Blog>Trade>Benefits>Digger insurance
Last updated: 24 July 2025
Digger insurance
Diggers are specialist vehicles that can cost tens of thousands of pounds – unlike your typical used car! As such, protecting your excavator with the right digger insurance is crucial to give you peace of mind.
If a digger you own or hire gets vandalised, stolen or damaged, would you be able to afford to repair or replace it? Digger insurance is there to make sure that if the worst happens, you won’t be left out of pocket – and you’ll be able to continue doing your job with the specialist equipment you need.
Do I need digger insurance?
Using a digger to do excavation work? Then digger insurance can give you that all-important peace of mind that if anything happens to it, you’ll be covered financially.
No matter whether you’re working on a construction site or private property, the equipment you’re using will be at risk. It could break down, be stolen or get vandalised. Excavator insurance will cover your digger so that you’re not left out of pocket if anything happens – no matter whether you own it or you’re hiring it temporarily.
There are also other risks associated with using a digger. For example, you could accidentally injure someone or damage their property. If that happens, digger insurance can cover your legal costs and pay out compensation on your behalf, as long as you include public liability cover as part of your policy.
Ultimately, digger insurance means you can get on with your work with the peace of mind that if the worst happens, your business won’t be drained financially.
What excavator insurance can I get?
The main types of excavator insurance you can get include:
Digger insurance
Mini digger insurance
Micro digger insurance
Plant and machinery insurance (can cover a variety of machinery, including diggers, bulldozers and cherry pickers)
Typically, a digger insurance policy will include theft cover, damage cover and cover for owned or hired-in equipment.
There are also some optional extras that you can add to your policy to better protect all aspects of your business while you’re using plant and machinery like diggers. These include:
Road risks cover. Provides protection if you drive machinery on public roads
Off-site storage. Protects your equipment if you need to store it off-site
Cover while in transit. Covers your digger if it’s damaged while being moved from job to job
Continuing hiring charges. Covers ongoing hire charges if a digger you’re hiring gets damaged and can’t be used
Malicious damage. Pays for you to repair your digger if someone deliberately damages it
Public liability insurance. Protects you if you injure someone or damage their property while doing your job
Employers’ liability insurance. Covers you if someone you employ gets injured at work
Your insurance provider will usually be able to pull together all the different types of cover that you need under one policy. That way, you get protection that’s tailored to your business and you only have to pay for what you actually need.
What does excavator insurance cover?
Here are some scenarios that we hope don’t happen to you. But if they do, you’ll be glad you have the right digger insurance to protect you!
If your mini digger got stolen, your mini digger insurance could pay to replace it
If a micro digger you hired got damaged and couldn’t be used, your hired-in micro digger insurance could pay to repair it. Meanwhile, your continuing hiring charges cover could pay the ongoing hire fees to prevent you from having to pay for something you weren’t using
If an employee got knocked by your digger on-site, your employers’ liability insurance could cover the legal costs and pay compensation on your behalf
If you caused an accident while driving your digger on a public road, your road risks cover could pay to repair your digger and cover damages to the other vehicle involved
If your digger got vandalised deliberately, your malicious damage cover could pay to repair or replace it
If a member of the public fell into a trench during your excavation work, your public liability insurance could cover your legal costs and pay the compensation you owed
Is it mandatory to have digger insurance?
Digger insurance isn’t a legal requirement unless you want to drive your excavator on public roads. In this case, you’ll need road risks cover.
That said, you may still need some level of digger insurance to properly carry out your job.
It’s a legal requirement to have employers’ liability insurance if you employ others (even on a temporary or casual basis)
It’s often a requirement to show your insurance documents if you wish to tender for contracts
If you’re hiring a digger, your rental agreement might come with cover for theft or damage but won’t usually cover any more than that. So, you’ll need your own digger insurance if you want further protection
Showing that your business is fully insured also helps to reassure customers – including the main contractor on a project if you’re subcontracting. So, it can be an important part of your marketing toolkit.
How much does plant and machinery insurance cost?
The cost of plant and machinery insurance, or a standalone digger insurance policy, will vary based on a number of different factors. These include:
Type of work you’re doing
Size of the projects you work on
Number of diggers or other machinery you want to cover
Value of the equipment covered
Location
Whether your insurance is for owned or hired-in machinery
Types and level of cover
One way to save money on your plant and machinery insurance is to become a Checkatrade member.
Save money on your trade insurance as a Checkatrade member
As a Checkatrade member, you’ll get exclusive discounts from our trade partners. Which includes an impressive 20% off the required public liability insurance.
With the option of adding optional extras like employers’ liability insurance and tool cover, it’s there to make protecting you and your business as simple and straightforward as possible. Simply log in to our Member's Area to see the latest deals!