What your private hire insurance covers, whether delivery work is included, and what your certificate has to say before an app will accept it.
Yes, if the policy says so. Private hire insurance is hire and reward cover for carrying passengers, and delivery is hire and reward cover for carrying goods. Some private hire policies include both. Others cover passengers only, and a delivery-only policy never covers passengers. The wording on your certificate decides which one you hold.
Zego's private hire insurance includes food and parcel delivery and personal driving in the same policy. You can switch between passenger jobs and delivery shifts without changing your cover. This guide explains what to check on any policy, what Uber and the other apps look for on the certificate, and what Zego includes.
Can I carry out delivery work with a private hire insurance policy?
Yes, Zego private hire includes delivery work as standard
With a Zego private hire policy you are covered for delivery work, such as carrying food or parcels in exchange for payment. This is included in both the third party only and fully comprehensive options, so one policy covers both kinds of shift.
If your private hire insurance is with another provider, check the policy documents. Delivery may be included, available on request, or excluded, and only the documents will tell you which. Do not drive a delivery shift on cover that stops at passengers.
If you deliver for Uber Eats, follow our step-by-step guide to linking your Zego account.
What your certificate has to say
The apps check the certificate, not the brochure. Uber's delivery insurance page asks for a Certificate of Motor Insurance that covers food delivery, or hire and reward not excluding food delivery. Two phrases matter:
- Hire and reward. The class of use that covers being paid to carry people or goods. Standard social, domestic and pleasure cover does not include it.
- Not excluding food delivery. Some hire and reward certificates carry an exclusion for food or fast-food delivery. If yours does, Uber will reject it even though the words 'hire and reward' are there, and other apps apply similar checks.
The same logic runs the other way. A delivery-only hire and reward policy is written for goods, so it does not cover passengers. If you want to do both, the certificate needs to cover both.
What else is included in Zego's private hire insurance?
As well as private hire, delivery and personal use (social, domestic and pleasure), the policy includes public liability cover, and three optional add-ons are available:
- Public liability: cover up to £10m, included as standard
- Breakdown cover: combined roadside, recovery and home cover within the UK, as an optional add-on
- No claims discount protection: protects your no-claims years for one at-fault claim, as an optional add-on
- Licensed replacement vehicle: a replacement car licensed for private hire work while yours is repaired, as an optional add-on
Choose 30-day or annual cover to suit your schedule. Your certificate uploads to Uber, Bolt and Freenow instantly, so the apps have it straight away.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do Uber Eats on my Uber private hire insurance?
Only if the certificate covers food delivery, or hire and reward without a food delivery exclusion. That is Uber's own test. On a Zego private hire policy the answer is yes, because delivery is included as standard.
Does delivery insurance cover passengers?
No. A delivery-only hire and reward policy is written for carrying goods. Carrying passengers for payment needs private hire cover and a private hire driver licence, so if you do both you need a policy that names both.
Do I need to tell my insurer I deliver as well as drive passengers?
Yes, if the policy does not already include it. Delivery is a different use of the car, and driving a shift the policy does not cover can leave a claim unpaid. With Zego, delivery is already part of the private hire policy.
How can I get started with a quote for private hire insurance?
Get a private hire quote online. It takes a few details about you, your licence and your car.
For more on how the cover works, see our private hire insurance page.
Last Updated: 15th September 2026
References
- Uber, delivery driver insurance. Cited for the certificate wording an Uber Eats driver needs: cover for food delivery, or hire and reward not excluding food delivery.
- Zego, private hire insurance. Cited for food and parcel delivery and personal driving being included in one policy at both cover levels, third party only and fully comprehensive, and for 30-day and annual cover. Also cited for public liability up to £10m and instant certificate upload to Uber, Bolt and Freenow. The optional add-ons are cited as described there: breakdown as combined roadside, recovery and home cover within the UK, a replacement car licensed for private hire work, and no-claims protection for a maximum of one at-fault claim.
- Zego, hire and reward insurance. Cited for hire and reward being the class of use for paid passenger and delivery work.
- GOV.UK, driver licences for taxis and private hire vehicles. Cited for a driver licence being required to carry passengers for payment.
