Which Insurance Companies Work With Zego?

Zego’s courier/delivery driver insurance is exceptionally popular with drivers working for some of the UK’s largest app-based delivery businesses. Their "pay-as-you-go"/"top-up" policies (that only charge you while you’re working) can be a cost-effective choice, especially for part-time drivers—Deliveroo states the average driver works for under 15 hours per week, for example.

In June 2021, Zego also made it onto the Uber UK insurance panel, meaning that those driving for Uber with coverage from Zego won't have to worry about changing insurers when the Uber coverage changes go live in December 2021.

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that none of the UK’s top car insurance providers currently cover couriers—you may have struggled to find coverage through them yourself. However you might be shocked to know that most of them also forbid drivers with a Social, Domestic & Pleasure policy from working as a courier with Zego’s top-up insurance.

We spoke to the UK’s vehicle insurers to find out which would and wouldn’t be happy for you to drive as a courier with Zego’s PAYG/top-pp courier insurance.

If you’d like to see more detailed comments from each insurer then we contacted the press office of each:

Which UK Car Insurers Accept Zego?

Insurance Company	Offer cover for delivery driving?	Accept Zego’s top-up/PAYG cover as valid?
Admiral
Ageas
AXA
Aviva
Direct Line
esure
Hastings
LV
NF Mutual
RSA (More Than)^

As you can see, if you’re driving for the likes of Deliveroo, JustEat, UberEats or Amazon, and your SD&P insurance is through one of these providers, then there’s a pretty good chance your insurer would be within their rights to void your coverage in the event of an accident if you’ve been working as a courier and using Zego’s top-up coverage. Depending on your insurer.

One thing we noticed during our research was a clear disconnect between press teams (who we contacted for comments) and drivers actual experience talking on the phone to sales reps to ask whether or not top-up was accepted—question marks denote insurers whose press teams informed NimbleFins that they did accept top-up coverage, but that NimbleFins readers had been told by the insurer did not accept top-up.

The confusion isn’t necessarily surprising—Zego has only been around since 2016, and couriers make up a very small percentage of the customer base of vehicle insurers—plus, they’re a considerably more risky investment for insurers than a regular driver, so there’s probably not a massive rush to offer a solution.

How Much Does Zego Car Insurance Cost?

Zego’s pay hourly car insurance starts from around £1 per hour. If you’re considered a “riskier” driver (younger, more powerful vehicle etc.) then it can reach as high as £3 per hour. Zego’s 30-day policies (which include SD&P cover, avoiding the risk of you being caught out unprotected in the event of an accident) start from around £150 per month.

Zego’s coverage matches your existing SD&P policy to avoid confusion on what you are and aren’t covered for—this means if you currently have a Third Party Only (TPO) SD&P policy then Zego matches this and only covers you for TPO damages too. Keeping in mind the increased risks of courier driving (and that Comprehensive cover is often considerably cheaper) it might be worth considering upgrading your coverage to a higher level.

Top Insurers

We asked some of the top insurers if they’ll allow top-up cover. Below we provide their answers.

It’s critical to remember that companies saying they theoretically allow top-up cover will actually make these decisions on a case-by-case basis. So you MUST call up your insurer to inform them of your delivery driving job and obtain permission to use top-up cover. Without this, you might not be insured.

Does Admiral Accept Zego Insurance?

Admiral does accept Zego’s top-up/PAYG Courier Insurance as valid, and is happy for customers to utilize Zego’s coverage alongside their Admiral Social, Domestic & Pleasure cover. We haven’t yet heard from any readers whether or not they have been approved for top-up cover with Admiral.

They also started offering hire & reward insurance at the end of 2021. These policies are different from their regular SD&P car insurance.

Does Ageas Accept Zego Insurance?

The press team at Ageas told NimbleFins that yes, they do accept Zego’s top-up courier insurance as valid. However, NimbleFins readers have informed us that sales reps at Ageas informed them that Ageas did not allow drivers to use Zego/top-up cover. If you’re with Ageas and considering courier work, we would recommend contacting them yourselves for absolute confirmation.

Here’s what their press office told us:

"There is nothing in our policy wording to exclude a top-up policy, so if one of our customers wanted to add a top-up policy on top of their normal policy with us, they would still be covered when they are using their vehicle for non-business purposes, with the top-up covering them for the additional usage through their top-up policy provider.

"It is important to note that top-up cover in isolation does not mean you can avoid having a standard policy for social, domestic, pleasure and commuting use. If customers are ever unsure on what their insurance product covers, they can always speak to their broker or insurer."

Does AXA Accept Zego Insurance?

AXA currently does not accept Zego’s top-up coverage as valid. We’ve yet to receive comment from their press office, however did call their sales team who informed us that AXA wouldn’t cover anyone driving as a courier or using any form of “top-up” insurance.

Does Aviva Accept Zego Insurance?

No, Aviva does not accept drivers using Zego’s top-up cover. This means if your SD&P policy is provided by Aviva, and you’re using Zego to cover your courier work, you risk having your policy voided by Aviva in the event of an accident.

Here are the comment NimbleFins received from the Aviva Press Office:

"We don’t accept top-up cover to Aviva car insurance policies in order to avoid any confusion for the customer that could come from having dual motor insurance (where two insurers are providing cover for the same vehicle). A common issue that might arise in this situation is a dispute over how a vehicle was being used at the time of an accident, which can create uncertainty as to which insurer would be liable for the claim.

"More widely, we consider insurance for hire and reward, including couriers and delivery drivers, as specialist cover; customers looking for that type of insurance would be best served by contacting their insurance broker."

Does Direct Line Accept Zego Insurance?

Yes, Direct Line does allow its customers to utilize Zego’s “top-up” coverage if they wish to use their vehicle for courier work, per the press office at Direct Line.

This differs from what we were told when we contacted Direct Line’s sales team, who told us they would only cover delivery drivers working for an individual takeaway (so not apps like Deliveroo or JustEat). You risk voiding your Direct Line coverage if you fail to inform them that you’ve started using your vehicle for courier work, so the safest bet is to contact them yourself and see what they say.

Here’s the quote from the Direct Line Press Team:

"Whilst Direct Line do not currently offer policyholders the ability to add on additional cover to their standard policy to insure against using their vehicles for deliveries such as; Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats or postal deliveries. If they would like to use their vehicle for these purposes they are able to take out ‘top-up’ insurance with an alternative provider, to cover them when they are using their vehicles for business purposes.

"Separate ’top-up’ insurance policies are offered by some delivery firms, as well as, alternative companies such as Zego, and provide cover over and above your standard insurance policy to protect drivers whilst they are using their vehicle for delivery purposes. This ‘top-up’ insurance will not invalidate a Direct Line customer’s personal policy, however, any claims which arise whilst the vehicle is being used for business purposes such as; deliveries would be payable by the ‘top-up’ insurer and not Direct Line."

Does esure Accept Zego Insurance?

No, esure does not currently accept Zego’s top-up cover as valid, meaning if you’re covered by esure and considering courier work you’ll need to look elsewhere. However, esure did let us know they’re constantly reviewing their product offering and its possible this may change at some point, so keep an eye on this space.

Here’s what esure told us when we asked the question:

"In line with the majority of the market, currently esure do not provide cover for customers requiring insurance for courier or delivery work in their personal vehicle. However, we do keep this under review and may look at possible options in the future."

Does Hastings Accept Zego Insurance?

The press office at Hastings informed us that yes, they would accept Zego’s top-up coverage as valid provided the driver had informed Hastings they’d be using their vehicle for courier/delivery work ahead of time.

A NimbleFins reader had a different experience, however, telling us that Hastings don’t actually accept Zego’s cover.

The safest option here is to contact them yourself before taking on any deliveries and clarifying whether or not they do accept Zego—as mentioned previously, there does appear to be a disconnect between upper management and the sales teams of some of these insurers (unsurprising given how big these companies are) so you might want to talk to someone more senior to make sure you’ve got the correct answer.

Here’s what Hastings told us over email:

"As with any change in circumstances or vehicle use, we would expect the customer to update us accurately and correctly, including any change in their occupation, to ensure they are correctly covered.

"If a customer states the use of the vehicle as SDPC (social, domestic, pleasure, commuting) but they add a top-up insurance to their policy to cover delivery driving etc., they would still be covered for the SDPC use of their vehicle by their main insurer, with the top up insurer covering the business use required, i.e., for the delivery.

"Top up policies offer temporary cover for the period the customer is working using their vehicle. However, if the customer has taken on additional part time work they must disclose this to their main insurer as any non-disclosure of information could affect a future claim."

And here’s what a NimbleFins reader told us about his experience informing Hastings he’d be working for JustEat:

"Hi. Please be aware that Hastings DO NOT accept Zego as stated in your chart. I have just tried as they are my current provider and [I’ve] recently signed up to Just Eat.”

Does LV Accept Zego Insurance?

No—LV wouldn’t accept customers using Zego to insure their vehicle for paid delivery work. LV’s Car Insurance policies automatically exclude anybody using their vehicle for work as a courier/delivery driver in return for payment (but does make exceptions for any deliveries made as part of a volunteering effort, say a local food bank)

LV told us this:

"Our car insurance policy excludes cover anyone for working as a delivery driver or courier, or using their car for hire and reward purposes. Likewise this isn’t something an existing customer would be able to expand their policy to include. If a customer chooses to buy a top-up/PAYG/hire and reward insurance policy elsewhere they would still not have cover under their LV= policy.

"Every customer is different and before we take on anyone as a new customer, we have to take a number of factors into consideration, including what kind of job they do. This is because different jobs have different insurance requirements and we need to ensure that our policy can cater for those different needs, and is given to the customers that it is most suitable for.

"It is worth noting that we automatically cover customers who use their car to do voluntary work, which can sometimes include deliveries, whether that be medication, medical equipment, shopping or other essential items. However we won’t cover customers who are being paid to do this, as it requires a different level of cover that falls outside of the terms of our policy."

Does RSA (More Than) Accept Zego Insurance?

We spoke to a sales rep at More Than who informed us that yes, they would be happy for customers to use Zego to cover delivery/courier work, but that the customer would need to inform More Than before taking any deliveries.