London taxi insurance
Cover for TfL-licensed private hire and PCO drivers
Get a quote in minutes and pick the cover that fits how you drive.
- Hire and reward cover for TfL-licensed private hire
- 30-day or annual policies
- Certificates in the app, ready for inspection
Driving private hire in London? Get a personalised quote in a few minutes
London taxi insurance (PCO) and who needs it
Your licence comes from Transport for London. Drivers still call it a PCO licence, after the old Public Carriage Office that used to issue them, which is why you will see cover sold as 'PCO insurance'.
It is hire and reward cover, meaning insurance to carry paying passengers on pre-booked journeys. Standard car insurance will not cover that work, however good your no claims record looks.
The two London licences are not interchangeable. A black cab driver has passed the Knowledge of London and holds a TfL taxi licence, so can be hailed in the street or picked up from a rank. A private hire driver holds a TfL private hire vehicle licence, takes pre-booked work only, and works through a TfL-licensed operator.
See our private hire insurance page for how cover works across the UK.
Choose your cover level
Two levels, in plain English, for London 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 PCO cover works
Monthly or annual. Choose Monthly (30 days) or Annual (12 months) cover. Monthly suits drivers waiting on a plate or moving between operators. Annual suits private hire 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 TfL requires before you can drive a PHV in London
Getting licensed takes longer than most people expect. Here is the list.
Your driver licence. You need to be 21 or over, and hold a full DVLA, Northern Ireland or EEA licence that is at least three years old, plus the right to live and work in the UK.
Background and medical. An enhanced DBS check, and you have to stay registered with the DBS Update Service. You also need to meet DVLA Group 2 medical standards.
Three assessments, not one. Topographical skills, speaking and listening, and SERU, which is Safety, Equality and Regulatory Understanding.
A tax check. New applicants confirm their tax obligations. If you already hold a licence, complete an HMRC tax check and give TfL the nine-character code.
Plating a vehicle for the first time. Since 1 January 2023 it has to be zero emission capable and meet Euro 6. That means 50g/km of CO2 or less with at least 10 miles of zero-emission range, or 75g/km or less with at least 20 miles.
Renewing is different. The zero emission capable rule applies to first-time licensing only. At renewal what matters is age: no older than 10 years.
Insurance, on paper. TfL wants your hire and reward documents at the vehicle inspection. Originals, printed, not electronic copies. Worth sorting before you go.
PCO drivers and the ULEZ
London-licensed black cabs are exempt from the Ultra Low Emission Zone. Private hire vehicles are not. That catches a lot of drivers out.
If your vehicle does not meet the ULEZ emissions standard, it costs £12.50 a day inside the zone. The zone covers every London borough, does not include the M25, and runs 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day.
One exception: designated wheelchair accessible private hire vehicles have a grace period until 24 October 2027, but only while carrying out a booking for a TfL-licensed operator. Any other time the charge applies.
Driving an electric or hybrid PHV in London
London private hire runs on electric and hybrid far more than the rest of the trade. That is the licensing rules, not fashion.
Why the fleet looks like this. The zero emission capable rule means a car plated in London for the first time is effectively electric or hybrid.
Your ULEZ position. Private hire vehicles are not exempt the way London taxis are. A vehicle that meets the ULEZ standard pays nothing, so it is a real running-cost difference.
What to check on an electric policy. Whether the battery is covered if it is damaged, how charging cables and home chargers are treated, and how repair and parts costs are handled. Ask before you buy, whoever you buy from.
On lease or rental. Plenty of London drivers lease or rent rather than own. Say so when you get a quote, because it changes what you need and what the lease company expects.
Why Zego?
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.
Upload your insurance certificate to Uber, Bolt and FreeNow in seconds, straight from the app. No waiting, no back and forth.
Pick app-based telematics insurance, where good driving is recognised, or keep things traditional with a non-telematics policy. Your call.
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.
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.
- Included17% upfront discount on your policy.
- IncludedBetter renewal prices for good driving.
- IncludedAccess to Zego Rewards.
- IncludedInstant certificate upload to Uber, Bolt & Freenow.
- IncludedAlso includes food & parcel delivery.
- IncludedChoose 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.
- IncludedInstant certificate upload to Uber, Bolt & Freenow.
- IncludedAlso includes food & parcel delivery.
- IncludedSingle or monthly payment options available.
- IncludedChoose Monthly (30 days) or Annual (12 months) cover.
PCO insurance questions from London drivers
PCO insurance is hire and reward cover for private hire drivers in London. It insures you to carry paying passengers on pre-booked journeys. The name comes from the Public Carriage Office, which licensed London drivers before Transport for London took the job on. You might also see it called private hire insurance or minicab insurance. Standard car insurance does not cover this kind of work.
Yes. When you take your vehicle to the inspection centre, TfL asks to see your hire and reward insurance documents. They have to be the originals, printed where necessary, rather than electronic copies. It is worth having them in hand before you travel to the appointment.
No. London-licensed taxis are exempt from the Ultra Low Emission Zone, but private hire vehicles are not. If your vehicle does not meet the ULEZ emissions standard, the daily charge of £12.50 applies inside the zone. The zone covers all London boroughs, does not include the M25, and operates 24 hours a day every day except Christmas Day. Designated wheelchair accessible private hire vehicles have a grace period until 24 October 2027, and only while carrying out a booking for a TfL-licensed operator.
Only if you are licensing it in London for the first time. Since 1 January 2023, a vehicle licensed as a private hire vehicle for the first time has to be zero emission capable and meet the Euro 6 standard. Zero emission capable means either no more than 50g/km of CO2 with a zero-emission range of at least 10 miles, or no more than 75g/km with a range of at least 20 miles. If your vehicle is already licensed with TfL, renewing it does not trigger the requirement.
A vehicle already licensed by TfL has to be no older than 10 years at the point it is re-licensed.
SERU stands for Safety, Equality and Regulatory Understanding. It is one of three assessments TfL requires from private hire driver applicants, alongside a topographical skills assessment and a speaking and listening assessment.
Yes. Zego offers 30-day private hire cover as well as annual policies. A month at a time suits drivers who are waiting on a plate, moving between operators, or trying private hire before committing to it.
Yes. Every private hire driver licensed by TfL has to work for a TfL-licensed operator. A private hire driver licence on its own does not let you take bookings directly.
If you drive for Uber, our Uber driver insurance page has the platform-specific detail.
Licensing information on this page was correct as at 30 July 2026 and is taken from Transport for London. Requirements can change, so check tfl.gov.uk before you apply or re-license.
ULEZ charge and exemption details are Transport for London’s, not Zego’s, and were correct as at 30 July 2026.
“Up to £60 a year” refers to Zego Rewards gift cards available on telematics policies.