In February 2008 I bought a new Piaggio Porter van from the official dealer on a 57 plate. It was a small Panel Van with a 1300 cc petrol engine.

The V5 information was correct but when I went to insure it was showing up as a Pickup Van on the Motor Insurance Database (MID) . I did not really notice at the time and have been insured for over three years. Recently it was written off in an accident when I was rear ended and I was not to blame. I liked the van and have bought another one, a four year old on a 56 plate.

I called my insurance to get the policy changed over to the new van and during the course of the questioning I mentioned it was a Panel Van like the one it is replacing. After being put on hold a number times I was informed that they could not insure me as the vehicle was showing up as a Pickup Van not a Panel Van. I have had to cancel my insurance and take out a new policy with another company.

As this is the 2 nd Van with the same identity issue, how can I get it changed on the Motor Insurance Database (MID) ?

-As a side note, I got an online quote the night before I bought the 2nd van to confirm it was legit, then after I purchased it and tried change my original policy, the quote had increased by £50. Could the conversation with my original Insurance Company cause the quote price to go up £50 in 8 hours?