Susan Difford

TPFT (third party fire and theft) is often picked on instinct rather than maths. Drivers assume it must be cheaper than fully comprehensive because it covers less, and on a low-value second car that's often true. On a daily-driver, the gap may close completely.

A common scenario is a buyer with a £4,000 car running a TPFT quote, seeing a sensible figure, and clicking buy without checking comprehensive at the same provider. The comprehensive quote at that same provider may be a few pounds higher, sometimes lower, because providers tend to rate comprehensive buyers as lower-risk overall. That extra cover includes accidental damage to your own car, which TPFT doesn't.

The other one is the theft picture itself. Police-recorded vehicle theft is still a meaningful loss event, even for older cars with relay-attack-vulnerable keyless entry. TPFT covers that loss where third party only doesn't, and that single difference is often why TPFT exists as a tier at all.

Owners of modified cars are sometimes surprised by how big the price spread is between providers on the same declared modification list. A Golf GTI with a Stage 1 remap and lowered suspension can attract very different quotes depending on which provider you ask, which makes comparing more useful here than on most standard cover.

A common pitfall is treating cosmetic and performance modifications as the same thing at quote stage. A vinyl wrap or a set of branded floor mats usually has little or no impact on the rating, while an engine remap or a performance exhaust often does. Declaring both honestly keeps the cover good either way, and lets the provider price the risk on its real shape.

The other one is photographs. Clear pictures of installed mods help providers price the risk accurately, and they also support a future claim if there's any question about whether a part was on the car. A few minutes with a phone camera at quote stage tends to save a lot of paperwork later. The GOV.UK vehicle tax classes page is also a good sense-check on whether structural changes affect a vehicle's classification.

The biggest surprise for many HGV drivers is that the LGV licence itself is already a positive rating factor on most provider panels. There's no separate HGV-driver product hiding behind a different door, which means a Class 1 tramping driver, a Class 2 rigid driver and a newly-qualified Cat C+E holder typically get the credential priced in by declaring it accurately on a normal panel quote.

The all-driver average sits at £560 (ABI Motor Premium Tracker, Q1 2026), but the more important number for many HGV drivers is the annual private-car mileage. For a tramping driver whose car sits at home three or four nights a week, the real private-car mileage is often much lower than a standard commuter's. Declaring an honest realistic figure rather than rounding up to a comfortable 10,000-mile bracket is what shifts the quote into the right band under CIDRA 2012 (the duty under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act not to misrepresent material facts).

Two-driver HGV households often reduce overall cost by moving both cars onto multi-car cover rather than running separate policies, particularly where a tramping driver away mid-week shares lower-mileage family driving with a regular-commute partner at home.

Before you compare motorhome insurance, check the basics that can change the quote: the V5C body type, vehicle weight, licence category, storage and how the motorhome is used.

A motorhome is not just a big van. The right route should reflect the living space, fitted equipment and leisure use, so the quote is built around the vehicle you actually drive.

Self builds are personal. The insurance still needs plain facts. Before comparing, make a short list of what has changed since the van left the factory, what it is worth now, where it is kept and how you use it.

The mistake I would avoid is insuring the vehicle as if it were still an empty van. A bed, kitchen, solar setup, pop-top or extra seats can change both the value and the way a provider looks at the risk. Photos and receipts are useful evidence, and safety paperwork may help where gas or electrical work has been fitted.

Do not overcomplicate the first quote. Be accurate, keep proof handy and ask whether the conversion value is reflected in the cover. That matters more than using the perfect technical label.