Types of cover
There are a range of covers you can include in your policy:
Vehicle cover
You’ll be asked to choose between:
- Fully comprehensive – covering third-party damage and claims, fire, theft, and damage to your van.
- Third-party, fire, and theft – which won’t cover the cost of your own repairs
- Third-party – which only covers repairs to the other vehicle
Please note, standard van insurance does not offer sufficient cover for an ice cream business. The insurer must be made aware if you're using your van for business purposes, as this is seen as a higher risk and requires more coverage.
Ice cream van public liability insurance
Public liability insurance for ice cream vans is used to deal with claims made against you by members of the public for injury or property damage. If your awning falls and hits a customer or someone tears their expensive jacket on a nail protruding from your countertop, you are liable to pay the associated costs. This cover will deal with compensation, medical bills, and legal fees.
Employers’ liability
Even if you only employ a staff member for a few hours at the weekend, the law still dictates that you must hold at least £5 million of employers’ liability to deal with staff claims for illness or injury. The only exception to this rule is if your employees are direct members of your family.
Equipment and stock
If your soft serve machine breaks or all your stock is stolen in a smash-and-grab, your business could grind to a halt. This type of cover allows you to quickly get your sweet treats up and running again, without losing you money.
Business interruption
If unforeseen circumstances prevent you from running your ice cream van, you can use this cover to compensate for a percentage of your lost earnings.