Taxi insurance in Liverpool
Cover for private hire drivers across Liverpool and Merseyside
Get a quote in minutes and pick the cover that fits how you drive.
Hire and reward cover for private hire work
Liverpool, Sefton or Knowsley badge, same cover
Monthly or annual policies
Driving private hire on Merseyside? Get a personalised quote in a few minutes
Private hire insurance for Liverpool and Merseyside drivers
Private hire drivers need hire and reward cover, meaning insurance to carry paying passengers for a living. Standard car insurance will not cover that work.
Your badge came from one particular council, and on Merseyside that could be Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens or Wirral. The Department for Transport recognises that private hire vehicles are sometimes licensed by one authority while working mainly in another.
Whichever council badged you, the cover you need is the same. We insure private hire drivers licensed by authorities across England, Scotland and Wales.
See our private hire insurance page for how our cover works.
Your badge came from one particular council, and on Merseyside that could be Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens or Wirral. The Department for Transport recognises that private hire vehicles are sometimes licensed by one authority while working mainly in another.
Whichever council badged you, the cover you need is the same. We insure private hire drivers licensed by authorities across England, Scotland and Wales.
See our private hire insurance page for how our cover works.
Choose your cover level
Two levels, in plain English, for Liverpool private hire drivers
Third Party Only
The legal minimum. Covers damage or injury you cause to other people, their vehicles and their property. It will not cover your own car.
Fully Comprehensive
The highest level of protection. You get everything a third party policy gives you, plus cover against theft or damage to your own vehicle. You can add optional extras on top.
How your cover works
- Monthly or annual. Choose Monthly (30 days) or Annual (12 months) cover. Monthly suits drivers between operators or waiting on a plate. Annual suits private hire work as your main income.
- How your price works. Pick a Sense policy, our app-based telematics insurance, and good driving is recognised at renewal. Prefer something traditional? There is a non-telematics option.
- Rewards. On a Sense policy you get points for driving well and swap them for gift cards from brands like Amazon, Tesco and Greggs.
- Everything in the app. Documents, certificates and support, a few taps away.
What Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley each ask for
Three neighbouring councils, three different rulebooks. Worth knowing which one applies to you before you apply or renew.
- Liverpool. Liverpool City Council wants an enhanced DBS certificate issued in the past six weeks, a Street Knowledge Test and a medical certificate. You also need to pass the Liverpool Standard Part 1 before the council will consider your application.
- Sefton. Sefton Council wants a driving licence you have held for at least 12 months, and a knowledge test of 10 questions that you can sit with the Licensing Handbook in front of you. Seven correct answers is a pass.
- Knowsley. Knowsley Council wants a driving licence held for at least 12 months, an enhanced DBS dated within two months of your application, a Group II medical, and a Level 2 Qualification in Transporting Passengers by Taxi and Private Hire.
- The DBS timing is what catches people out. Liverpool wants a certificate issued in the past six weeks. Knowsley wants one dated within two months. Sefton wants you registered with the DBS Update Service within 28 days of the date on your certificate, and renewed every year after that.
- Medicals are not one and done. Sefton asks for a full vocational DVLA Group II medical when you first apply, then again at 45, 55 and 65, and every three years after that. Your certificate needs to be less than four months old.
What the Liverpool Standard involves
If Liverpool City Council is going to licence you, you need the Liverpool Standard. It comes in two parts, and the second has a deadline that is easy to miss.
Part 1 is a vocational related qualification, and you must pass it before the council will consider you for a new licence. It is classroom based, covering customer service, equality and diversity, and driver and passenger safety and disability access. Route planning may be included too. Only training providers approved by the council's Taxi Driver Licensing Sub-committee can deliver it.
Part 2 comes after you are licensed. Every driver has to pass it within 12 months of being granted their first taxi licence. Worth putting that date in your phone the day your licence comes through, because the clock starts then.
None of this changes your insurance. It does decide whether you can work, so it is worth getting the order right.
Part 1 is a vocational related qualification, and you must pass it before the council will consider you for a new licence. It is classroom based, covering customer service, equality and diversity, and driver and passenger safety and disability access. Route planning may be included too. Only training providers approved by the council's Taxi Driver Licensing Sub-committee can deliver it.
Part 2 comes after you are licensed. Every driver has to pass it within 12 months of being granted their first taxi licence. Worth putting that date in your phone the day your licence comes through, because the clock starts then.
None of this changes your insurance. It does decide whether you can work, so it is worth getting the order right.
Taxi insurance in Southport, Runcorn and across Merseyside
We cover private hire drivers across Merseyside, not only inside Liverpool. That takes in Southport and the rest of Sefton, plus Knowsley, St Helens, Wirral, and Runcorn and Widnes over in Halton.
If you are based in Southport or Runcorn rather than the city centre, the cover works the same way. Where you pick up does not change what you need.
If you are based in Southport or Runcorn rather than the city centre, the cover works the same way. Where you pick up does not change what you need.
Why Zego?
- Our own product, not a panel of other people’s. Most taxi cover you’ll find online is a broker or an aggregator passing you to someone else. Zego is different. We underwrite our own taxi insurance, so the cover, the app and the support all come from the same place.
- Approved by the platforms you drive for. Upload your insurance certificate to Uber, Bolt and FreeNow in seconds, straight from the app. No waiting, no back and forth.
- Choose how your price works. Pick app-based telematics insurance, where good driving is recognised, or keep things traditional with a non-telematics policy. Your call.
- Rewards for good driving. With a telematics policy you get points for driving well and swap them for gift cards from brands like Amazon, Tesco and Greggs. Up to £60 a year.
- Everything in the app. Documents, certificates and support, all a few taps away.
Two ways to get covered
Both products cover you for work and personal driving. That’s Hire and Reward (H&R) plus Car Insurance (SD&P) cover in one simple insurance policy.
Sense telematics
App-based telematics insurance that looks at how smoothly you drive, helping you get rewards throughout the year and build a renewal price that reflects how you actually drive.17% upfront discount on your policy.
Better renewal prices for good driving.
Access to Zego Rewards.
Instant certificate upload to Uber, Bolt & Freenow.
Also includes food & parcel delivery.
Choose Monthly (30 days) or Annual (12 months) cover.
Standard
Straightforward, reliable private hire insurance. No telematics app required – just pick your cover level, choose your payment option, and you're ready to go.Instant certificate upload to Uber, Bolt & Freenow.
Also includes food & parcel delivery.
Single or monthly payment options available.
Choose Monthly (30 days) or Annual (12 months) cover.
Liverpool taxi insurance questions
Clean air information on this page was correct as at 6 August 2026, and is taken from the government’s list of Clean Air Zones and from Liverpool’s own Clean Air Plan. Positions change, so check before you rely on it.
Licensing requirements on this page were correct as at 6 August 2026, and are taken from Liverpool City Council, Sefton Council and Knowsley Council. Each council sets its own rules and changes them from time to time, so check with whichever one licensed you.
“Up to £60 a year” refers to Zego Rewards gift cards available on telematics policies.