8:00 - 17:00

Opening Hour: Mon - Fri

+1 800-937-7209

Call Us For Free Consultation

Insure a Commercial Truck for Personal Use

Things to remember...

  • Commercial truck insurance covers a wide range of vehicles, from dump trucks to heavy-duty trucks.
  • Commercial auto insurance is generally more expensive than personal insurance.
  • If you operate two or more commercial vehicles, you should look for fleet insurance.

Don’t let finding private use truck insurance stress you out. Our guide breaks down commercial vehicle for personal use insurance so you can easily find out if your commercial truck qualifies for personal insurance or if you need commercial truck insurance.

Ready to start shopping for private use truck insurance? Enter your ZIP code in our rate comparison free tool above to find cheap auto insurance by comparing private use truck insurance quotes.

Table of Contents

Commercial Truck for Personal Use Insurance

Insuring a commercial vehicle for private use is possible. What is a commercial vehicle vs a personal vehicle? Commercial covers a wide range of vehicles, from dump trucks to heavy-duty trucks.

However, a car that is normally considered a personal vehicle may also be classified as a commercial vehicle if it is used for business, such as a taxi.

Here’s a quick video defining what a commercial vehicle is.

It is crucial that you have the proper type of insurance on your vehicle, but most drivers who owen a commercial vehicle are confused about whether they need personal insurance or commercial insurance.

The basic rule is that if you are not strictly using the commercial vehicle for personal activities, then you won’t qualify for personal insurance.

What is the difference between commercial and personal insurance? They both cover your vehicle, but commercial insurance covers the business use of a vehicle, while personal insurance covers the personal use of a vehicle.

Is commercial auto insurance cheaper than personal?

Commercial auto insurance is not cheaper than personal insurance. Commercial vehicles are used to transport people or supplies, which means a crash will result in higher property damage and personal injury claims.

Because of this, personal insurance is cheaper (as long as you qualify for personal insurance. If you chose a lower risk vehicle, it can also help lower rates.

What are the cheapest trucks to insure?  The cheapest trucks to ensure will be vehicles with low crash risk and great safety ratings. Having a common name brand truck will also help lower rates, as it means repair parts are easier to find.

Ready to buy private use truck insurance? Enter your ZIP code below to begin comparing great private use truck insurance rates.

Free Auto Insurance Comparison

Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap auto insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

How much does private use truck insurance cost?

To see how much it costs to insure a truck at various different providers, we’ve collected rates for two Ford trucks.

Average Annual Private Use Truck Insurance Rates by Company
CompaniesAverage Rates for a 2015 Ford F-150
Lariat SuperCab with 2WD 6.5 foot bed and 2.7L V6
Average Rates for a 2018 Ford F-150
Lariat SuperCab with 2WD 6.5 foot bed and 2.7L V6
USAA$2,551.56$2,855.69
Geico $3,092.11$3,338.40
State Farm $3,204.23$3,497.17
American Family $3,447.30$3,487.91
Nationwide $3,571.01$3,373.64
Grand Average $3,791.74$4,076.10
Progressive $3,914.05$3,962.58
Travelers $4,023.47$4,412.42
Farmers $4,093.50$4,390.19
Allstate $4,429.74$5,491.12
Liberty Mutual $5,830.16$5,988.85

Compare RatesStart Now →

These rates are based on regular trucks, so keep in mind that if you have a heavy duty truck, personal use insurance will cost more.

How to Determine if a Vehicle is for Commercial or Personal Use

Let’s say you bought a van to transport items around on your hobby farm. Because the van is for personal use and you aren’t using it to make money, it would likely qualify for personal insurance.

However, if you decide to start making money off your farm and use the van to make regular deliveries of fresh fruit to customers, you would need to get commercial insurance.

Commercial insurance is also sometimes known as fleet insurance for personal cars if you own more than one vehicle. If you have two cars that you use for your business, you would look for fleet insurance.

How do I change vehicle classification from commercial to personal?

“How do I change vehicle registration from commercial to personal? Can I insure a commercial vehicle privately?” Yes, you can change your registration if your situation has changed. For example, if you retired and now use your delivery van just for personal use, you can change your vehicle from commercial to personal insurance.

However, if there is any business use of personal vehicle insurance, insurers won’t qualify you for personal insurance. So if you do have a commercial vehicle for personal use, contact your insurer to get a new quote and policy for personal insurance and to cancel your commercial insurance policy.

You can also ask your insurer more questions about private insurance policies on commercial vehicles, such as a semi-truck insurance for private use or a Class 5 truck for personal use.

We hope our guide to private use truck insurance has helped you. If you want to start shopping for commercial or private insurance rates right away, enter your ZIP code in our free tool below.

Free Auto Insurance Comparison

Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap auto insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Frequently Asked Questions: Private Use Truck Insurance

Do you still have questions about how to rate a commercial vehicle for personal use? Read on to see what others are asking about commercial vehicle insurance for private use.

If my truck has commercial plates can I use it for private use? 

Can you insure a van for personal use if it has commercial plates? If your vehicle has commercial plates, it means it is used primarily for business and shouldn’t be used frequently for private use. However, if you take the commercial vehicle with commercial plates to pick up a pizza, there shouldn’t an issue with coverage if you get into an accident.

Is it legal to use a commercial vehicle for personal use?

Only if the vehicle is not being used solely for personal use. Using a commercial vehicle for personal use is known as off-duty use. If you drive your work vehicle home and use it to pick up the kids from soccer, it is completely legal.

However, if you lie on your insurance application and try to pass off your commerical vehicle as a personal vehicle, this falls under the Insurance Information Institute’s (III) definition of insurance fraud. Be as honest and accurate as possible about the use of your vheicle, but don’t worry about legal use, like using your work vehicle to pick up groceries.

Does commercial auto insurance cover rental cars?

If the vehicle is rented through your company’s corporation, it should be covered. Is rental car insurance necessary? Yes. You should always double-check with your insurer that they cover rental cars. If not, it is important that your company gets rental car insurance.

Who is insured under a commercial auto policy?

Any employee who drives your commercial vehicle will be covered under a commercial auto policy. However, you will need to add them onto your policy as a permissive user. Make sure you understand how to get a commercial auto insurance policy and the best savings before you commit to an insurer.

References:

  1. https://www.iii.org/article/background-on-insurance-fraud

Uncategorized

Subscribe Our Newsletter

This website uses cookies and other data for providing, improving our services. Get more. Got it