If you’re driving for Uber, Bolt, or any other ride-hailing platform in the UK, you must have the right insurance in place, and that means more than just your regular personal car cover. Using your personal insurance to deal with an accident while working can land you in serious trouble, both financially and legally.
Here’s why relying on personal insurance just isn’t worth the risk.
Standard car insurance policies in the UK don’t cover “hire and reward”, in other words, carrying passengers for money. Once you start working as a private hire driver, your vehicle is classed as being used for commercial purposes. If you have an accident while on a fare (or even while driving to pick one up), your insurer can refuse to pay out.
Many personal policies will void your entire cover if they find out you’ve been using the vehicle for Uber or Bolt without the right insurance. That means no cover for damage, injury, or liability, and that’s a dangerous place to be.
Driving for hire without the correct insurance is illegal in the UK. If you’re caught, you could face a hefty fine, points on your licence, or even a driving ban. Worse still, if you’re involved in an accident and someone else is injured, you could be personally liable for the costs, and that can run into thousands of pounds.
Having the proper private hire insurance is a legal requirement for a reason: it protects you, your passengers, and other road users.
Even if your personal insurer does pay out (and that’s a big “if”), they won’t cover any of your lost earnings while your car’s off the road. Most personal policies don’t offer like-for-like replacement vehicles suitable for Uber or Bolt, either.
Specialist accident management services can provide a fully insured replacement vehicle so you can keep working while your car is repaired, but only if you have the right cover in place.
Make sure your vehicle is covered by private hire insurance, and if you’re in an accident, always report it to an accident management company that understands the needs of Uber/Bolt drivers. They’ll handle the claim, get you a replacement vehicle, and deal with the paperwork so you can focus on getting back on the road.
Your personal insurance is there for personal use. For anything work-related, it’s worth having the right support behind you. Don’t risk your job, your licence, or your finances; get covered properly.
We have been helping accident victims get back on the road since 2009. Strategically based in Stratford, London, a stone’s throw away from the famous Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park we supply replacement vehicles throughout London, and across the entire UK.
Although we can provide any type of replacement car, as an accident management company, we have a particular niche in helping minicab, chauffeur, and taxi drivers get back on the road after an accident.
