Minibus Insurance
Minibuses can serve many different purposes, they can be used as a taxi service, for schools, charities, nursing homes, or they could also be a private vehicle for a family. They may however, be more difficult to insure due to the higher risks involved, mainly due to them being larger and more expensive vehicles, as well as them carrying a greater number of passengers. The type of insurance you will need will depend on the use of your minibus.
The DVLA will class a vehicle as a minibus if it has between 9 and 16 seats, they have surrounding windows and weigh less than 3.5 tonnes. Some people will get minibuses and MPV’s mixed up, but a multipurpose vehicle only has 7 seats so it is not classed as a minibus. The reason you need specialist insurance for your minibus is simply because there are extra considerations the insurers will need to take into account, which is why it is not possible to insure your minibus on a standard van or car policy.
Levels of cover
One of the things that is the same between minibus insurance and standard car insurance is the levels of cover.
Comprehensive
This is the highest level of cover you can get for minibus insurance. This will insure you against damage to yourself or your vehicle, even if the accident was your fault. You will also be covered for third parties, fire and theft.
Third party, fire and theft
This gives you third party cover as well as insuring you against fire damage and theft or your vehicle.
Third party only
This is legally the minimum level of cover you need to be able to drive your minibus on the road. You will be covered for any damage you may cause to a third party, their vehicle or their property.
Is minibus insurance expensive?
There is no definite answer to this as all insurance policies are tailored to the individual's circumstances. Although it is worth bearing in mind that due the greater risk and expense of the vehicle, there is a good chance that a minibus policy would be more expensive than a standard car policy, although it is not always the case. You can find fair and competitive quotes by using Insurance1 for your minibus insurance.
Can I drive a minibus?
There are a few legal requirements you need to meet to be able to drive a minibus;
- You need to be aged 21 or older
- You need to have had a driving licence for at least 2 years
- You need to meet ‘Group 2’ medical standards. If you are aged over 70, you should check with your GP to see if you meet these standards.
- The maximum weight of the minibus is not more than 3.5 tonnes or 4.25 tonnes if it is installed with specialist equipment for carrying disable passengers.
- You are not towing a trailer
Why use Insurance1?
We understand that choosing the right minibus insurance can be complicated, but Insurance1 can make this process much simpler. All you need to do is fill out one of our online forms and then suitable insurers will be in contact with you, so you just need to sit back and wait for the phone to ring and you will be offered insurance policies which suit your needs.
| Product | Lowest Price | Highest Price | Customer Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minibus Insurance | insurance1.com | £499.12 | £4501.34 | 4.84 / 5 |
Pricing claim generated from smallest and largest base premiums of policies sold from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2019 from one of our partners.
Customer product rating is based on 72 reviews from a range of 1 to 5, where 5 being the best.