Do mobile mechanics need insurance?
What insurance a self-employed mobile mechanic actually needs in the UK, which cover is legally required and which only feels like it is, what it costs, and the exclusions that catch people out.
Quick answer
Yes, in part. If you drive customers' vehicles at all you legally need motor trade road risk insurance — no ordinary policy covers driving a car you do not own for business. What matters more is the cover mix: public liability is the one most mobile mechanics miss, and employers' liability becomes a hard legal requirement of at least £5m the moment you employ anyone. Motor trade road risk typically runs £700-£2,000 a year depending on age, area and claims history. Public liability and faulty workmanship add roughly £150-£400.
Insurance for a mobile mechanic: what you need
| Cover | Status | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Motor trade road risk | Legally required if you drive customer vehicles | Covers you driving vehicles you do not own — road testing, collection, moving them on a driveway. |
| Public liability | Essential | £2m-£5m. Covers injury and property damage while you work on site. |
| Faulty workmanship | Essential | Covers the consequences of work that fails after you leave. The core risk in this trade. |
| Tools and equipment | Strongly recommended | Your entire workshop lives in a van. |
| Employers' liability | Legally required if you employ | £5m minimum by law as soon as you employ anyone. |
Step-by-step
- 1
Know the legal position first
Yes, in part. If you drive customers' vehicles at all you legally need motor trade road risk insurance — no ordinary policy covers driving a car you do not own for business. It is worth being precise about this, because the trade forums are full of people who believe public liability is compulsory for everyone and people who believe it is never needed. Neither is right. The only insurance that is compulsory across the board is employers' liability, which becomes a legal requirement the moment you employ anyone.
- 2
Understand what actually goes wrong for a mobile mechanic
You work on vehicles that then travel at speed on public roads. A brake or steering job that fails is a catastrophic-injury claim, which is why this trade carries higher limits and is rated more heavily than most.
- 3
Get the cover mix right, not just the headline policy
The table above is the important part. Buying 'public liability' and assuming you are covered is how most claims get declined in this trade — the specific extensions are what respond to the things that actually happen. Read what your policy names, and check the exclusions rather than the marketing.
- 4
Employers' liability the moment you take on any help
This is the one genuine legal obligation. Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 requires at least £5m of cover from the day you employ anyone — full-time, part-time, casual, family, paid in cash, it makes no difference. The penalty is up to £2,500 for every day you are uninsured, and a further fine for not displaying the certificate. If you use subcontractors, check whether your insurer treats them as employees; many do when you direct their work.
- 5
Tell your other insurers what you're doing
Two policies are routinely invalidated by not mentioning the business. If you work from home, your home insurer needs to know — undisclosed business use can void your buildings and contents cover entirely, including for unrelated claims. If you drive to jobs, your motor policy needs business use added; social, domestic and pleasure does not cover travelling between clients. Both changes are usually cheap. Not making them is not.
- 6
Put your cover on your website and quotes
Being insured is a selling point and most mobile mechanics waste it. A line on your site stating your cover level, alongside any qualifications and checks you hold, answers a question customers are already asking silently and separates you from whoever quoted before you. Commercial clients will ask for the certificate anyway — make it easy to find.
Tips & best practices
- ▸Road-testing a customer's car on your own private motor policy is uninsured driving. Road risk cover is the specific product for this and there is no substitute.
- ▸Faulty workmanship cover is what answers a brake or steering failure claim. Public liability alone does not cover the consequences of the work itself.
- ▸Working at a customer's roadside or on a public highway may be excluded or restricted. Check where your policy allows you to work.
- ▸Check your policy's exclusions before you check its price — the cheapest cover is usually cheap because of what it leaves out.
- ▸Buying through a trade association or professional body is very often cheaper than buying direct, and the membership frequently pays for itself.
Common questions
Can I drive a customer's car on my own insurance?
+−
No. Your personal motor policy covers you driving your own vehicle, and 'driving other cars' extensions — where they exist at all — explicitly exclude business use and vehicles in your custody for work. Road-testing a customer's car needs motor trade road risk insurance. Doing it otherwise is driving without insurance.
What insurance covers me if my repair fails afterwards?
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Faulty workmanship cover, sometimes sold as 'defective work' or 'inefficacy'. Public liability responds to damage you cause while working; it does not respond to a component you fitted failing three weeks later. In a trade where a failure can cause a road accident, this is the cover that matters most.
Do I need insurance to work on cars on a customer's driveway?
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Yes — public liability at minimum, and road risk if you move the vehicle at all, even a few feet. Also check your policy's location terms: some restrict or exclude work carried out on a public highway as opposed to private property.
How much does mobile mechanic insurance cost?
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Motor trade road risk typically runs £700-£2,000 a year depending on age, area and claims history. Public liability and faulty workmanship add roughly £150-£400. Price varies with your cover limit, your claims history and exactly what work you declare, so compare on what is actually covered rather than on the headline figure.
Is any insurance legally required if I'm self-employed?
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Only employers' liability, and only once you employ someone. That is a hard legal requirement — a minimum of £5m from the first day, with penalties of up to £2,500 for each day you are uninsured. Everything else, including public liability, is a commercial decision rather than a legal one, though in practice clients and contracts often make it unavoidable.
Do I need insurance if I only work part-time or as a side business?
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Yes. Liability attaches to the work, not to how much of it you do or what you earn from it. A part-time trader who causes an injury faces exactly the same claim as a full-time one, and 'it was only a weekend job' is not a defence. Part-time cover is often cheaper, so tell your insurer your actual turnover.