Business insurance only covers food delivery if hire and reward (H&R) is listed on your policy. Business use on a car policy covers driving as part of your job, like visiting clients or travelling between work sites. Delivering food for money is a different kind of driving.
Business use and hire and reward are easy to mix up, because people say "business insurance" and mean different things. Delivery apps are clear about it, though. They want to see hire and reward on your certificate before you take an order. Here's what each type of cover means, and how to check yours.
Does business car insurance cover food delivery?
No. To deliver food or parcels for money, you need hire and reward insurance.
When you buy car insurance, you choose a class of use. It sets what you’re covered to use your car for. Personal and business use don’t cover paid deliveries. Only hire and reward does.
You can pay for the highest class of business use and still be uninsured the moment you accept an order.
Why food delivery needs hire and reward cover
When you deliver food, you're carrying someone else's goods and getting paid to deliver them.
Insurers call this hire and reward, so business car insurance doesn't cover food delivery unless hire and reward is on the policy. Our hire and reward guide explains the cover in full.
You might also see it called fast food delivery insurance or carriage of goods for hire and reward. On a motor policy, both mean the same cover.
Deliveroo's rider support page, for example, says cars and motorised scooters need both SD&P and hire and reward cover. Riders must show proof before they start.
Scooter and moped riders follow the same rules as car drivers. Our guide to delivering on two wheels also covers the licence you need.
Met Police guidance gives takeaway drivers and self-employed delivery drivers as examples of work a normal policy won't automatically cover. Delivering without the right cover can count as driving without insurance.
When "business insurance" means something else
Some products sold as business insurance are public liability cover. You can't use this kind of business insurance for food delivery. Confusingly, a few of these products carry the name "fast food delivery insurance".
Public liability pays out if a member of the public is hurt, or their property is damaged, because of your work. For example, a customer trips over your delivery bag on their doorstep.
Some of these products say on their own pages that they don't include hire and reward. Your car or scooter on the road needs separate motor insurance.
Deliveroo's own rider cover works in a similar way. Deliveroo gives all riders personal injury and income protection.
Its public liability cover protects car and scooter riders while they're on foot, collecting or dropping off an order. On the road, your vehicle still needs your own insurance.
The quickest test is the paperwork. Motor insurance comes with a certificate of motor insurance, and that's the document delivery apps ask to see. If a product doesn't give you one, the app won't accept it.
How to check your certificate before your first delivery
Your certificate of motor insurance is the short document that proves you're insured. It's also what the delivery app asks you to upload, so check it first.
- Find your certificate. Your insurer usually emails it when you buy, or you can download it from your online account.
- Go to "Limitations as to use". This section lists what you're allowed to use the vehicle for. On an INSHUR 30-day or annual certificate, it shows the hire and reward use next to social, domestic and pleasure use.
- Look for "hire and reward" with goods or food. Some certificates say "hire or reward", which means the same. Hire and reward for passengers only is for private hire work.
- Make sure it's not in the "not covered" list. Some certificates name hire and reward among the uses the policy doesn't cover. If that's the only place it appears, you'll need hire and reward insurance before your first order. The same goes if you only see business use.
If anything isn't clear, ask your insurer to confirm in writing before you take any orders.
Two ways to get food delivery cover with INSHUR
INSHUR food delivery insurance comes as pay as you go cover or as a 30-day or annual policy. Which one suits you depends on how often you deliver and which apps you use.
Pay as you go cover for part-time shifts
Our pay as you go delivery insurance adds hire and reward cover while you're logged in to a delivery shift. You only pay for the minutes you're delivering, from a wallet that tops up automatically. There's no minimum charge for short shifts, and your hourly price is locked for 90 days.
Pay as you go works alongside the SD&P insurance you already have, so you'll need that cover in place first. It's for Uber Eats and Deliveroo only, and it doesn't cover parcels.
30-day and annual policies for regular delivery work
Our 30-day and annual policies include hire and reward and SD&P as standard. That means one policy covers your delivery shifts and your personal driving.
They work across Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Just Eat and other delivery apps, so you can switch between them on the same cover.
We cover cars and vans. Scooter and moped riders get SD&P included too, with our scooter and moped delivery insurance.
Choose a 30-day policy if you're new to delivery work, or an annual policy if it's your main job. You can pay upfront or monthly.
Your certificate arrives as soon as you buy, ready to upload to the app.
Which cover suits you?
Pay as you go suits you if you deliver part-time on Uber Eats or Deliveroo and already have your own SD&P insurance. If you deliver on other apps, choose a 30-day or annual policy. The same applies if you carry parcels as well as food.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
