Long-distance delivery legally requires three policies. Here's what they cost, who sells them, and how Flash Drive can help you get sorted before your first job.
The big one. Standard car or van insurance does not cover you the moment you start carrying goods for payment — even one parcel makes you uninsured. Hire and Reward (HR) is the variant that covers commercial delivery work.
Covers the value of the parcel itself if it's damaged, lost or stolen while you have it. The Flash Drive contract requires at least £100,000 per incident.
Covers third-party injury or property damage during your work — e.g. you drop a parcel on someone's car, or trip a passer-by at the drop-off. The Flash Drive contract requires at least £1,000,000.
These are courier-specialist insurers we'd point new applicants at. Flash Drive does not currently take referral commission from any of them — they're listed because they're the best-known reputable options. Always get at least two quotes.
Pay-as-you-go Hire and Reward. You pay per active hour or per day — not £3,000 upfront. Designed for gig couriers. Excellent option if you want to try long-distance work without committing thousands. Mobile-app driven, fast quotes.
Visit Zego →Traditional annual policies. Owned by Markerstudy. Long history with courier and haulage trades. Better if you have a clean record and want a single annual policy at a competitive price.
Visit Tradex →Specialist broker who places courier and haulage cover — strong with newer drivers, returning drivers, and those with a couple of convictions or claims. Good fallback if Zego or Tradex won't quote.
Visit Acorn →No — and this is the most common mistake new couriers make. The instant you accept money for carrying goods, your standard private-vehicle policy is invalid. If you have an accident, the insurer will refuse to pay out. You may also be reported for driving uninsured (an offence carrying 6–8 penalty points and an unlimited fine). Always tell your insurer you'll be doing courier work, and switch to a Hire and Reward policy before your first job.
You can — but you don't have to. We recommend applying first. If you're approved and matched with a contractor who has fleet cover, you might not need your own policy. We'll let you know within 1–2 working days of applying.
Zego — about 15 minutes including taking a photo of your driving licence. Traditional brokers (Tradex, Acorn) — usually a phone call and email exchange, takes 1–3 working days for the policy to go live.
Honestly, yes. Most insurers either won't quote under-21s for HR motor, or quote eye-watering premiums (£5,000+). Zego is the most likely to quote younger drivers at a workable price. The other realistic route is to drive under a contractor's fleet policy — they often have age agreements that allow younger named drivers.
Yes — and this is the model most established courier contractors use. They hold the fleet HR + GIT + PL policy and add each approved courier as a named driver. You drive under their policy on Flash Drive jobs. The Flash Drive contracts explicitly allow this (Courier Services Agreement, clause 8.2). Ask your matched contractor whether they offer fleet cover — most do.
Only relevant if a contractor employs staff. Self-employed couriers without employees don't need it. If you're a contractor with employees, EL is legally required at the £5m statutory minimum.
Flash Drive will suspend your account immediately when we receive notice — you can't take any jobs until cover is restored. Driving without cover is a criminal offence and you'd also be personally liable for any incident. We check insurance status on a rolling basis through your contractor.
Not in the foreseeable future. We're a delivery platform, not an insurer. What we may do once we have enough active couriers is partner with a broker to create a Flash Drive group scheme — at a meaningful discount. We're not there yet. We'll email all active couriers when we are.