including sites such as Multiquote Truck. When looking for quotes it’s always important to get them from specialist providers.
You should also take any steps you can to lower the cost of HGV insurance. Getting a lot of quotes is a very good way to do this. Other ways to save money on HGV insurance include paying for your policy upfront, making your vehicle more secure and getting a limited mileage policy.
Is it Harder to Get Insurance When You Have a Conviction?
If you have a conviction, whether it’s for a motoring offence or other type of crime, then you might worry that getting insurance for your home and your vehicle will be more challenging. It’s certainly true that insurance providers consider people with convictions to be higher risk and that some won’t even consider insuring you if you have a criminal conviction.
That being said – there are ways around this problem and finding both home and car insurance at a reasonable price needn’t be an impossible task.
Car insurance
If you have a vehicle then car insurance is a must in order for it to be road legal. By far the best way to get car insurance when you have a conviction is to go to a specialist provider. There are many providers of car insurance for people with convictions who will take the unique circumstances of your conviction into account when calculating the cost of your policy.
Home insurance
Another thing that can be challenging to get from a mainstream provider when you have a conviction is home insurance. Luckily there are also many providers of home insurance for people with convictions so this isn’t an issue.
Why get cover online?
There are some compelling reasons to get insurance online when you have a criminal conviction. These include –
- Getting quotes easy – One of the main reasons that getting insurance online is a good idea is that it makes getting quotes incredibly easy. There are plenty of insurance comparison sites out there where all you need to do to get quotes from different providers is fill out one form.
- Tailor your policy to your exact needs – When getting cover online, you can clearly see what cover options are on the policy as well as other details. This makes it very simple to see what you want to add or take off the policy so it suits your individual needs.
Ways to save money
- Get quotes from a lot of providers – This is one of the best ways to ensure that you get the best deal on both car and home insurance.
- Pay for the policy annually – If you can afford to pay upfront then be sure to negotiate the best deal possible for the policy.
- Make security a priority – Making your home and car secure will certainly help to reduce the cost of your insurance.
Insuring a Mini Fleet
Whether you have a personal collection of cars or you run a business that relies on the use of 2-5 vehicles, mini fleet insurance provides a way to insure your vehicles together in a way that’s cheap and convenient.
There are now many great places you can find mini fleet insurance online, such as https://www.cheapfleet.co.uk/ so getting a policy at a reasonable price should not be an issue.
If you’re considering getting mini fleet insurance then below are some of the biggest advantages of it.
Why consider mini fleet insurance?
- It’s cheaper – One of the most obvious benefits of mini fleet insurance is that it usually works out cheaper compared to insuring your vehicles on separate policies. The cost of a mini fleet policy will depend on various factors, including how many vehicles you’re insuring, the value of the vehicles, how secure they are and the named drivers. However in most cases a fleet policy will be cheaper.
- It’s easier – Another big benefit of mini fleet insurance is that it’s easier to manage. Having one policy for all your vehicles rather than separate policies for each means there’s less paperwork and it’s easier to make a claim.
- A great option for small business owners – If you run a small business with between 2 and 5 vehicles, whether they’re vans, cars or any other type of vehicle, then you can get them insured together under one convenient policy.
Ways to save money
- Hire reliable drivers – If you’re getting mini fleet insurance for your business then one of the best ways to save money is by hiring reliable drivers who are over the age of 25. The age of your named drivers always makes a big difference since younger drivers are much more likely to be involved in a collision statistically.
- Secure your vehicles – Making your vehicles secure is another way to cut down the cost of mini fleet insurance. The vast majority of modern vehicles come with an alarm as standard but you should also make sure the vehicles are securely parked when not in use.
- Get quotes from different insurance providers – Getting quotes from different insurance providers is easier than ever to do now and is one of the best ways you can save money on mini fleet insurance.