Vehicle Recovery Insurance
Vehicle recovery businesses face risks linked to roadside assistance, towing, transported vehicles, recovery trucks, winching equipment, customer vehicles, road risks, employees, and work carried out in hazardous roadside locations.
Quote Monkey can help vehicle recovery operators request a specialist broker referral for cover such as road risks, public liability, products liability, professional indemnity, employers' liability, goods in transit, tools, equipment, premises, and business interruption.
Referral enquiries may be reviewed by a specialist insurance broker, subject to underwriting criteria, insurer acceptance, terms and conditions.
Specialist Referral Support for Vehicle Recovery Operators
Vehicle recovery work can involve high-value vehicles, roadside hazards, towing equipment, customer property, accident scenes, breakdown callouts, storage yards, and vehicles being transported under your care.
Whether you provide breakdown recovery, roadside assistance, accident recovery, vehicle transport, garage collections, trade recovery, or specialist towing, a specialist broker may be able to review your activities and help identify suitable insurance options.
Common Insurance Sections for Vehicle Recovery Businesses
Road Risks Insurance
Road risks insurance may cover recovery vehicles and other vehicles connected to your motor trade business while being driven on public roads. This may include recovery trucks, service vans, and vehicles in your custody, depending on the policy wording.
Goods in Transit and Vehicle Transport Cover
Goods in transit or vehicle transport cover may help protect customer vehicles while they are being recovered, loaded, transported, or delivered. This can be important where vehicles are carried on recovery trucks, trailers, transporters, or towing equipment.
Public Liability Insurance
Public liability insurance may help protect your business if a customer, road user, supplier, or member of the public is injured or their property is damaged because of your recovery or towing operations.
Products Liability Insurance
Products liability insurance may help protect your business if a part, product, battery, tyre, accessory, or item you supply, fit, install, or recommend during roadside assistance or recovery work causes injury or property damage.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Professional indemnity insurance may help protect your business if a customer claims they suffered financial loss because of professional advice, recovery instructions, vehicle assessment, roadside diagnosis, transport recommendations, or written reports.
Employers' Liability Insurance
If you employ recovery drivers, roadside technicians, dispatch staff, admin staff, apprentices, or temporary workers, employers' liability insurance may be legally required. It can help protect your business if someone working under your direction is injured or becomes ill because of their work.
Who May Need Vehicle Recovery Insurance?
Vehicle recovery insurance may be suitable for a range of operators and businesses, including:
Breakdown recovery businesses
Roadside assistance operators
Accident recovery operators
Vehicle towing businesses
Garage collection and delivery services
Trade vehicle transporters
Car transporter operators
Recovery truck operators
Motorcycle recovery businesses
Commercial vehicle recovery operators
Specialist vehicle transport businesses
Storage yard and recovery compound operators
Roadside, Towing and Customer Vehicle Risks
Recovery operators often work in difficult conditions, including roadsides, motorways, accident scenes, night callouts, bad weather, and confined loading areas. A broker may ask about recovery methods, vehicle types, driver experience, maximum vehicle values, towing equipment, and whether accident-damaged vehicles are handled.
Customer vehicles in your care, custody, and control may need careful review. Cover can vary between insurers, so the policy should accurately reflect whether vehicles are winched, loaded, towed, transported, stored, or delivered.
Recovery Vehicles, Tools, Equipment and Premises
Vehicle recovery businesses often rely on specialist recovery trucks, trailers, winches, ramps, straps, chains, jump packs, diagnostic tools, lighting, safety equipment, storage compounds, yards, and office equipment.
Depending on the policy, cover may be available for recovery equipment, tools, contents, premises, customer vehicles on site, business interruption, legal expenses, and loss of income following an insured event.
Products and PI Risk Information
A specialist broker may ask whether you supply or fit batteries, tyres, wheels, temporary repairs, fluids, parts, accessories, or roadside products as part of your recovery or assistance service.
Products liability may be relevant where a supplied or fitted product causes injury or damage. Professional indemnity may be relevant where you provide paid advice, vehicle assessments, written reports, roadside diagnosis, recovery instructions, transport recommendations, or specialist guidance where a customer could allege financial loss.
Information a Specialist Broker May Ask For
To review a vehicle recovery insurance referral, a broker may ask for:
Recovery, towing, roadside assistance, or transport activities
Trade experience and operator history
Recovery vehicle types, values, and usage
Driver names, ages, licences, and claims history
Maximum customer vehicle values handled
Whether vehicles are winched, towed, transported, or stored
Whether accident-damaged vehicles are handled
Operating radius and whether motorway work is carried out
Tools, equipment, premises, and storage yard values
Whether employees, dispatch staff, or casual workers are used
Whether products, advice, inspections, or reports are supplied
What May Not Be Covered
Cover will depend on the insurer, policy wording, declared activities, vehicle types, driver details, exclusions, and conditions. Common restricted or excluded areas may include:
Undeclared recovery, towing, transport, or roadside activities
Drivers not named, accepted, or meeting policy criteria
Vehicles above agreed values or outside accepted categories
Recovery or transport methods not declared to the insurer
Racing, track use, competition, or performance use unless agreed
Damage caused by unsafe loading, securing, or towing where conditions are breached
Damage to your own tools, equipment, or premises unless relevant cover is included
Professional advice claims unless professional indemnity cover is arranged
Employee injury claims unless employers' liability cover is in place
Always check the full policy wording, schedule, exclusions, endorsements, and conditions before relying on cover.
Request a Specialist Broker Referral
If you need vehicle recovery insurance reviewed by a specialist broker, you can submit details of your recovery work, vehicles, drivers, equipment, customer vehicle values, premises, staff, and required cover.
Referral enquiries may be reviewed by a specialist insurance broker, subject to underwriting criteria, insurer acceptance, terms and conditions.