Christmas and the weeks leading up to it are some of the busiest times of year for UK couriers. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and festive shopping all lead to more parcels, online orders and food deliveries.
For drivers, this creates plenty of opportunities to earn extra money. You could join a major delivery network or work with local businesses and restaurants. You could also pick up seasonal delivery work alongside your usual job.
But before you get on the road, you need to make sure you’re properly insured. The cover you need will depend on how you work and what you deliver. It will also depend on whether you’re using a car or van and who you’re working for.
What Seasonal Courier Work Can You Do?
Christmas courier work comes in many forms. You don’t necessarily need a van or need to work as a full-time delivery driver.
During the festive period, you could take on:
- Parcel and multi-drop deliveries
- Work for major delivery networks
- Local business and retail deliveries
- Fast food and takeaway deliveries
- Part-time or weekend courier work
- Self-employed delivery work
Some companies provide a vehicle, while others expect you to use your own car or van. This can affect the insurance you need.
Do You Need Courier Insurance?
If you use your car or van to deliver goods for payment, standard vehicle insurance usually won’t cover you. You’ll generally need Hire and Reward insurance instead. This allows you to use your vehicle to carry goods in return for payment.
Ordinary business use doesn’t always include courier work either. This means adding business use to your existing policy may not be enough.
The same rules apply if you only deliver part-time or work as a courier over Christmas. At CoverMy, we specialise in courier insurance for both seasonal and longer-term work. Our team can help you find suitable cover based on how you plan to work.
Protecting the Goods You’re Delivering
Your car or van isn’t the only thing you need to think about. During a busy Christmas shift, you could be carrying a large number of customer orders at once, which is why Goods in Transit insurance is an important part of courier cover. It can protect the goods you’re transporting against specified risks such as loss, damage or theft, subject to the terms of your policy.
CoverMy courier policies include £10,000 of Goods in Transit cover, with options to increase this to £50,000 where required. If you’re expecting to carry higher-value goods or complete busy multi-drop routes over Christmas, our team can help you choose an appropriate level of cover.
Without Goods in Transit cover, you could be left responsible for the cost of lost, stolen or damaged goods. With a van full of Christmas deliveries, that could quickly become an expensive loss.
Consider Public Liability Insurance
If you’re working as a self-employed courier, it’s also worth considering Public Liability insurance. This provides protection against certain claims if your business activities cause injury to another person or damage to their property, giving you protection for risks that aren’t necessarily covered by your motor insurance.
For example, if you accidentally damage a customer’s property while making a delivery, or someone is injured because of your actions while you’re working, you could face a claim for compensation and associated legal costs. Without Public Liability insurance, you may have to cover these costs yourself.
CoverMy can arrange Public Liability cover separately alongside your courier insurance. Our experienced team can talk you through the options and help you understand what additional protection may be suitable for the type of work you’re doing.
Don’t Forget About Food Deliveries
Christmas isn’t only busy for parcel deliveries. Restaurants, takeaways and food delivery services can also see increased demand throughout the festive period, creating another opportunity for drivers looking to pick up additional work. However, not every courier policy automatically allows you to deliver food, so it’s important to check before accepting these jobs.
CoverMy courier insurance can include fast food delivery as standard, alongside eligible parcel and courier work. This can give you greater flexibility to take on different types of delivery work, rather than restricting yourself to parcels alone.
Does the Delivery Company Insure You?
Who arranges your insurance will depend on the company you work for and your employment arrangement. Some delivery companies provide both the vehicle and the necessary insurance, while many delivery networks work with self-employed drivers who use their own cars or vans and need to arrange suitable insurance themselves.
Never assume you’re automatically insured because you’re working with a large delivery company. Before starting, check exactly what insurance they provide and what you’re responsible for arranging. If you’re unsure, the CoverMy team can help you understand what cover you may need before you start making deliveries.
Can You Use a Car or Van?
You don’t necessarily need a van to take on Christmas courier work. Cars can suit smaller parcels, local routes and food deliveries, while vans offer more space for larger loads and busy multi-drop rounds. Whichever you choose, you need insurance that covers the vehicle for the delivery work you’re carrying out.
CoverMy can arrange both Courier Car Insurance and Courier Van Insurance, with eligible cars up to 20 years old and eligible vans up to 18 years old. We work with individual drivers, delivery networks and courier businesses, so our team can help find cover that reflects the way you work.
Seasonal, Part-Time or Full-Time Courier Work
Courier work doesn’t have to mean driving full-time all year round. You might only want to earn some extra money during November and December, deliver at evenings or weekends, or use Christmas as an opportunity to try courier work before deciding whether to continue. Existing couriers may simply increase their hours or take on additional delivery contracts during the festive rush.
Whatever your plans, your insurance needs to reflect the work you’re actually doing. CoverMy can help with seasonal and ongoing courier cover, so tell our team how you plan to work, what you’ll be delivering and which vehicle you’ll use, and we can discuss the options available to you.
Get Covered for the Christmas Rush with CoverMy
Whether you’re taking on a few weeks of Christmas deliveries, starting a new self-employed courier job or already running an established courier business, CoverMy can help you find suitable cover. Our Harlow-based team has over 45 years of insurance experience and understands the needs of courier drivers and businesses across the UK.
We can arrange cover for cars and vans, seasonal and year-round couriers, parcel and food deliveries, with Goods in Transit, Public Liability and other options available depending on your needs. Tell us what you drive, who you work for and what you’ll be delivering, and we’ll help you find the right cover.
Learn more: Visit our Courier Van & Courier Car Insurance page to explore the different types of cover available.
Get a quote: Request a tailored Courier Insurance Quote online today.
Need some help? Call our friendly Courier Insurance team on 0345 040 1940 and we’ll talk through your property and insurance requirements.
Prefer to message? Send us a message through our website or get in touch via our online contact form.
