Breakdown cover sold to a business is not the same product as the one sold with a car. It is rated on vehicles that are heavier, fuller and worth more per hour of downtime, and the limits that matter are the ones a personal policy never has to state.
Weight, length and whether the van qualifies
Every breakdown provider sets limits on the vehicles it will recover: a maximum gross weight, sometimes a maximum length and height, and often an age limit. A long wheelbase van, a tipper or a van with a tail lift can sit above the ceiling of a policy that looked suitable, and the recovery request is refused at the roadside rather than at renewal. Reading the vehicle specification against the policy limits is the whole purchase decision for most trades.
The load, and what happens to it
A van broken down on a motorway is usually carrying tools, materials or somebody else's goods. Standard cover recovers the vehicle and the driver; it does not undertake to move the load, guard it or deliver it. Business policies add onward transport of goods, storage, or a replacement vehicle capable of carrying the same load, and the last of those is the expensive part because a like for like replacement van is a different proposition from a courtesy car.
Cover following the vehicle or the driver
A policy written on the vehicle covers that registration whoever drives it, which suits a business where several people share a van. A policy written on the person covers that individual in any vehicle, which suits an owner who drives several. Fleets normally take the first, sole traders with a van and a car sometimes need both, and getting it the wrong way round means the cover exists and does not apply to the situation that arose.
Downtime is the real cost
For a trade the breakdown itself is rarely the expense; the lost day and the missed appointments are. That is why the extensions worth paying for are the ones that keep the business working: a replacement vehicle of the right size, onward travel, and a repair at the roadside rather than a tow to a distant garage. It is also why breakdown cover is not insurance against loss of income, which is a separate product with its own conditions.
Questions people ask about business breakdown cover
Is business breakdown cover different from personal cover?
Yes. It is rated for heavier vehicles, states weight and size limits, and adds the things a working vehicle needs such as onward transport of goods and a like for like replacement.
Will the provider move the goods in the van?
Not as standard. Onward transport of goods, storage and a replacement vehicle able to carry the same load are extensions rather than defaults.
Should cover be on the vehicle or the driver?
On the vehicle where several people share a van, on the person where one owner drives several vehicles. Fleets normally use vehicle based cover.