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Tool insurance

Join over 800,000 UK customers with cover from £7.97 per month*

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  • Simply Business is rated 4.7/5 based on 39K+ customer reviews
  • UK-based expert support, online and on the phone
  • Compare tailored tool insurance from trusted brands
Man using a drill in a workshop

What's on this page

  • Why is insurance important?
  • What does it cover?
  • How much does it cost?
  • How do claims work?
  • FAQs
  • Helpful articles

Why is tools insurance cover important?

A fire in your garage or a sudden break-in – losing your tools and finding replacements can cost your business valuable time and money. If your property is badly damaged, destroyed, or lost for good, tool insurance can cover the cost, helping you operate against the odds. Our insurance covers many tools of trade too – check your policy wording for specific details.

  • insurance for tools of trade, including saws, drills, pliers, screwdrivers, and more
  • tools left in your van overnight, covered as standard
  • cover for break-ins, flood, fire, and loss, for peace of mind while you work

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Tool Insurance – what’s covered?

Tools insurance can help cover replacement costs, if your tools are lost or damaged, often due to theft, fire, flooding, or misplacement. It makes the difference between taking on a job and pausing work for thousands of tradespeople every year, who rely on their tools day-to-day. From power tools insurance to cover for specialist handheld items, make sure you protect the tools you need to work.

Theft

What does this cover?

  • theft of items like your handheld or power tools
  • tools stolen while locked in a secure premises
  • insurance for tools in van, which are stolen while locked in a vehicle overnight
  • cover for your business or trade tools, up to the insurance level you’ve selected

When would I need to make a claim?

  • for example, you keep tools in your van at night, and someone breaks in and steals your kit

Flood

What does this cover?

  • damage, destruction, and loss caused by flooding
  • cover for your business tools, up to the insurance level you’ve selected

When would I need to make a claim?

  • for example, the saws you use for business are damaged in a flood, and you need to replace them in order to work

Fire

What does this cover?

  • damage, destruction, and loss caused by fire
  • cover for your business tools, up to the insurance level you’ve selected

When would I need to make a claim?

  • for example, a fire at your business premises destroys your painting and decorating trade tools

Loss

What does this cover?

  • loss of items like your handheld or power tools, while you’re working on site
  • cover for your business tools, up to the insurance level you’ve selected

When would I need to make a claim?

  • for example, you’re working on a school development building site, and your tools are lost with no evidence of theft

This content has been created for general information purposes. Make sure you have the right level of cover by checking your policy documentation for details. Read our full Terms and Conditions

How much does tool cover insurance cost?

Prices start from £7.97 per month

Get your quotes in minutes – prices include Insurance Premium Tax

Get your tailored tool quotes online in minutes

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How we work out example prices Customers pay £59.73 per year (£7.97 per month) based on £1,000 tool cover and up to £268.79 per year (£30.24 per month) based on £10,000 tool cover. Monthly prices may include a one off £5 facility fee. All prices include Insurance Premium Tax.

What kind of excess should I expect?

All claims: £100 excess

An excess is an amount you pay towards any claim you make on your insurance. For example, if your excess is £100 and you make a claim worth £1000, your payout will be a maximum of £900.

The figures are for guidance only and any excess applying to your quote may differ. You’ll get a breakdown of the excesses for each quote when you compare with us.

Tool insurance example prices as part of a business insurance policy

churchill insurance

£17.64 /month

£156.37 /year

A self-employed builder working in residential locations

  • 2-3 years' experience
  • Sole trader
  • No employees
  • Based in Exeter
  • Public liability

    £1,000,000

  • Employers’ liability

    Not included

  • Tools

    £1,000

churchill insurance

£40.03 /month

£355.84 /year

A self-employed builder working in residential locations

  • 2-3 years' experience
  • Sole trader
  • No employees
  • Based in Exeter
  • Public liability

    £1,000,000

  • Employers’ liability

    Not included

  • Tools

    £10,000

How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 03/03/2023). They’re based on a range of factors, like employees and location. Your own quote will be based on what you tell us about your business. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.

Looking for something else?

Depending on your set-up, clients and business type, these expert covers might be helpful too:

When you run a quote you can select from a range of covers.

Talk to an expert

Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon 09.00am - 05.30pm, Tues 09.00am - 05.30pm, Weds 09.00am - 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am - 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am - 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am - 02.00pm

Call our team

0333 043 8527

Online

Contact us on our website whenever suits you

Phone

Call our insurance experts during office hours (calls are charged at a local rate)

FAQs

Find answers to common insurance questions

How do tool insurance claims work?

Unlike price comparison websites, we take the hassle out of claims for you. We know how important it is to get your business back on track quickly – and with a minimum of fuss. That’s why you get access to your dedicated claims any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive.

£39 million in claims paid out in 2022

Paying 80% of settled claims within 24 hours in 2022

The figure above is rounded across our range of products. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis.

Example claim

Having tools insurance cover through Simply Business has saved UK small business owners thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.

Greg saved more than £1,000

Greg (not his real name) called our claims team at Sedgwick to report a fire at the allotment where he keeps the tools for his business. The optional tool insurance added to Greg’s business policy helped cover his replacement costs.

  • Insurance payout

    £1,167.13

    Covering the cost of fire

  • Greg’s costs

    £100

    The excess amount stated in Greg’s policy terms

Chosen by 800,000 small businesses and landlords

We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then with 800,000 customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business insurance.

  • Compare and buy in minutes

    Documents arrive today

  • Rated 4.7/5

    Based on 39,755 reviews

  • Here to help

    Help from UK-based experts

  • 24/7 claims

    Make a claim any time

Tools insurance FAQs

Whether you’re new to buying insurance or you’ve been operating your business for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about insurance for tools.

You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.

  • It’s a good idea to keep hold of the receipts and a record of the serial numbers when you buy tools. This can make it easier to track them down if they’re stolen and can speed up the claims process.

  • Most standard home insurance policies don’t cover tools you use for work, however it’s possible to add on extra cover. Check with your home insurance provider to make sure you’ve got the right level of protection.

  • If your garage is attached to your house, it’s likely to be covered by your home insurance. If you keep tools you use for work in your garage, they may be covered by your home insurance policy or tools in transit insurance. Check with your insurer to make sure you have the right level of protection.

  • Tools in transit is when the tools you use for work, such as portable hand tools or power tools, are being loaded on or off your vehicle, or temporarily housed on it. You can get specialist van tools insurance cover to protect you if your tools are lost, stolen, or damaged while in transit.

  • We provide a range of cover options for specific business types, including:

    Is your profession not listed? When you run a quote you can select your trade from over 1,000 options.

We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions

Helpful articles for small businesses

Stamp Out Tool Theft hero image

78% of tradespeople have had their tools stolen, let’s change that.

Stamp Out Tool Theft

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