COURIER VAN INSURANCE

To work as a courier, you need a type of insurance called hire and reward (H&R). It covers you for making deliveries in your own vehicle. You’ll also need a social, domestic and pleasure (SD&P) policy — that’s the usual type of insurance you have for personal driving, like trips to the shops or visiting friends.

Make sure that your H&R policy includes legal and public liability insurance. That will keep you protected if you’re involved in an accident and you cause an injury to someone, or damage to their vehicle.

Depending on the type of courier work you do, you might also need goods in transit insurance, which protects the items or parcels you’re delivering.

Courier insurance can be a bit more expensive than standard motor insurance, as the risk of being involved in an accident is higher. As a courier or delivery driver, you’re likely to drive more miles than a regular driver, and at busier times of the day, too. This increases your risk of being involved in a collision, which pushes the cost up.

As with any motor insurance, it’s good to get a few quotes before you buy. It’ll help you to find the right courier insurance at the right price for you.

As a self-employed courier, you’ll need a hire and reward (H&R) policy, alongside your usual social, domestic and pleasure (SD&P) insurance. That will keep you covered while you’re driving for work, and while making personal trips in your vehicle.

As mentioned above, you should make sure that your H&R policy includes public liability insurance, in case you’re involved in an accident and found to be at fault.

Your standard car insurance for personal driving (SD&P) probably won’t cover you for courier or delivery work. It usually only covers you for personal trips, or while driving to and from work. To make deliveries in your van, you’ll need a hire and reward policy. You might hear this referred to as delivery insurance, courier insurance or courier van insurance.

To get a van courier policy with us, you'll need to meet the following criteria:

We work with a number of delivery partners, ranging from food to parcel delivery. With our Annual Combo policy, you can use your policy with any company.

Your courier van policy covers your van and your liability to other people, including public liability as standard. The parcels themselves are a different thing. They are covered by a separate type of insurance called goods in transit, which pays out if the items you are delivering are lost, stolen or damaged on the road. Whether you need it depends on the work you do and what the company you deliver for asks of you. Check your delivery contract first, then check your policy documents, so you know exactly where you stand.

Yes. Hire and reward cover applies while you are driving for delivery work, whether the van is loaded, half empty or completely empty. The drive back from your last drop is still work driving, and so is the run to your first pickup. Our Annual Combo policy also includes social, domestic and pleasure cover, so your personal trips are covered on the same policy. Going to the shops or picking up the kids does not need anything separate.

Not with us. Our Annual Combo policy comes with both hire and reward and social, domestic and pleasure cover, and you can use it with any company. So you can run a parcel round on Monday, take delivery blocks midweek and drop off takeaways at the weekend, all on the same policy. That matters, because delivery work changes. Signing up to a new platform should not mean starting again with your insurance.

Yes. It is the paid delivery that matters, not how many hours you do. The moment you carry goods for payment, your standard car or van insurance stops covering you and you need hire and reward cover instead. Driving delivery work without it is illegal, and it can mean fines, penalty points or your van being seized. If your hours vary a lot, say so when you get a quote. With Zego Sense, our app-based telematics cover, driving well can also mean a better price.

Courier cover costs more than everyday van insurance because you drive more miles at busier times, but four things bring the price down. Pick the cover level that fits your work: Third Party Only is our essential level, and Fully Comprehensive protects your van as well as other people. Add no-claims discount protection, so one at-fault claim does not wipe out your discount. Park somewhere secure overnight where you can. And keep building a claim-free record, because good driving keeps claims down over time.

Our courier van insurance is an annual policy. You can pay for it in one go or spread the cost with monthly instalments, so you are not paying for a year upfront. If you deliver by car rather than van, our car delivery insurance comes as pay-as-you-go or 30-day cover.