Catering van insurance

Q: Can I buy business insurance if I’ve had any CCJs or IVAs?

Each insurer looks at CCJs and IVAs differently – some apply stricter rules than others, but having a CCJ or IVA doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to buy insurance.

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10% of customers pay the equivalent of £4.95 a month*

Why do you need catering van insurance?

From sandwich vans to food trucks, you’re working with food in a confined space, and accidents will happen. Claim costs for allergic reactions, injuries and property damage can creep into the millions, but sandwich van insurance (or any of our catering van insurance options) is designed to protect the business you’ve built.

food truck insurance UK-based claims and customer service team
catering van public liability insurance between £1 million and £5 million
rated 4.8/5 based on 39.9K public liability customer reviews

What does catering van insurance cover?

We’ll start with public and product liability insurance – a popular cover for food truck businesses, and other mobile caterers. It’s built to cover against claims for illness or injuries your business has caused, or claims for property damage. From there, you can choose to add insurance options that fit your business, from employers’ liability to protection for expensive equipment and essential stock.

Public liability insurance

In case your mobile catering causes an injury, illness or property damage.
Employers’ liability insurance

In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your food van business.
Stock insurance for catering vans

In case something happens to your catering ingredients or materials.
Business and office equipment insurance

In case something happens to the equipment you use to run your catering van.
Legal expenses insurance

In case you have to pay legal costs connected with your catering van business.
Personal accident insurance

In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident – at work, or off-shift.

Public liability insurance

In case your mobile catering causes an injury, illness or property damage.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance for catering vans?

Claims against your business for:
- damage to someone’s property, because of your mobile catering van business
- an injury or illness caused by your business activities or products
- accidental damage or injuries caused by your employees
For example:
- a customer sues your ice cream van business, after suffering an allergic reaction to one of your products
- you accidentally spill scalding hot tea on a customer, while they’re waiting to collect an order
- a pedestrian trips over a box of goods your employee has left on the pavement, breaking their wrist
What you’ll need additional cover for
- road accidents, and claims related to your van or vehicle – these are usually handled as part of your motor insurance policy.
Read more about public liability insurance
Employers’ liability insurance

In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your food van business.

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:
- an injury or illness that happens as a result of working for you (including temps and casual workers)
**Employers’ liability insurance is required by law if you have people working for you. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.**

For example:
- an employee trips down the steps of your van, breaking their ankle
- you hire a temp for the festival season, who cuts their hand while cleaning a blender
Stock insurance for catering vans

In case something happens to your catering ingredients or materials.

What’s typically covered by stock insurance?
- loss, damage or theft of things like your fresh ingredients, specialist flours or packaging materials
For example:
- flooding in your storage unit destroys your stock of condiments, fresh meat and ice cream
- you make a big Christmas packaging order, which gets stolen while you’re speaking with a supplier
Read more about stock insurance
Business and office equipment insurance

In case something happens to the equipment you use to run your catering van.

What’s typically covered by business and office equipment insurance?
- theft of the equipment you use to operate, from your laptop to your bain marie
- loss of your equipment
- flood, fire or accidental damage
For example:
- a new employee operates your electric hamburger machine incorrectly, breaking the unit
- your display freezers are stolen from your business premises
- while preparing ingredients, your temp breaks an expensive food processor, delaying the next day’s orders
Read more about business and office equipment insurance
Legal expenses insurance

In case you have to pay legal costs connected with your catering van business.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?
- legal costs associated with day-to-day operations, like an employee dispute
- property damage, nuisance or trespass and associated legal costs
- HMRC, tax and compliance issues, if they come up
- includes a tax advice helpline, a 24/7 confidential legal helpline and crisis support to help you protect your reputation, as a well-known caterer
For example:
- your client is disputing the contract they have with you for their wedding, stating you haven’t fulfilled your contractual obligations
- an employee you’ve hired ahead of the busy Christmas market season sues you for unfair dismissal
Read more about legal expenses insurance
Personal accident insurance

In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident – at work, or off-shift.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?
- injury or death of anyone you’ve chosen to cover in your policy – whether this happens at work or elsewhere
- lost income, hospital bills or other medical costs associated with the accident
For example:
- injury or death of anyone you’ve chosen to cover in your policy – whether this happens at work or elsewhere
- lost income, hospital bills or other medical costs associated with the accident
Read more about personal accident insurance

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

How much does catering van insurance cost?

Find out how much you’ll pay by comparing prices from a range of trusted insurers. You choose what goes into your policy, so you only pay for what you need.

Prices start from £4.95 per month

Get tailored quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.

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The price is for up to £2 million of public liability insurance – 10% of customers paid £59.34 or less annually between 1st Feb – 30th April 2025. Equivalent to £4.95 a month (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). 82% of customers have a £1 million limit and 18% £2 million. If you complete a quote, more types of cover will be available. These all have additional costs.

Example catering van insurance quotes, real prices

£16.14 /month

£141.37 /year

A small food van serving in a retail car park

1-2 years’ experience
Sole trader
No employees
Based in Liverpool

Public liability

£1,000,000

Employers’ liability

Not included

Contents/business equipment

Not included

£53.86 /month

£478.75 /year

A mobile food van specialising in functions and weddings

5+ years’ experience
Limited company
2 employees
Based in Edinburgh

Public liability

£2,000,000

Employers’ liability

£10,000,000

Contents/business equipment

£10,000

How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 07/03/2023). 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.

What kind of excess should I expect?

An excess is an amount you pay towards any claim you make on your insurance. For example, if your excess is £250 and you make a claim worth £1000, your payout will be a maximum of £750.

Insurance cover	Lowest excess	Highest excess
Public liability	£100	£2500
Employers’ liability	No excess	No excess
Stock	£100	£500
Business and office equipment	£50	£750

The figures above 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.

How it works

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How do I choose catering trailer insurance?

Making sure you have the right type and level of business insurance can be the difference between getting a claim paid and having to cover the cost of an expensive accident yourself. Read our tips for guidance on what to consider when buying a policy.

Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
Does catering van insurance cover my work correctly?
Do I need cover for other types of work?
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?

Which type of workers do I need insurance for?

Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ people.

If you have people working for you, including bona fide subcontractors (BFSC), labour-only subcontractors (LOSC), part-timers, or full-time staff, employers’ liability insurance is required by law.

Read on for our simplified guide to the difference between labour-only subcontractors and bona fide subcontractors.
Does catering van insurance cover my work correctly?

Make sure you’re picking the right cover to protect you properly. It’s important to know that if you have another trade or job, you’ll need additional cover. For example, do you need to consider restaurant insurance or takeaway insurance?
Do I need cover for other types of work?

If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:
Other types of insurance
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?

Think about the maximum possible loss your business could face in the event of a claim, and make sure you take legal fees and damages into consideration. You can choose from three levels of coverage – £1 million, £2 million, or up to £5 million.

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

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Contact us on our website whenever suits you

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

FAQs

Find answers to common insurance questions

How do catering van 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.

£68 million in claims paid out in 2024

76% of claims were settled in 2024.

The price is for up to £2 million of public liability insurance – 10% of customers paid £59.34 or less annually between 1st Feb – 30th April 2025. Equivalent to £4.95 a month (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). 82% of customers have a £1 million limit and 18% £2 million. If you complete a quote, more types of cover will be available. These all have additional costs.

Example mobile catering insurance claim

Having catering van insurance through Simply Business has saved mobile caterers thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.

Joe saved more than £4,900

Joe (not his real name) was away on business during a catering van break-in, resulting in damaged glass and stock, laptop and kitchen equipment theft and two weeks of business interruption. His food truck insurance covered the malicious damage costs.

Insurance payout

£4,932.06

Covering the cost of malicious damage

Insurance payout

Covering the cost of malicious damage

Chosen by nearly one million small business and landlord customers

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

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Catering van insurance FAQs

Whether you’re new to buying business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about catering van insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.

What level of cover do I need for mobile catering insurance?

Public and product liability insurance is often an important cover for catering vans – it’s designed to protect you if someone is injured or gets sick, or their property is damaged, because of your business.

Do you employ any staff? If so, you’re usually required by law to take out employer’s liability insurance, even if it’s for a contractor team member, or casual and seasonal staff. You’ll face fines of up to £2,500 a day for anyone you haven’t covered correctly.

From there, you can pick and choose from other specific protection for your food van’s stock and equipment, plus legal expenses for things like employee disputes and personal accident cover for the slip-ups that can delay contracts and orders. Our catering van insurance policies are flexible – you can bundle everything into one policy or go for just one or two covers, depending on what you need.

Do I need burger van insurance?

If you employ any staff, employers’ liability insurance is almost always a legal requirement for your business, and you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for anyone who isn’t covered properly. Alongside this crucial employers’ protection, a burger van insurance quote will usually give you the opportunity to cover lots of different risks, specific to your burger business, from public and product liability – in case of things like allergic reactions, injuries or damage – to personal accident and stock damage.

Can I add cover for a different trade or profession mid-way through my policy?

Yes. You may start offering additional services that require you to use different skills or carry out different tasks. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s important to give us a call on 0333 043 8527 to update your policy before you take on this new work. If you don’t have the correct type of cover in place for the work you do, you may be unable to claim on your policy if something goes wrong.

Can I buy business insurance if I’ve had any CCJs or IVAs?

What’s the difference between paying by Direct Debit and paying in one lump sum?

You can choose the payment type that suits your business and cash flow best. Some customers prefer to pay in one go, while others prefer to pay a regular monthly amount, like you do with lots of other bills. Simply Business offer three ways to pay for your policy:

one-off credit or debit card payment
BACS payment
Direct Debit

If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, our credit provider, Premium Credit, pays Simply Business the full amount for your policy up front. You then repay Premium Credit in 10 monthly instalments.

Does public liability insurance cover my business for the actions of my employees?

This will depend on whether you have employers’ liability insurance in place. Public liability insurance is designed to protect your business against the consequences of legal action brought by members of the public for injuries or damage to their belongings. But when it comes to your employees causing injury or damage, this protection only activates if you also have employers’ liability insurance.

If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability insurance.

There’s one exception here. Family businesses that aren’t incorporated as a limited company are not legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. The government defines a “family business” as one where all your employees are closely related to you (as a spouse, civil partner, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, step-parent, stepchild or half-sibling). So if you run an unincorporated family business and you choose not to get employers’ liability insurance, it’s important to know that your mobile catering public liability wouldn’t cover you against damage or injury caused by your team.

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

Catering van insurance

Why do you need catering van insurance?

What does catering van insurance cover?

Public liability insurance

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance for catering vans?

Employers’ liability insurance

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Stock insurance for catering vans

What’s typically covered by stock insurance?

Business and office equipment insurance

What’s typically covered by business and office equipment insurance?

Legal expenses insurance

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

Personal accident insurance

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

How much does catering van insurance cost?

Prices start from £4.95 per month

Example catering van insurance quotes, real prices

What kind of excess should I expect?

How it works

Pick what goes into your policy

Get prices from a range of insurers

Buy online in minutes

How do I choose catering trailer insurance?

Which type of workers do I need insurance for?

Does catering van insurance cover my work correctly?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

Which public liability cover limit should I choose?

Talk to an expert

Online

Phone

FAQs

How do catering van insurance claims work?

£68 million in claims paid out in 2024

Example mobile catering insurance claim

Joe saved more than £4,900

Compare and buy in minutes

Rated 4.5/5

Here to help

24/7 claims

Catering van insurance FAQs

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