Excavator Insurance
Competitive Excavator Insurance Backed By ‘Exceptional’ Service
Want to save money on your excavator insurance? Let the plant insurance specialists at Coversure Hull compare our markets to find you the cover that’s right for you. Whether you need an annual policy for owned equipment or hired excavator insurance, call us today on 0800 977 6037 and let our award-winning team help you.
Excavator insurance backed by ‘Exceptional’ Service
Our award-wining team is rated as ‘Exceptional’ by feefo and with over 50 years of plant insurance experience, you can rest assured you’re in safe hands. Being independent we can put your needs first, and we’ll compare the market to find you great cover for a great value premium. To find out more, call us free on 0800 977 6037, start your excavator insurance quote today.
What is excavator insurance?
Excavator Insurance is a specialist form of cover designed to meet the needs of businesses and individuals that hire, lease, or own excavators, diggers, mini-diggers or JCBs. Cover can be arranged for a few days for hired-in equipment, or on an annual basis for owned excavators.
A flexible form of protection, excavator insurance through Coversure Hull can cover common risks, including:
- Loss or theft
- Accidental damage – including the cost of repairs
- Malicious damage
- Damage while its being transported – with cover available for both the UK and the EU
- Ongoing hire charges – if a hired-in excavator or other MEWP is lost or stolen, you’re likely to be liable for ongoing hire charges. Hired-in plant insurance can cover these for a fixed period - often between 30 and 90 days - but we can adjust limits to suit your needs
- Legal fees - for defending legal proceedings incurred with the insurer's consent
- Road risks only – where the policy only applies when vehicles are being driven on public roads. This could be useful for van-mounted excavators or a MEWP
- All-risks cover – protects it against damage by fire, flood, theft, malicious or accidental damage
- Public and employers’ liability insurance
- Off-site storage
What can be covered by excavator insurance?
While it’s called excavator insurance, it can cover other hydraulic lifting equipment, including:
- Diggers
- Mini diggers
- JCBs
- Crawler excavators
- Backhoe excavators
- Wheeled excavators
- Hydraulic shovels
- Dragline excavators
- Suction excavators
- Skid Steer excavators
- Long Reach excavators
- Large excavators
If you have a specific piece of kit that you need to insure, please contact the Coversure Hull team on 0800 977 6037 or click here, and we’ll be happy to help you find cover for it.
How long does an excavator policy last for?
That’s largely down to you. If you own your excavator, then you’ll probably want an annual policy. If you’re hiring-in a piece of kit then we can arrange hired-in plant insurance for a day, a week or even longer if needs be. To find out more, call us free on 0800 977 6037.
How much does excavator insurance cost?
The cost of your policy will depend on things like:
- The value of the kit you have/are hiring in
- The length of time you’re hiring it for
- Whether it’s going to be used on roads and needs road risks cover
- If you want policy extensions such as public liability insurance
- The type of work you are doing and where
- Where it will be stored overnight/at the weekends
- Your postcode
- Your claims history – assuming you have one
If you’d like to know how excavator insurance will cost you or to get a quote, please contact us on 0800 977 6037 and one of our experienced team will be happy to help you get the cover you need.
How to get cheaper excavator insurance
There are several ways you can potentially reduce your excavator insurance quotes, including:
- Don’t take the hire company’s hired-in plant insurance – if you’re hiring an excavator it may be the easy option to take the hire company’s cover, but it’s likely to be more expensive and won’t offer the best protection. These policies are often restrictive – most don’t include accidental damage insurance, for example – and almost certainly won’t come with any qualified, independent advice. This is because these policies are sold on a ‘non-advised’ basis, so what you see in the policy wording is what you get. No one will be on hand to explain the details to you. It’s safer and often most cost-effective to get some hired-in plant insurance advice and a hired plant insurance quote from an independent broker
- Shop around – like any other insurance policy, it can pay to shop around. Ultimately, you want to use an independent insurance broker that’s specialises in plant insurance
- Use an independent insurance broker – getting the right plant insurance takes specialist knowledge. Hired-in plant insurance can involve covering multiple complex risks with policies containing exemptions and limits that may not be obvious. By getting some advice from an independent broker that specialises in plant insurance such as Coversure Hull, you can get the cover you need while they do the shopping around for you
- Register your equipment with the CESAR Scheme – if you own a excavator it’s worth registering it with the CESAR scheme. The CESAR (Construction and Agriculture Equipment Security and Registration) Scheme was established in 2008 to help combat agricultural and construction plant equipment thefts. Over 625,000 machines are now registered and protected by the CESAR Scheme which makes it easy for the police to identify equipment and, if found to be stolen, to contact the registered owner. It’s also free for life and is recognised by major insurers and can help bring down your plant insurance quotes
- Store your equipment securely – according to CESAR over £1m of agricultural and plant equipment is stolen each week in the UK. While it won’t always be possible to store your equipment securely overnight or at weekends, do so whenever you can. If you have to leave it on-site, make sure the site is as secure as possible by using portable or micro-CCTV cameras and interior cameras in cabs. Plant thefts are rising, so this is a problem that you need to address. If your hired plant is stolen, you’ll likely be left liable for ongoing hire fees
- Increase your excess – your excess is the amount you pay in the event of a claim. Some plant insurance policies come with a ‘variable’ excess which allows you to choose how much you pay when you make a claim. If you have a good claims record, raising your excess can be an easy way of getting cheaper excavator insurance. Raising your excess can also reduce the chances of you making small claims as it may cost you more by the time you have paid the excess
- Get a plant fleet insurance policy – if you own two or more pieces of plant to insure – be they excavators, diggers, dumper trucks, steam rollers or forklift trucks – you can get plant fleet insurance
- Get an annual policy – if you’re hiring plant in several times a year, it may work out cheaper to get an annual special types insurance policy rather than a series of short-term plant hire policies
Excavator insurance FAQ
Excavator insurance is a complex area of cover and it’s important to get it right. To help you get the protection that’s right for you, here are our excavator insurance frequently asked questions. We hope they will prove helpful, but if you’d like to get some independent advice, then please call us free on 0800 977 6037. Our team of insurance specialists will be happy to talk you through the options to ensure you get the protection that’s right for you. Alternatively, why not check out our plant insurance guide.
Q. Is excavator insurance a legal requirement?
A. Only if you intend to drive it on the road, otherwise no
Q. How much does excavator insurance cost?
A. That will depend on things like the value of your equipment, whether its owned or hired-in plant, your postcode and where you will be using it. If you’d like a personalised excavator insurance quote, please call the team on 0800 977 6037
Q. Can an excavator be covered while being transported to and from a site? A. Yes if you have equipment floater cover as part of your policy
Q. How long can a hired-in excavator insurance policy last for?
A. We can arrange cover for a day, a week, or a year depending on your needs
Q. Are there any other policies I should consider?
A. Yes, the most common ones include public liability insurance – which protects you should someone by injured or their property damaged - and third-party working risks
Q. Can it cover me to drive plant equipment on the road?
A. Yes, so long as you have a road risks element to the policy
Q. Is cover available for private individuals as well as businesses?
A. Yes, we can offer cover for people who are hiring-in excavators as well as businesses that own their own
Q. Do I need a special licence to drive an excavator on the road?
A. No, if you have a full UK driving licence you can drive one on the road so long as you have road risks cover
Q. How can I get an excavator insurance quote?
A. Getting a quote from us is easy. You can call us on 0800 977 6037 or get your excavator insurance quote here. Thanks to our wide range of insurance providers, we can compare our markets to find you the cover you need at a premium you’ll like
Get an excavator insurance quote
If you'd like some independent plant insurance help or a plant insurance quote, call us on 0800 977 6037. We can give you all the advice you need and can compare our markets to find you the cover you require.
