Our guide to pay-as-you-go delivery insurance

Why choose pay-as-you-go cover, how it works and how to get started with Zego.

At Zego, we offer insurance that’s suitable for all workers. Whether you’re looking to work for just a couple of hours per week or more regularly for a few months or a full year, we aim to provide you with a policy that suits your needs.

We know that getting the insurance you need to cover your work can be confusing. With so many options available to you, not to mention the jargon and technical terms you might come up against, it can feel like a daunting task to get the protection you need to be out on the road.

But we don’t want you to be confused about your insurance. That’s why we’ve put together this helpful guide on pay-as-you-go insurance to make understanding our products as simple as possible and to help you to decide whether pay-as-you-go is the right option for you.

Our pay-as-you-go insurance is designed to be as flexible as possible, covering you just for the hours that you’re working. We’ve also made it as simple as possible to sign up. Get an estimated price for the cost of your insurance below:

Once your account is active, you can use the Zego app to view your documents, manage your balance and look at your cover history.

How does it work?

With Zego’s pay-as-you-go insurance, you only pay for the cover you need, just for the time that you need it. We are partnered with work providing platforms to cover you for the exact time you are on shift. Your work provider will let us know when you start and stop making your deliveries, so you can get cover for the exact time that you need it.

What does it cover me for?

If you’re using Zego’s pay-as-you-go motor insurance, it’s important to note that you’ll need to have Social, Domestic & Pleasure (SD&P) insurance in place too. Our pay-as-you-go delivery insurance is called Hire & Reward (H&R) cover. It covers you for food delivery or courier work.

Everyday activities such as going to the shops or visiting a friend are covered under your SD&P insurance. It’s a legal requirement to have this insurance in place, so you must have this in place before you can use Zego’s pay-as-you-go H&R cover. Scooter riders can also purchase SD&P with Zego.

Is H&R insurance a legal requirement?

If you’re delivering food or parcels in return for payment, you’re required by law to have additional cover in place on top of your underlying SD&P insurance. Your insurance is in place to protect yourself and other road users while you are out making your deliveries.

As well as being a legal requirement, it can prove to be extremely useful should something go wrong when you are out working, as it can cover the cost of a claim that is made against you.

How much does it cost?

For scooter riders with a Zego SD&P policy, our pay-as-you-go H&R cover will cost £0.50 per hour. For all other riders, it will cost £0.70 per hour.

For car and van drivers, our pay-as-you-go rates can vary between £0.80 and £3.00 per hour. The exact hourly rate depends on a number of things and you can get an exact quote by downloading the Zego app and completing your registration.

For customers in the Republic of Ireland, our scooter insurance prices start from €0.70 per hour and our car prices begin at €1.10 per hour.

How does payment work?

Payment for our pay-as-you-go insurance is made using your Zego balance. It works a bit like an Oyster card or a top-up mobile phone. When you set your account up with Zego, you top up with an initial starting balance of £25. This money is stored in your account as credit to cover your first few shifts.

Once you’ve started your food delivery or courier work, you’ll pay for your cover using the credit in your Zego balance. Whenever the credit in your account drops below £5, it will automatically top up again, just to make sure you’ve always got enough money in your account to continue to take out your cover.

It’s important to note that any money in your Zego balance is still your money. If you ever decide to close down your account, we can always issue this money back to you as a refund.

What if I want to cancel?

If you want to close down your account with Zego, just get in touch with our friendly customer services team. We won’t charge any administrative costs for cancelling your insurance, and we can issue a refund for the remaining Zego balance.

Which insurance policy is right for me?

We recommend our pay-as-you-go products for riders and drivers who are working fewer than around 20 hours per week. For riders consistently working more than 20 hours per week, we provide 30-day and Annual options which may be more suitable for this type of work.

Our pay-as-you-go products are perfect for those looking to try out food delivery or courier work to see if it’s right for them, or for riders who do delivery work alongside other jobs as an additional source of income.

If you use our pay-as-you-go insurance but you begin to work more regularly, it’s easy to switch over to a fixed-term policy. Just get in touch with our team and we can give you a quote for 30-day or Annual insurance. We don’t charge you any administrative costs for switching between policies either.

How can I get started

Use the form below to get an estimated price for your insurance. If you have any questions, you can always get in touch with our friendly Customer Service team on 020 3308 9800. We're available 7 days a week and we'll be happy to help.