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Courier insurance
Courier insurance covers the van, the parcels in it and the claims that come with delivering for other people. Couriers with one vehicle can compare public liability and commercial motor online, and add goods in transit in the same request.
- Public liability and commercial motor online
- Goods in transit in the same request
- No phone number needed to request quotes
What insurance does a courier need?
Three covers do most of the work. Commercial motor insurance covers your van or car while it’s used for business, which a private policy may not. Public liability covers injury to people and damage to their property while you’re delivering, such as a dropped pallet or a trolley through a glass door. Goods in transit covers the parcels and freight you carry if they’re damaged, lost or stolen on the road.
Compulsory third party cover comes with your registration and only covers injury to people in a crash. Everything else needs its own policy.
Courier covers at a glance
| Cover | What it does | How you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability | Injury to people and damage to property while you deliver. Many contracts ask for $10 million or $20 million. | Compare online |
| Commercial vehicle | Your van or car while it’s used for courier work, including damage to other vehicles. | Compare online |
| Goods in transit | The goods you carry, if they’re damaged, lost or stolen in transit. | Add to the same request, arranged by a broker |
| Personal accident | Your own income if an injury stops you working. Owner-drivers aren’t covered by workers compensation. | Arranged by a broker |
Couriers who drive a heavy vehicle, or who run more than one vehicle, are arranged by a broker. Tell us how many vehicles you run and we’ll route you the right way.
What delivery platforms and contracts ask for
Delivery platforms and freight companies usually set out the cover their contractors must hold, and the limit, in the contractor agreement. Read it before you buy, because a policy that doesn’t match the contract won’t get you onto the platform.
If you deliver for a business that uses heavy vehicles, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s chain of responsibility can apply. The NHVR lists parties including anyone who consigns, packs, loads, unloads or receives goods carried by a heavy vehicle, each with a duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the safety of their transport activities. Insurance doesn’t replace that duty, but it does cover the claims that follow when something goes wrong.
What’s usually covered, and what isn’t
Usually covered
- Your van or car while it’s used for business, under commercial motor.
- Injury or damage to others while you deliver, under public liability.
- Parcels and freight damaged or stolen in transit, under goods in transit.
- Loading and unloading at the customer’s premises, in many policies.
Usually not covered
- Your own injury. That’s personal accident cover.
- Goods left in an unattended vehicle, unless the policy says otherwise.
- Mechanical breakdown of your vehicle.
- Fines for parking or traffic offences.
How to compare courier insurance
Courier insurance questions
Does my private car insurance cover courier work?
Usually not. Private policies often exclude or restrict business use, and courier work is a business use. A commercial motor policy is the safe choice. Check your current PDS.
Do I need public liability as a courier?
Most platforms and freight contracts require it, and it covers injury or damage you cause while delivering, which your motor policy doesn’t.
What is goods in transit insurance?
Cover for the goods you carry if they’re damaged, lost or stolen while in transit. It can be written for your own goods or your liability as a carrier for other people’s goods.
Am I covered by workers compensation as an owner-driver?
Not as a sole trader. Personal accident cover is how owner-drivers replace their income after an injury.
Can I compare courier insurance online?
Yes, if you run one vehicle. Public liability and commercial motor can be compared online, and a broker adds goods in transit to the same request.
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Sources
Couriers