Just Eat insurance

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What insurance do I need to be a Just Eat courier?

A Just Eat courier will clock up significantly more mileage overall than the average driver, spend more time on the roads and may frequently drive in adverse weather conditions. They also often face delivery time pressures and are required to regularly stop-start in potentially high traffic, unfamiliar areas. As such, the driver’s risk is higher, and insurance policies reflect this.

Our most important piece of advice: don’t cut corners. Failing to have the right level of cover and notifying your provider of your intended vehicle use can result in invalidating your policy altogether.

Yet with our help, you’ll realise it’s not too tricky to get fully protected! In most cases, drivers will take out a specialised hire and reward insurance policy, and we’ll talk more about this next.

Will my regular vehicle insurance cover me for Just Eat delivery work?

Unfortunately not - your policy will need to reflect what you’re using your vehicle for. Most standard vehicle policies only cover you for driving for social purposes or for commuting to a single place of work. So what are your options?

Get hire and reward insurance

You can take out hire and reward insurance, also known as courier insurance. This is a specialist policy that ensures you’re covered to use your vehicle for commercial use, and most importantly offers you the right protections. There are a number of hire and reward policies that can even go as detailed as for the specific purpose of delivering hot food. We’ll talk about these later.

Get an add-on to your existing policy

Instead of taking out a whole new policy, if you work less than 20 hours per week you may be able to get an add-on to your existing personal vehicle insurance policy. In order to do this, you’ll need to either:

1. Speak to your current provider and see if they offer this, or
2. Take out an entirely new personal policy with a company that offers food delivery insurance as an add-on.

What does Just Eat insurance cover?

Beyond just insuring your vehicle, as a self-employed courier you need to consider additional risks related to the job. For example, without appropriate cover, you could find you’re liable for payment should anything happen to the goods you’re transporting. And let’s face it, no one wants to front the bill for a pizza they’re not eating.

If you’re committed to just delivering food, as opposed to other items, then the most appropriate cover is specialist hot food delivery insurance. It offers protection for the collection and delivery of food should any theft, loss or damages occur. For more general cover, not specific to just food delivery, consider goods in transit insurance.  

Being self-employed in a public-facing role presents additional risks. Consider adding on public liability insurance to protect you should any legal claims arise, either by or against you.  

Last, if you intend your Just Eat courier job to be your main source of income, it’s well worth considering personal injury insurance to give yourself significant additional protection. Should an accident or injury prevent you from working, then as a contractor you aren’t entitled to the support you’d otherwise be if employed directly, which includes compensation for loss of earnings.

What level of cover can I get with Just Eat Insurance?

Like with standard vehicle insurance, policies will offer a range of cover as basic:

• Third party: Covers any damage or injury to another person or their vehicle resulting from an accident.
• Third party, fire and theft: Covers the same as third party, but will also cover your vehicle if it’s stolen or damaged by fire.
• Comprehensive: Offers the same protections as above but covers damage to you or your vehicle as well, even if the accident is your fault.  

All hire and reward insurance policies must be of at least Class 3 cover, which enables you to use your vehicle for work purposes. Class 1 business insurance won’t cover you for delivering goods.

How much does Just Eat insurance cost?

Much like standard vehicle insurance, what you pay is variable and depends on a number of factors and is based on risk and statistics.

• The vehicle you drive: Opting for a less powerful, less expensive vehicle will typically yield a reduction in your premium, as these are generally not only less costly to repair, they’re less susceptible to theft.
• Where you live: Living in high-traffic or dense areas increases the likelihood of a claim being made, and as such quotes are on the whole pricier if you’re based in an urban region.
• Your age: generally, those in the 17-24 age bracket will pay the steepest premiums.
• Your driving record: If you’ve previously had claims or fines brought against you, expect to pay more.

How to save money on Just Eat insurance

There are many ways to get cheaper insurance where the cost won’t outweigh the benefit.

Look into black box insurance to prove you’re a responsible driver. This is a great way to get a cheaper deal even if you don’t have a no claims bonus.

Choose the right vehicle – one which is less powerful, less tempting to thieves and a fairly popular model – and you’ll return cheaper quotes.

Shop around. The cheapest option (because it’s free!) is to shop around for quotes. Don’t fall into the trap of signing up for the first deal you see – there will almost certainly be a better one out there.

Use an insurance comparison tool like ours to see what providers are offering. However, we always recommend taking the time to read the detail of each policy to see what you’re actually covered for, paying particular attention to exclusions. At the same time, don’t pay a premium for cover you don’t need.