5 Insurance Fixes Every UK Delivery Driver Needs Right Now
If you drive for Amazon Flex, Evri, DPD, Deliveroo, Uber Eats or any other platform and you earn an extra £200-£800 a month, listen up. Those extra pounds are useful, but they come with risks most drivers either ignore or misunderstand. Insurance documents are written to confuse you into accepting gaps. That confusion costs drivers their bikes, cars, licences and sometimes tens of thousands in legal bills. This guide is a hard-nosed, practical list of fixes you can use to plug those gaps fast. Each item gives concrete steps, specific wording to look for, and example scenarios so you can spot a dodgy policy in seconds.
Think of this as survival training from a driver who’s been burned by insurers and companies trying to wriggle out of responsibility. I won’t sugarcoat it: if you’re using your vehicle to deliver people, parcels or food, ordinary personal car insurance rarely covers you. Read each section carefully, act fast, and use the 30-day action plan at the end. If you delay, you could be personally liable for damage to people, property or goods - and the bills will come to your door.
Fix #1: Confirm Exactly What “Business Use” Means in Your Policy
Most drivers think “business use” equals “driving for apps.” That’s not guaranteed. Insurers break down cover into phrases such as “social, domestic and pleasure,” “commuting,” “business use - incidental,” and “business use - courier.” Those words decide whether an accident while delivering is covered. Ask for the exact clause and get it in writing. Do not accept a verbal “you’re covered” from a call centre - insurers will deny later if paperwork doesn’t match.
What to demand from an insurer or broker
- Written confirmation of the business-use category and any exclusions (for example, “no cover while goods are carried for reward”). Clause references and policy document page numbers that specifically mention “delivery,” “courier,” “food delivery,” or “parcel service”. Details of cover when app is on versus app is off if the platform says they provide any cover while the app is active.
Example: Sam uses his hatchback for Amazon Flex. His insurer’s “business use - occasional” wording sounds promising. After a crash while carrying parcels, the insurer denies the claim because the policy excludes “delivery of goods for reward.” If Sam had pushed for the exact clause and bought “courier” cover or a specific add-on, he would have been covered. Don’t be Sam. Fight for the clause before you accept a policy - that’s the only defence when the claim hits.
Fix #2: Get Legal Expenses Cover That Actually Helps When You Need a Lawyer
Legal expenses policies can save your job and your licence - but only if they cover the right things. Many motor policies include a token legal section that covers “defending motoring prosecutions” or “representation for uninsured loss recovery.” That sounds useful but is often limited by caps, excesses and strict “before-the-event” conditions. You need specific motor legal expenses cover that includes:
- Legal defence for motoring offences connected to your work (driving without insurance, careless driving, etc.). Representation for disputes over liability where the claimant sues you for injury or damage linked to a delivery. Contract disputes with platforms or clients, especially where you need to prove employment status or the platform’s responsibility.
Thought experiment: imagine you’re pulling a 2-hour Flex shift and clip a cyclist while turning into a narrow driveway. The cyclist claims serious injury, demands damages and triggers a police investigation. You need a solicitor who knows motoring law and the gig economy. If your legal expenses cover limits you to a fixed-fee solicitor with no specialist experience, you’ll lose. A proper LEI policy will cover specialist fees and pursue appeals where necessary. When you compare quotes, ask: “What is the insurer’s limit for legal defence costs? Are criminal proceedings included? Is there an excess on LEI?” If answers are vague, walk away.
Fix #3: Add Goods-in-Transit and Public Liability for Parcel and Food Deliveries
Your car policy protects the vehicle and third-party damage, but it rarely protects the goods you carry or the people your deliveries interact with. If you drop a crate of expensive electronics or your passenger spills a takeaway and causes a burn, those situations can create separate claims. Two extra covers matter here:
- Goods-in-transit - covers loss or damage to parcels, packages and items while in your care. This is vital for Evri, Amazon Flex and courier drivers transporting valuable items. Public liability - covers injury or property damage to third parties outside of a vehicle accident, such as a customer slipping on a spilled drink while you deliver.
Example: Lisa rides for Deliveroo and carries a bag with an expensive catering order. The bag rips, food spills all over a client’s new carpet. The catering company sues the customer, and a third-party claim is brought against Lisa because she was the carrier. Lisa’s standard motor cover protects the car but not the goods or the carpet claim. Goods-in-transit plus public liability would have covered this. When you buy these options, check limits per item and per incident; low limits of £1,000 are worthless if you’re carrying multiple orders.
Fix #4: Use Telematics and Evidence Kits to Beat False Claims
Insurers and claimants sometimes try to pin liability on drivers by asserting reckless behaviour, late braking or dangerous lane changes. Your best defence is a log that proves the truth - and telematics can provide that. Telematics that are approved for business use give time-stamped data, speed, braking, location and trip start-end logs. Combine this with an evidence kit and you have a full forensic file when a claim appears.
Evidence kit checklist
- Dashcam with a secure cloud backup and time stamp - set it to auto-upload at trip end. Photos of the scene, vehicle position, skid marks and road signs taken immediately after an incident. Delivery app logs showing pick-up/drop-off times and location pins. Witness contact details and short recorded statements saved to cloud storage.
Thought experiment: picture a hit-and-run accusation where the other driver claims you reversed into them. Your dashcam footage, telematics log showing forward-only movement during that trip, and the app delivery log proving you were at a different address create a watertight defence. Telematics also lowers premiums with the right provider because you can prove safe driving. But be careful: some insurers void discounts if the device isn’t explicitly allowed for business or courier use. Always confirm compatibility with your policy wording.
Fix #5: Use a Specialist Broker and Know When to Walk
General insurers are built to say no when claims get complicated. Specialist brokers focus on gig economy workers and understand clauses that matter: “hire and reward” exclusions, goods-in-transit specific sub-limits, legal expense caps and platform-provided cover nuances. Use a broker that asks about the exact platforms you drive for and your monthly earnings - not one that treats you like a standard commuter.
How to test a broker quickly
- Give them a tricky scenario: “I carry parcels up to £2,500 and switch between deliveries and personal use; what clause will protect me while the app is on?” If they can cite clause names and limits, they know the space. Ask for sample policy wording or a redline that shows which sections are modified for courier use. A good broker will email it over. Demand a written statement on how claims are handled and whether the insurer will appoint a specialist solicitor for legal defence claims related to your work.
Advanced technique: obtain three quotes - one from a general insurer, one from a specialist underwriter and one from a broker-recommended mutual or trade association scheme. Compare not just price but excess, limits and exclusions. If a policy sounds too cheap, it probably has a nasty exclusion waiting. Know when to walk: if the broker cannot produce clear clause wording within 48 hours, move on. That delay is often where claims are lost.
Your 30-Day Action Plan: Get Legally Insured and Protected
Follow this plan in order and stick to deadlines. Treat it like a shift roster - misses are costly.
Day 1-2: Audit your current policies. Request written confirmation from your insurer about the business-use clause and any exclusions. Photograph your current documents and save them to cloud storage with a timestamp. https://coventryobserver.co.uk/lifestyle/top-hire-reward-insurance-companies-2026-uk-guide/ Day 3-6: Buy or upgrade legal expenses cover that specifically lists motoring prosecutions, contractual disputes and appeals. Get the limit in writing and note any excesses. Day 7-12: Add goods-in-transit and public liability if you carry parcels or food. Don’t accept default low limits - aim for at least £5,000 per incident for goods and £1 million for public liability as a baseline. Day 13-16: Install a dashcam and basic telematics that are approved for business use. Test backups and make sure footage is retained for at least 90 days. Day 17-20: Contact two specialist brokers and ask for bespoke courier-delivery quotes. Push for clause names and sample policy pages. If you use a platform that claims to provide cover while the app is on, demand their written policy and cross-check it against your motor policy. Day 21-24: Build your evidence kit and a short accident checklist to follow whenever something happens - no matter how small. Practice using it once so you don’t panic in a real incident. Day 25-30: Final review. Choose the policy that gives the cleanest, clearest wording. Pay for the first month if needed and get confirmation emails, policy numbers and a named contact. Store everything in a dedicated folder and tell someone else where it is.Final warning: do not rely on platform chat replies or forum hearsay to decide coverage. Platforms sometimes have limited third-party cover that applies only in narrow scenarios and often after a claim process has already started. Your personal policy must be your primary shield. If an insurer refuses to give clear wording, move on. Your future self - without a bill for legal fees and repair costs - will thank you.
Get these fixes in place within 30 days. If you want help drafting the exact wording to ask an insurer or need a checklist email template to send to brokers, I can write those for you now. Don’t wait until after an accident to read the small print - by then it will be too late.
