Cheap Food Delivery Insurance 

Car insurance for delivery of fast food, food courier insurance quotes, One easy form for multiple quotes today

Don’t have your registration number? No problem, click here.

Policies and deals from industry leading insurance providers, including

Compare Fast Food Delivery Car Insurance

Last Updated Feb 2023 Multiquotetime Editorial Team

The food delivery service sector in the UK has continued to expand in recent years, with no sign of letting up. It is part of the ‘on demand’ services the public expects from the UK food sector. Delivering food by car, scooter or motorbike is an attractive side hustle for many. However, standard car insurance or even business car insurance does not provide the correct legal level of insurance to delivery food or other items.

fast food delivery insurance

MultiQuoteTime has partnered with Quote Zone, a provider of a specialist insurance comparative service, This service will quickly put you in touch with multiple brokers after you complete an online form, click here to get started now.  

What is Food Delivery Insurance?

Food delivery Insurance falls under the category of courier insurance. This type of insurance is required when transporting items from a third party establishment to a third party client. This type of insurance covers the delivery vehicle and the contents or items being transported. Business insurance for food delivery is a legal requirement. Providing a delivery service using only standard car insurance is effectively driving without insurance.  Food delivery insurance should not be confused with commercial car insurance or business car insurance, delivery drivers need insurance specific to how they will be using the vehicle.

Key Takeaway 1  Providing a delivery service using only standard car insurance is illegal.

What are the types of food delivery vehicle Insurance?

All motorised vehicles are required to have at a minimum of Third Party Insurance to operate legally on the road in the UK. For food delivery vehicles, the minimum is Third Party Courier Insurance. This covers the vehicle along with the food items being transported. The types of vehicles that require this minimum cover include cars, vans, motorcycles and scooters.

With third party courier insurance, the vehicle repairs are not covered if it is involved in an accident. Because of that, many businesses cover their vehicles with comprehensive courier Insurance with a Collision add-on. This makes it possible to have minimum bills from repairs to bring the vehicle back to being roadworthy so that it can continue to make deliveries after it has been involved in an accident.

With courier insurance, not only are the food items being transported included in the policy, but also protection with public liability coverage. The liability coverage protects the business if a third party makes a claim that you or your employee damages their property or cause them to be injured.

For those that use a bicycle, courier Insurance is advisable. This allows for the food to be covered along with being protected with Public Liability Insurance.

5 ways to reduce the cost of car food delivery insurance, UK

  • 1. Vehicle Size :  In general, smaller vehicles will smaller engines will be less to insure.  However, another important factor is the actual cost of the vehicle and average repair costs associated with the vehicle manufacturer. Think BMQ and luxury cars that have a relatively poor reliability coupled with high maintenance costs.
  • 2. Delivery Area : Some areas of the UK, in particular inner city areas, pose a higher risk to insurance companies. If your fleet is registered in a high risk post zone, expect to pay higher premiums.
  • 3. Install a Black box  : This is particularly effective for younger drivers, by providing proof that you are a lower risk driver, the insurance company will reward you with premiums that reflects your risk level.
  • 4. Increase Excess : Vehicles insurance comes with an excess, the amount you would be held liable for in the event of an accident that is not covered by a third party. Speak with your broker on how you can achieve a better deal by increasing your own liability.
  • 5. Pay as you go : This option is becoming widely available and if you only work a few hours per week to supplement your income look for a policy that is only invoked whilst you are actually on the road providing the delivery service.

What is the average price of food delivery car insurance in the UK?

The range for a commercial vehicle insurance policy is from £700 to £1200, annually. Courier Food Delivery Vehicles are considered commercial vehicles and will typically fall into this range. Add-on to the policy will cost an additional £75 to £250 per extra added.

These prices are national averages that include London with the highest rates and smaller rural villages with the lowest rates. 

The vehicles with the lowest rates are Ebikes, Scooters and Motorbikes.

What is Pay As You Go Courier Food Delivery Insurance?

This is food delivery courier insurance that costs according to the hours the driver operates the vehicle making deliveries. This is an add-on to a regular vehicle policy when permitted by your insurance company. The biggest limit is that the driver can only make deliveries for 20 hours a week or less. If you are considering working for Deliveroo, find out how much you can expect to earn as a Deliveroo driver in our guide to Deliveroo pay rates.

The costs of pay as you go food delivery insurance can vary. A current rough estimate would be between from £0.80 to £3.00 an hour. 

For those drivers that operate more than 20 hours a week, there are 30 hours per week pay as you go courier food delivery insurance. This type of policy costs from £122 to £350 a month

Key Takeaway 2  Speak with your insurance provider to see if you can upgrade or purchase an add-on insurance to enable you to use your vehicle for the delivery of food on a pay as you go basis.

What is Takeaway Delivery Driver Insurance?

This is similar, but is at a set price annually. It is also not offered as an add-on with all insurance companies. This type is best suited for the part-time delivery driver who will work less than 20 hours a week. The cost varies depending on your driving record and type of vehicle you will be operating, along with what level of insurance you have.

What Insurance do food couriers need?

All food couriers need to either have a commercial food courier insurance policy or have an add-on to their social vehicle policy to be covered. Without either of these, the driver will not be covered if they are involved in an accident when making deliveries.

No matter what type of meal you are delivery, which can be gourmet meals to pizza, special insurance is required. Many businesses that hire drivers and provide the vehicles also provide insurance. If you use your vehicle to deliver the food, then you are responsible for notifying your insurance company and taking out a fast food delivery insurance policy. 

Fast Food Courier Insurance, UK

The food courier service industry is one of the fastest growing business sectors today and their need for proper insurance coverage of the vehicle, driver and food items is now in demand. This is where we can help you with the right coverage at the right price to help you protect your business.

Fast Food Service Methods

Today it is fairly common to be able to order a hit food from the local restaurant for  a special occasion or fast food from a nearby chippy, Chinese or Pizza shop. Making sure the food is still hot is a major requirement for the business to be successful. To help achieve this aim, the takeaway may employ one of the following methods or a mix.

  • Scooter or Motorbike
  • Courier car
  • Deliver cycles are also very common in built up areas
  • On foot, for nearby locations
  • Courier van
delivery insurance UK

Food Delivery Business Options

This is the type of coverage where an employee drives a company owned vehicle to deliver food to the customers. This is a policy the business owner takes out on their vehicle, then hires a driver to make the deliveries with it.

The business owner can cover the vehicle with standard courier liability insurance. This is basically third party coverage along with coverage for the items being transported if they are lost, stolen or damaged during transport.

If a business owner desired more coverage for their vehicle, then a comprehensive courier insurance policy will be required. This includes the same type of coverage as a liability policy, but with the addition of covering the cost of repairs of the company owned vehicle and the medical costs of the driver.

Hire and Reward

For food courier drivers that will be using their own vehicle to make deliveries, they will need more than the standard liability vehicle insurance policy is required to be covered while working. Along with the standard third party liability coverage, the driver must also notify their insurance company they are making delivers for business use.

Unless that declaration is made, any accident or incident that might occur while working, the owner of the vehicle will be liable for all cost because all claims will be rejected.

With a hire and reward amendment added, your third party liability insurance; third party liability food courier coverage is in place. This type of policy also covers the items being transported in case they are lost, stolen or damaged.

Why is food delivery insurance so expensive?

Food delivery insurance will be more expensive than standard car insurance because you are using your vehicle to provide a delivery service, which introduces extra risk to the insurance company.  The key reasons why delivery drives pose an increased risk include:

  • The vehicle will be on the road for more hours on a daily basis.
  • More miles are covered on a daily basis.
  • Courier drivers take more risks because of the time restraints in making the delivery.
  • Deliveries are made during rush hour and late at night.
  • Most operate in congested urban areas.

Reasons to have the correct level of Insurance

When a vehicle is involved in an accident providing a delivery service without hire and reward cover,  the claim will be rejected by the insurance company. In monetary terms, this means the employee is responsible for all the associated costs of the accident. In addition, from a legal perspective you will be driving without insurance, which will lead to criminal conviction with points on your driving licence.

If you are hired as a delivery driver and use your own vehicle, you need to contact your insurance agent and add food delivery insurance to your existing policy.

Some employees do provide hire and reward coverage for their drivers. Before being hired, check if your new employer will cover your vehicle while you are working for them.

Get multiple quotes and compare costs today

A huge demand exists for insurance associated with the UK food industry. Many brokers now offer this type of cover, Admiral food delivery insurance is of the better known providers.  We can help you in your journey by provided you with multi comparative quotes when you complete one easy online form,

Food Courier Insurance FAQ's


Can you deliver food with car business insurance?

It is important to note that standard car insurance will not cover you for delivery food, even if your policy includes “business use”. The correct cover required is a  form of hire and reward insurance, termed food delivery insurance. 

Why is business use not sufficient? Because providing a delivery service, particularly one that is time dependent, increases your insurance risk profile. This extra risk is not covered by a standard business insurance policy. If you intend to use your car to deliver food within the UK, you will need a policy that extends your existing car insurance for the delivery of fast food

Does my business need fast food delivery insurance?

The answer is yes if your business is making deliveries. This can be the restaurant itself that owns a fleet of delivery vehicles or a third party business that operates the delivery vehicle fleet.

The answer is no if you are a restaurant owner and a third party business delivers your food to your customers.

The easiest way to determine if you need courier insurance is to ask one question. Who owns the vehicles making the deliveries? The business that owns the vehicles is the one who needs to have the courier insurance. This includes private hire and reward drivers who use their vehicle to make food deliveries. 


How do I get a food delivery insurance certificate?

Brokers will provide copy in the cloud and email a PDF copy as proof of food delivery insurance.

Scroll to Top