It used to be that a van was the cheapest possible thing to insure, people caught on and started buying them for normal use and that caused premiums to increase. If your son is going to be self-employed, get the vehicle insured under a "trade" policy. This is NOT a motor trade policy, but a BUSINESS use policy. Have it so the business buys and insures the vehicle, and your son does not own it. Your son may need to create an ltd company to do this. He can then get a policy that covers anyone to drive. The problem your son has is his age though. Not many will want to cover him if he is under 21. He needs to add other older drivers to the policy, regardless of whether they use it, and that should bring it down. The best thing to do is to go to an insurance broker, rather than me recommend an insurer. They can then find the appropriate policy for him.