More than 20% of catering vans are not stored securely overnight, according to new data from Quotezone.co.uk.
While the insurance comparison website found that a majority of catering van owners were able to keep their vehicles in a garage or driveway, one fifth of business owners are forced to park their catering vans in an insecure car park or on the side of the road, which in some cases could be putting their livelihoods at risk. Additionally, keeping vehicles and kit in insecure locations pushes up the cost of their catering van insurance.
Quotezone.co.uk’s research, which is based on a sample of 2,000 catering van insurance policies, also revealed that the average value of a catering van clocked in at £10,500 this year, while the accompanying kit was valued at an average of £5,900, with both valuations up by approximately £1,000 on last year.
Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk comments: “It’s great to see catering re-emerging as lockdown eases, and with staycations and hopefully some good weather it could be a bumper summer for many of these small businesses.
“However, all the preparation, investment, hard work and promise of the summer season could come to nothing if vans and their kit are stolen or vandalised. It’s easy to overlook in the rush to make the best of the season, but it could prove costly.
“While many catering van owners may not have access to off-street parking at their own homes, particularly if they live in urban centres, it might be worth looking into the possibility of renting a separate garage, lock-up or off-street parking space. While this would obviously increase the business’s overheads a little, it could help avoid theft and might also help reduce catering van insurance premiums in the process.”
Quotezone.co.uk is one of the UK’s leading price comparison websites, recommended by 97% of reviewers and helping around 3 million users every year to compare quotes across 60 different products, including catering van insurance, burger van insurance and catering trailer insurance.