Van signwriting

Posted by on July 25th, 2018

There are lots of vans on the road in the UK and a huge number of them are white. So, if you want your van to stand out, getting your van wrapped or adding signage to it is one way to do it.

Here’s everything you need to know about van signwriting.

Why would you get signwriting on your van?

There are lots of reasons why you may want to add some custom signwriting to your van but one of the main reasons van owners take the plunge is because they want to promote their company.

Carrying your business name, contact details and logo is a great form of advertising for businesses of any size, and it’s relatively cheap too.

If you use your van on most working days and make multiple trips throughout the day, your business is going to be seen by a lot of people – in cities, it’s estimated that up to 3,000 people will see your van per hour – so you can see why so many people decide to add signwriting to their van.

Are there any downsides to van signwriting?

There are lots of positives to adding custom signwriting and wraps to your van but there are a couple of downsides too.

Publicising what your van is used for and therefore what’s potentially inside your van, arguably makes it an attractive proposition for would be thieves, so there is a school of thought that your van is more likely to be broken into.

While there’s no proof to back that up, it’s one of the reasons 40% of business van owners opt against customising the outside of their vehicles.

The second issue is that it could impact your insurance policy and potentially the amount you pay for your cover.

How signwriting can affect your van insurance

As you’re altering your van, signwriting is classed as a modification, which must be declared to your insurance provider.

What happens next is up to your insurer.


Some may raise your premium because signwriting could increase the cost of repairs in the event of a claim, while others might do nothing.

The good news for anyone with their heart set on adding signwriting to their van is that some insurers see it as a positive for a few different reasons:

    • 1. You’re more likely to drive carefully while driving in a van that advertises your business, making you less of a risk on the road
    • 2. Some insurers believe an easily identifiable van is less likely to be stolen.

    Compare van insurance quotes here.

    Different types of van signwriting

    Signwriting and wraps are the two main types of van customisation and both involve vinyl.

    Signwriting uses a stencil and adhesive vinyl to create the sign and usually costs around £150 to be fitted to both sides of the van, as well as the front and rear on a small van.

    That cost rises to around £250 for a large van.

    A wrap uses vinyl to cover the van but is much more expensive than signwriting, but a lot depends on how long you want the wrap to last for.

    Some last as long as ten years while others can be much more temporary, with prices rising to up to £2,500 for a large van.

    Partial wraps are also available and are much cheaper. They usually cost around £1,000.

    What about magnetic signs?

    Along with signwriting and wraps, van owners can also buy magnetic signs built to order to fit to your van.

    But one word of warning, they can fall off at speed on the motorway.

    How to get your van insured

    If you’ve got a van complete with signwriting or wraps, you can compare insurance quotes with online and over the phone.

    Over the phone, you can explain any modifications you have on your van easily to make sure you’ve got the cover you need.

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