Does Van Insurance Provide Windscreen Cover?
Caeva O'Callaghan | December 6th, 2023
You’re driving along when out of the corner of your eye you spot a tiny chip in your windscreen – will it be covered by your van insurance?
It depends on whether you have comprehensive cover or third party, fire and theft. Third party only will never provide windscreen cover for your van.
You can normally get windscreen cover as an add-on if you’re particularly worried about replacing the windscreen of your van.
In this article, we’ll cover the following questions:
- Which van insurance covers windscreens?
- My windscreen is cracked – will my van insurance pay for repairs?
- How does my windscreen get damaged?
Whether you’ll be able to claim back the cost of repairing or replacing your windscreen depends on the type of damage and how it happened. Read on to find out more.
Which van insurance covers windscreens?
All van insurance companies, with the exception of Axa, provide some level of windscreen cover when you have a comprehensive policy on your van. This means as long as your cover is comprehensive, you needn’t worry what happens to your windscreen.
If your van insurance policy is with Axa, you will need to state that you wish to pay for windscreen cover as an add-on to your policy.
All companies allow you to add on windscreen cover if you have third party, fire and theft cover for a small additional charge, with one exception: Allianz.
Every time you buy or renew your van insurance, you need to check your policy wording thoroughly. This is because the type and extent of cover you can buy will vary massively from insurer to insurer. The type of claim one provider offers may not be supported by the next.
My windscreen is cracked – will my van insurance pay for repairs?
It depends if you have windscreen cover included in your policy. If you are covered for windscreen repairs, you will also need to check with your insurer if they have a preferred windscreen repair service.
Some insurance companies won’t mind if you use your local garage or a nationally recognised windscreen specialist. Others have specific companies in mind and you won’t be able to use anyone else.
It’s vital that you arrange to fix chips as soon as you notice them. A chip left unfixed can weaken your windshield and cause cracks to form. Don’t let a small, easily repaired chip turn into a large crack, because that will require a full windshield replacement!
If you drive regularly on gravelly roads or worry about your windscreen, it’s vital that you shop around for the right cover for your van.
How does my windscreen get damaged?
Damage to your van windscreen can happen anywhere, at any time. Windshield damage falls into two categories: chips and cracks (however, it’s possible to have both at once).
First of all, chips generally occur after a small rock or piece of debris hits your windshield. You will almost always find chips on the outer layer of your front windshield glass. It will be made of laminate glass, which is made of several panes of glass separated by a layer of plastic. This makes it shatterproof – but it also means that debris hitting your windshield will cause tiny pieces of glass to “flake off.”
A normal chip is a small piece of glass missing from the windshield. A combination break involves multiple types of damage, such as a chip with cracks radiating out from it.
Cracks usually happen on the front windshield, but can occur on any pane of glass in your van. Unlike chips, cracks can form without any impact happening. They can occur from temperature changes to faults in your van’s manufacture.
If you’re worried about the integrity of your van’s windscreen, our friendly and knowledgeable experts can help you find the perfect cover in no time. Give us a call today between 8.30am and 5.30pm each weekday on 0818 224433 or 042 9359051.