Pick-up trucks have come a long way since the original Toyota Hilux of the late 1960s and are now very much more comfortable and practical, capable of taking 5 people in comfort and carrying over 1 tonne in their load space.

Many people now use pick-ups as their family car since they offer the comfort and practicality of many 4x4s and a much cheaper cost, with the 6th generation Hilux being based on the Land Cruiser Prado.

Insuring a pick-up is very similar to insuring a van and many insurance companies treat them the same since they are still effectively designed as a commercial vehicle. So if you want to insure your pick-up then generally go for the commercial vehicle or van insurance section.

However with the list of optional extras that you can buy for pick-ups you must ensure that you declare these to your insurance company before you accept any quote from them as if you have a claim and they find out you have modified your pick-up then there is every possibility the insurance company will refuse to pay out on the claim. Even simple bedliners (the hard plastic protective cover for the bed of the pick-up) is a modification and will need to be declared if it was not fitted as standard to your pick-up.

Another issue with insuring a pick-up is that there are a great number of variations so it is essential that you pick the correct engine size, model type, cab type and year of manufacture since all of these affect the premium you will be quoted and ultimately whether the insurance company will cover you or not.

The Mitsubishi L200 is one of the most popular of the pick-ups in the UK today, with its stylish lines, large cab space, capable payload capacity and large list of optional extras it is easy to see why it is the pick-up of choice for both business and personal use alike. Insurance for the L200 is pretty straight forward as it is so common so most mainstream UK insurance companies will provide cover for it.

The latest in the pick-up range is coming to the UK in September - read about the VW Amarok pick-up