Van driver stats come in all shapes and sizes, but some of the latest (polled in February 2021 and commissioned by Lombard Vehicle Solutions) give us a strange insight.

For instance, 14% of the 500 van driving adults questioned rated David Attenborough's Blue Planet II as enthralling, while 10% cited Downton Abbey as their favourite TV Show.

One in four van drivers said they followed a vegan or vegetarian diet and 44% took offense at the notion that "van drivers" have a poor diet.

Perhaps more interestingly, the poll also showed that each year the average van driver will cover 16,000 miles in a van, spend 702 hours driving and consume 728 hot drinks at the wheel (while stationary, we hope).

The environmentally friendly van driver

The survey asked van drivers for their opinions on electric vans and the answers provided some interesting statistics about electric vans and the potential barriers to uptake:

• 38% of van drivers believe there are not enough charging facilities to fuel electric vans on the job
• 43% of van drivers are concerned about the range of electric vans
• 47% of van drivers have concerns about the high initial outlay of electric vans
• 40% of van drivers would consider buying an electric vehicle when they need to replace their current van
• 3 in 5 van drivers say the availability of electric vehicle grants might make them switch

However, with recent news that fuel prices are now at their highest levels for three years, electric vans may become more attractive as van drivers weigh up the benefits against the barriers.

Van insurance statistics

In May 2021, the Insurance Times said that the price of van insurance premiums had fallen by 2% since March 2020. There has been a 5.5 % drop in premiums for van drivers who use their van under a social, domestic and pleasure (SDP) policy, while van drivers using their vans solely for business saw a 0.9% drop in their premium prices.

The average policy price for a UK van driver is now £1,055 (£1,010 for SDP users and £1,070 for business use policies).

Policy prices for electric vans have largely appeared to be higher than for their diesel and petrol counterparts, however, as historic van insurance data builds and more insurance providers start to sell cover for electric vans, it's hoped that premiums will start to fall. As with most new technology it takes a while before prices for the related infrastructure stabilise and begin to show parity with the mainstream.

How to find cheap van insurance

Whether you're looking for any driver van insurance for an electric van, young driver van insurance for a diesel model or whether you need business use only cover or SDP insurance, the best advice for buyers is to shop around.

At iVan we can take the strain for you by automatically providing the most suitable insurance for your needs that we can find, at the best price. We are van insurance specialists and understand the needs of tradespeople who rely on their vans.

Talk to iVan today to get the cheap van insurance that's right for you (and we definitely won't ask you if you think Downton Abbey is great!)