Courier insurance
Join over 900k UK customers (including over 2,900 delivery pros like you) – we offer public liability cover from £4.74*
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Claims paid in 24 hours
For 80% of settled claims
Insurance for couriers – why is it important?
If you’re in the delivery business, courier insurance can provide that extra layer of reassurance. For example, if disaster hits and your schedule gets disrupted, or you’re served with an expensive employee claim, would you have the funds ready to set things right? Start with public liability insurance, and add any specifics you need.
Remember, goods in transit and public liability insurance are different things. Standard insurance for couriers won’t cover the items you’re transporting, so if you need cover for these.
- courier liability insurance (public) starting at £1 million
- UK-based claims team, award-winning and available 24/7
- claims paid in 24 hours for 80% of settled claims
What does courier business insurance cover?
We’ll start with courier public liability insurance, for injuries or property damage blamed on your business – for example, if you injure someone’s foot with your delivery trolley. From there, you can add insurance for business equipment and your employees, along with personal accident cover in case you or someone on the policy gets signed off work.
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Courier public liability insurance
In case you or your employee injure someone or damage their property.
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Employers’ liability insurance
In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your courier business.
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Business and office equipment insurance
In case things like laptops or office filing cabinets are lost, stolen, or damaged.
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Tools insurance
In case your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.
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Legal expenses insurance
In case you have to pay legal costs connected with your courier business.
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Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at or outside of work.
This content has been created for general information purposes. Make sure you have the right level of business insurance by checking your policy documentation for details. Read our full Terms and Conditions
How much does couriers 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 £4.74 per month
Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes
The price is for up to £2 million of public liability insurance – 10% of customers paid £56.82 or less annually between 1st Jan – 31st May 2024. Equivalent to £4.74 a month (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). 76% of customers have a £1 million limit and 24% £2 million. If you complete a quote, more types of cover will be available. These all have additional costs.
Example courier insurance quotes, real prices
£6.61 /month
£46.08 /year
A self-employed courier who works in the local area
- 1-2 years’ experience
- Sole trader
- No employees
- Based in Sale
Public liability
££1,000,000
Employers’ liability
Not included
Contents & business equipment
Not included
£16.95 /month
£149.49 /year
A small courier business that works nationally with 1 worker that only does office work
- 5+ years’ experience
- Limited company
- 2 employees
- Based in Sunderland
Public liability
££1,000,000
Employers’ liability
££10,000,000
Contents & business equipment
££5,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 23/09/2020). 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 |
Tools | £60 | £500 |
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 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.
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Is public liability enough for third party property damage?
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Can I just cover my most expensive tools?
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Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
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Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?
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Does courier insurance cover my work correctly?
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Do I need cover for other types of work?
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Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
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
How do 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.
£51 million in claims paid out in 2023
83% of claims were settled in 2023
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. “Settled” covers paid, declined or withdrawn. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis. Our specialist partner Sedgwick will pay the claims on behalf of the insurer. Reviewed on 24/04/2024.
Example claim
Having courier insurance through Simply Business has saved delivery businesses thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
Olly saved more than £5,000
While loading deliveries into his van, Olly (not his real name) threw a package for his employee to catch which was heavier than he realised, and dislocated his employee’s finger. The employers’ liability cover in his courier business insurance policy covered Olly’s liability costs.
Insurance payout
£5,050.00
Covering the cost of employers’ liability
Insurance payout
Covering the cost of employers’ liability
Covering the cost of employers’ liability
Courier insurance FAQ
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 courier public liability insurance in the UK, and other popular covers. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
No, these can be referred to as ‘stock in trust’ or ‘in your possession’, which standard courier business insurance policies don’t usually cover. Our policies can include things like your equipment, your portable electrics, your tools, and your office supplies, which will also be covered while in transit if an insurer offers ‘goods in transit cover’. If you’d like to arrange protection for goods that are in transit and aren’t owned by your business, you’ll need to get it through a third-party such as your van insurance provider.
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.
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.
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.
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 public liability insurance 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
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