Taxi Insurance

What is taxi insurance?

Taxi insurance is a policy covering drivers and passengers in the event of damage to the vehicle and those inside it.

When it comes to taxi insurance, taxi firms will typically need to oversee two separate arms:

Taxi insurance: Vehicles will need enhanced insurance above your typical car insurance. Taxi fleet insurance can help to save money compared to having each individual vehicle insured separately.

Drivers: In addition to securing taxi fleet insurance, taxi drivers must apply to their local council, where a background check will be carried out. 

Taxi fleet insurance is a policy covering 5 or more taxis.

How does taxi fleet insurance work?

Taxi fleet insurance is a multi-vehicle policy which will essentially insure every type of taxi you own in your fleet, with a single renewal date and premium.

Should you need to add or remove a vehicle through the year, taxi insurance can be provided on a pro-rata basis. 

You will typically need five or more taxi vehicles to be classed as a fleet, however, this may vary depending on which insurer you use.

How much is taxi insurance? 

Taxi insurance is typically more expensive than your average car insurance as drivers will be on the road in many driving conditions, for longer times and covering more miles, therefore there is a higher risk of accidents.

It’s hard to give an exact answer for taxi insurance as every business will differ in terms of their individual needs. An experienced fleet insurance broker will be able to give you the best price and most appropriate level of cover for your business.

Is it cheaper to have fleet insurance for a taxi business?

Choosing to take out fleet insurance for taxi businesses can work out cheaper than individually insuring vehicles within your fleet. 

If a driver within your fleet is involved in an accident, an insurer may choose to spread the cost of a claim across all vehicles, therefore lowering the premium you pay.

How can you lower the price of taxi insurance?

A few factors that can lower the price of your taxi fleet insurance include:

• Using older vehicles: the resale value will be lower, therefore insurance will be cheaper
• Keeping your taxis in good condition: this means they are less likely to have problems further down the line
• Make sure they are stored safely: this reduces the chance of criminal damage and therefore risk
• Consider private hire: when you are a public hire taxi firm, customers will mainly hail and use your taxis in busy town centres, where the risk of accidents is higher. Private hire means customers will need to pre book and can be picked up in less risky areas.

Taxi insurance for Uber drivers

It is important to note that private hire insurance is the most appropriate cover for Uber drivers. 

Although Uber does not explicitly state it is a private hire, from an insurance perspective they are, therefore this is the most appropriate level of insurance along with public liability insurance.

If you carry paying passengers without this level of insurance, it will be invalid, so do make sure you are using the correct level of insurance.

Where to get taxi fleet insurance

At Fleetcover, we offer bespoke taxi fleet insurance policies. When it comes to this type of insurance, there are many factors that come into play such as age, public vs private hire, locations operating in and so on, so it is important to discuss this with an expert.

At Walmsleys Commercial Insurance Brokers we believe in sharing the love and if you recommend a friend to us, and they take out a policy with us, we will send you a £50 Amazon Gift voucher to say thank you.

FAQ’s

Does taxi insurance cover personal use?

If your insurance policy covers personal use then yes, you are covered. It is always best to double check first before assuming! 

Bear in mind that only the registered taxi driver can use this for personal use, not family members or friends.

Can I freeze or cancel my taxi insurance?

You cannot ‘freeze’ or ‘pause’ taxi insurance by law in the UK, as well as most other countries worldwide. You can, however, cancel it if you need to do so.

Can I get taxi insurance that covers food delivery?

Yes, you can get taxi insurance that covers food delivery, which can be used for services such as Uber Eats, for example.

This particular branch of taxi insurance has boomed this year due to restrictions on restaurants, meaning more food is being delivered than it was previously.

Can I get taxi fleet insurance if I have minibuses?

Yes, you can insure a number of different taxi vehicles under a taxi fleet insurance including minibuses, estates and saloons.