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Advice to help you make sense of insurance

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Same car, same app, same late-evening rush. Swap takeaways for parcels though, and the insurance question underneath the job changes.

Plenty of drivers do both. Uber Eats midweek, a parcel round at the weekend. The trouble is that most guides treat food and parcel cover as two unrelated products, and never answer the question drivers actually have: does my policy stretch to the other one? Here's what genuinely differs, and what doesn't.

Start here, because it's the bit people get wrong most often. Whether you carry curries or cardboard boxes, you're moving goods for payment. That's 

Your everyday car policy almost certainly won't do it. Social, domestic and pleasure cover, even with commuting added, excludes delivery work. Business use isn't enough either. Deliver on the wrong policy and a claim can be refused, which is a bad day to discover the difference.

So hire and reward is the shared floor. Everything below is where the two jobs diverge.

Strip away the detail and one thing separates the two jobs. Parcel work puts other people's property, sometimes worth hundreds of pounds, inside your vehicle. Food work usually doesn't.

That's what goods in transit cover is for. It protects the load itself if it's lost, stolen or damaged while you're carrying it. Your hire and reward motor cover protects the vehicle and other road users. It does not pay for the contents of the boot.

Drop a pizza and the platform will normally refund the customer. Lose a box of phones and someone will want paying for it. That's the whole difference in one line, and it's why parcel couriers are far more likely to need goods in transit than food riders are.

Worth checking either way: some courier firms make a minimum level of goods in transit cover a condition of working with them.

This is the question most answers dodge, and the honest reply is that it depends on your insurer. Plenty of policies name the exact type of delivery work they cover. One written for food delivery can exclude parcels, and the other way round. If you switch between the two, that gap is a real risk.

With Zego, whether you deliver food, parcels or both, we work with all the major platforms, including Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat. You can see the 

 and pick the one that matches the work you're actually doing.

Whoever you insure with, do one thing before you take a different kind of job: check your cover matches it. Tell your insurer what you're delivering rather than assuming a delivery policy covers every kind of delivery.

Broadly, if a restaurant or supermarket hands you the order, it's food delivery:

Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat for takeaways

Grocery and convenience deliveries from supermarkets

If a depot hands you a stack of packages, it's parcel or courier work:

Evri, DPD, Yodel, Royal Mail and UPS rounds

Amazon Flex blocks, which are parcel work even though they're booked like shifts

A few sit in between. Same-day courier apps can move documents one hour and a hot order the next, so read what the platform says you're carrying before you assume which box you're in.

Here's the part where food and parcel work genuinely pull in different directions, and it's driven by your hours rather than your cargo.

Short, irregular shifts suit pay-as-you-go. 

With Zego, cover starts as soon as you accept a job. We check in after an hour, which is our minimum, and if you're still out it carries on by the minute until you've finished. Three evenings one week and nothing the next, and you're not paying for the gaps.

Regular rounds suit monthly or annual cover. 

If you're out most days on a multi-drop route, a longer policy is usually the simpler and steadier option. You can get delivery cover by the hour, month or year, so the pattern can follow the work as it changes.

Most food riders start in the first camp and some end up in the second. If delivery turns from a side earner into the main job, it's worth moving your cover with it.

Delivery work doesn't fit fixed hours, so our cover doesn't either. Food, parcels or both, you can set up in the app, link the platforms you drive for and manage your documents in one place. If you've moved up to a van for parcel rounds, there's 

. Heading down the parcel route instead? See 

, then get a quote to see your own price.

Food and parcel delivery cover, your questions answered

Does my normal car insurance cover food or parcel delivery?

No, and this catches a lot of new drivers out. Social, domestic and pleasure cover excludes delivery work, and so does ordinary business use. You need hire and reward cover for either job [1].

Do I need goods in transit cover for food delivery?

Usually not. A spoiled or dropped order is normally handled by the platform, and the value is low. It matters far more for parcel work, where you're carrying goods someone will expect to be paid for.

I do food delivery now and want to try parcels. What should I check?

Two things. First, whether your policy covers parcel work as well as food, because some name one and exclude the other. Second, whether you need goods in transit cover for the value you'll be carrying. Ask your insurer before your first round, not after.

GOV.UK, vehicle insurance and business use

Association of British Insurers, motor insurance guidance

Food and parcel delivery both need hire and reward cover, but goods in transit is where they part ways. Here's what actually differs, and whether one policy can cover both.

What's the difference between food and parcel delivery insurance? (2026)

Business van insurance has climbed for most trades, and a renewal that jumps by hundreds of pounds is a nasty surprise when you rely on your van to earn.

The good news is that a lot of your premium is in your control. Most guides hand you the same list: compare quotes, raise your excess, fit an alarm. That's fine as far as it goes, but it doesn't tell you why those levers work or which ones actually move the needle. This guide does both, so you can start with the changes that save the most.

Start here: the levers that move the most

If you only do a few things before you renew, do these.

Declare your business use class accurately. 

Getting it right is not just about price, it keeps your policy valid. More on this below.

Lower, honest mileage means lower risk, and insurers price for it.

A Thatcham-approved alarm, an immobiliser or a tracker tells insurers your van is less likely to be stolen, which is one of the biggest costs they price for.

Monthly instalments come with interest, so paying up front is effectively a discount.

Offering to pay more towards a claim lowers what the insurer expects to pay out, so your premium drops. Only raise it as far as you could comfortably cover if you had a claim tomorrow.

Every extra driver adds risk, especially younger or less experienced ones. Keep the policy to the people who genuinely need to drive the van.

Comprehensive is not always dearer than third party, fire and theft, because of who tends to buy each. Compare all three rather than assuming third party is cheapest.

Smaller, common vans in lower insurance groups cost less to repair and replace, so they cost less to insure. Avoid non-standard modifications.

A clean claims record is one of the strongest levers on price. If you've built up several years, protecting your no-claims discount can be worth it.

A van kept on a driveway or in a locked garage is lower risk than one left on the street, and secure parking can shave money off your premium.

If you already hold other business cover, ask whether combining policies earns a discount.

Here's where you can do better than the standard checklist.

Some insurers let good driving and lower mileage count in your favour rather than lumping you in with everyone else. If your driving is better than average, a policy that measures it can price to that.

If your van work is seasonal or part-time, flexible or pay-as-you-go cover means you're not paying for a full year on the road you don't do. This suits 

Insurers increasingly reward lower-emission vehicles. Zego, for example, offers a discount for electric vans.

This one deserves its own section, because it affects both your price and whether you're covered at all. Van insurance is priced around how you use the vehicle. The main classes are:

you carry your own tools and equipment for your business, like a plumber or electrician.

you carry other people's goods for payment, like a courier or multi-drop delivery driver.

you move goods long distances, often a single load at a time.

Pick the class that matches what you actually do. Declaring a lower-risk class than your real work might look cheaper, but it can void a claim and leave you personally liable [1]. Declaring more than you need means you overpay. Honest and accurate is both the safest and often the cheapest option.

Zego builds cover around how people actually use their vans, with use-specific policies for couriers, tradespeople and delivery drivers. There are no brokers and no phone queues: you get a personalised price in the app in about a minute, choose your 

, and add extras like goods in transit or no-claims discount protection if you need them.

Want a sense of the numbers first? See our guide to 

, then get a Zego van quote to see your own price.

Business van insurance: your questions answered

Does paying annually really make a difference?

Yes. Monthly payments are a credit agreement with interest on top, so paying for the year in one go usually works out cheaper overall.

Will a telematics or usage-based policy lower my premium?

It can, if your driving and mileage are better than the insurer's assumptions. If you drive carefully and cover fewer miles, being measured on that can work in your favour rather than against you.

Is it worth switching rather than auto-renewing?

Often, yes. Renewal quotes can drift up year on year, so comparing the market before you renew, and asking your current insurer to match a better price, is one of the simplest ways to save.

GOV.UK, Vehicle insurance and business use

Practical, mechanism-explained ways to cut your UK business van insurance premium, plus how to get your business use class right and where Zego fits.

How to reduce your business van insurance premiums (2026 UK guide)

Renewal time can feel like a scramble for paperwork. The good news: if you know what your insurer will ask for, you can have it all ready in ten minutes and renew without the back-and-forth.

There's one thing worth clearing up first, because it trips a lot of drivers up. “PCO renewal” can mean two different jobs: renewing your 

 with your local authority. They need different documents, and this guide covers both, starting with the one people ask about most: your insurance.

Documents your insurer needs to renew your PCO insurance

When you renew your private hire insurance, your insurer is really answering two questions: are you still licensed to carry passengers, and has anything changed since last year? These are the documents that answer them.

Have these to hand before you start and a renewal quote takes minutes, not days. If you're switching insurer rather than staying put, the no-claims proof and your old certificate matter most, because that's how a new insurer prices you fairly for your record.

Renewing your PCO licence is a different job

Worth saying plainly: renewing your insurance is not the same as renewing your PCO licence. Your licence is renewed through your licensing authority, not your insurer, and it asks for things like your medical, a DBS check, your topographical or safeguarding certificates and the licence fee.

You will, though, need valid insurance in place to keep your licence active, so the two are linked even when the paperwork isn't. If it's your licence you're sorting, our 

Here's the bit the standard checklists miss. There isn't one national rulebook. Transport for London sets the requirements for London drivers, and outside London each council runs its own private hire licensing, so the exact documents can vary from one authority to the next.

The core insurance documents above are consistent wherever you drive. But before you renew, it's worth a two-minute check of your own authority's current list, whether that's TfL or your local council, so nothing catches you out on the day.

If you work through ride-hailing apps, your insurer will usually ask which platforms you drive for. That's not box-ticking. Your cover has to meet each platform's compliance requirements, and some drivers work across several apps in a week.

Tell your insurer every app you use, not just your main one. Cover that only recognises one platform can leave a gap the moment you switch to another, and that gap is exactly what you're insuring against.

A few minutes of prep saves the expensive mistakes.

 New penalty points, a change of address, a different vehicle or a claim since last year all need telling. Leaving something out can invalidate your cover when you need it most.

 If you're moving insurer, you'll need evidence of your claim-free years to keep your price fair.

 Driving for hire without valid insurance is an offence, and a lapse can put your licence at risk. Line the new policy up to start the day the old one stops.

Renew your private hire insurance with Zego

Zego is built for private hire drivers, so renewing is quick and the cover fits the way you actually work, whether you drive full-time or a few days a week around other commitments.

Get a quote and your documents sorted online, without the broker phone calls

Cover that meets the compliance requirements for the apps you drive for

Proof of insurance ready to go, so you're on the road without waiting

Curious what it costs before you switch? See 

Do I need an MOT certificate to renew my PCO insurance?

Not always, but some insurers and authorities ask for a valid MOT to confirm the vehicle is roadworthy, so it's sensible to have it ready.

Start around two to three weeks before your policy ends. That gives you time to gather documents, compare cover and line up the new policy with no gap.

Is PCO insurance the same as private hire insurance?

Yes. “PCO insurance” is just the common name drivers use for the private hire insurance you need once you hold a PCO licence.

Renewing your PCO or private hire insurance? Here's the exact document checklist insurers ask for, why each one matters, and how to renew without a gap in cover.

What documents do you need for PCO insurance renewal? (2026 UK checklist)

Driving a taxi is a good way to earn a living — but the moment you start carrying paying passengers, your everyday car insurance stops working for you. Here's what cover you actually need, in plain English.

Taxi insurance covers drivers who carry fee-paying passengers. You'll also see it called hire and reward (or H&R). It protects you, your vehicle and your livelihood if a passenger or another road user makes a claim against you.

“Taxi insurance” is really a catch-all. It covers private hire vehicles, black cabs and drivers working for platforms like Uber and Bolt. Below, we break down the different types, what each level of cover gives you, and the things that push the price up or down.

Private hire vs public hire: what's the difference?

The type of licence you hold decides the type of cover you need. There are two.

 covers licensed drivers carrying pre-booked passengers for payment. If someone books you through an app or rings the office ahead, that's private hire. You'll sometimes see it called minibus or PCO insurance. This is the cover most app-based drivers need.

 covers Hackney Carriages — the licensed cabs that can be flagged down in the street or picked up at a rank without booking ahead. It's also known as black cab insurance. The cover is similar to private hire; the difference is how you pick up your fares.

One thing both have in common: your standard motor policy — the 

 most drivers have — won't cover you for either. Carrying paying passengers is a business activity, and it needs a business policy.

Do Uber and Bolt drivers need taxi insurance?

Yes. If you drive for Uber, Bolt or any other ride-hailing platform, insurers treat you as running a private hire service — so you need 

It matters more than the paperwork suggests. If you have an accident on the job without the right cover, your claim will very likely be turned down — leaving you to foot the bill yourself. It's not worth the risk.

Taxi insurance comes in the same three levels as regular car insurance:

 — the legal minimum. Covers damage or injury you cause to other people, but not your own vehicle.

 — the above, plus cover if your vehicle is stolen or damaged by fire.

 — the fullest cover, including damage to your own vehicle even when a claim is your fault.

Beyond the level itself, a few extras are worth weighing up as a professional driver:

This protects you if a passenger is injured, or their property is damaged, while getting in, riding in, or getting out of your taxi. It covers the legal and compensation costs that can follow — and for many drivers it's the single most valuable piece of the policy.

Planning to use the same vehicle for the school run or the weekly shop? You'll want cover for personal driving too. Check with your local licensing authority first, as the rules on driving a licensed taxi off-duty vary from area to area.

Taxi drivers clock up serious miles. An unlimited-mileage policy means you're not caught out by extra charges for going over a cap.

Your vehicle is your business, so a breakdown isn't just inconvenient — it's lost income. Taxis spend far more time on the road than most cars, and not every insurer offers breakdown cover built for them, so it's worth checking.

You can also usually choose who's covered to drive:

 — anyone suitably licensed and able to drive your taxi.

 is priced on many of the same things as ordinary car insurance — where you live, your driving history, the vehicle you drive — but it usually costs more. Three reasons why:

Taxi drivers cover far more miles a year than the average driver.

Carrying passengers raises the chance of a personal injury claim.

The job often means driving in busy areas at the busiest times of day.

Each of those nudges up your risk of an incident, and that's reflected in the price.

You can't change the fact that you drive for a living — but you can do plenty to keep the price fair:

Pick a sensible vehicle with a smaller engine.

Fit extra security, like a dashcam or CCTV.

Pay annually and upfront rather than monthly, if you can.

Choose a policy that rewards how you actually drive — like 

, which uses app-based data to measure your driving. Drive well, and you could pay less at renewal.

And the golden rule: always shop around and compare before you commit.

If you're driving in the capital, Transport for London (TfL) sets a couple of extra hurdles:

Since 2016, TfL has required all licensed private hire drivers to prove their English before getting a licence. Our 

As a private hire driver in London, your vehicle must be covered by hire and reward insurance from the point of licensing. PCO stands for Public Carriage Office — the part of TfL that oversees the capital's taxis.

If you stop driving your vehicle as a taxi — because you've retired, sold up, or moved on — decommissioned taxi insurance covers you for any liability or damage while it's no longer working as a cab. Always tell your insurer when you decommission, so they can put the right cover in place.

Can I carry paying passengers on my normal car insurance?

No. If you're driving a paying customer, a standard car or van policy won't cover you. You need taxi insurance — hire and reward — before you take your first fare.

We know your vehicle is your livelihood. Whether you drive for Uber, Bolt or a local operator, the right cover keeps you and your passengers protected every day.

Our Private Hire (Hire & Reward) insurance is built for professional drivers, with the flexibility to choose 30-day or annual cover. Both are fully comprehensive and designed to get you back on the road quickly if things go wrong.

 policy and your driving does the talking — our app-based telematics rewards good driving with a fairer price at renewal.

Taxi insurance covers drivers who carry fee-paying passengers. Learn about the different types and levels of cover, including other things you might need to work as a taxi driver.

Advice to help you make sense of insurance

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What's the difference between food and parcel delivery insurance? (2026)

How to reduce your business van insurance premiums (2026 UK guide)

What documents do you need for PCO insurance renewal? (2026 UK checklist)

What Insurance Do Taxi Drivers Need? (2026)

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