Van insurance customers have been warned of the dangers of fronting, the practice whereby an older driver such as a parent is the named main driver when the main driver is in fact a younger person.
Van insurance companies and industry specialists including the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) have said that this policy, as well as being dishonest, is illegal and may invalidate a claim and, in some cases, lead to prosecutions.
An MIB spokesperson comments, "There is a lot of confusion amongst drivers about the importance of giving accurate information about the main driver to an insurer."
According to research by Co-operative Insurance, a large proportion of parents indulge in the practice, 41%, with 61% saying that they may do in the future, although it is not known what percentage of these policies are for van cover.
A spokesperson with van-only van insurance specialist iVan comments, "Fronting may seem tempting, but it can have very serious consequences and may even result in a policy being considered invalid or worse, a prosecution.
"There are other, legal, ways of getting cheaper insurance, such as comparing the market and looking for a quote from a van-only specialist."