Why is courier insurance so expensive?

As a courier driver, you might think that you have enough issues to contend with already, ranging from endless traffic jams to tight delivery schedules. However, one further grievance is that you have to pay more for your courier insurance than your private motor insurance.

The fact that courier insurance is often more expensive may initially seem unfair but there are reasons why this is the case – one of the main factors being that people who drive for work purposes are statistically at a higher risk at being involved in an accident.

Main reasons why courier insurance is so expensive:

Courier drivers spend a lot of hours on the road, trying to meet delivery deadlines and regularly traveling long distances to unfamiliar locations. In the eyes of an insurance provider, you’re therefore seen as higher risk than an individual driving their vehicle for home, domestic and pleasure purposes and this is unfortunately for you reflected in the price of your premium.

As most couriers require the space to transport a large volume of goods, their vehicles are also often larger than conventional cars which means that they fall into a higher insurance group resulting in a potentially big impact on cost. Essentially, the higher the insurance group your courier vehicle falls into, the more expensive your courier cover will be.

It is also necessary for courier drivers to take out other useful insurance cover alongside their courier vehicle insurance. Some popular examples include goods in transit insurance to protect your cargo, public liability insurance to protect against claims of negligence and employers’ liability insurance which is required by law if you employ one or more members of staff.

While these additional forms of cover can bump up your overall premium, we certainly wouldn’t recommend that you don’t purchase them as potential claims can run into thousands of pounds, particularly without the safety net of public liability insurance. Take note also that if you have staff working for you and don’t have employers’ liability insurance – you could face a hefty fine.

How to find a cheaper courier insurance policy:

So aside from the obvious of building a clean driving record, picking a vehicle in a lower insurance group and transporting low risk cargo, how can you get cheaper courier insurance?

As with any type of insurance, it’s essential to shop the market to make sure that you are getting the best deal for your money. However, this can be a time consuming task and it can be confusing reading through jargon to establish what you’re actually covered for.

Fortunately, InsureCourier can do this on your behalf. After taking a few essential details, we’ll shop the market for a cheap courier insurance policy with all the cover you need and a host of additional benefits including courier breakdown cover and vehicle replacement.

Just call 0333 202 3172 to speak to a member of our friendly team or click here to fill in our simple online quote form and we’ll be in touch.