UK Private Hire Insurance Quotes
Private Hire Insurance
Specialist cover for licensed private hire drivers, insuring your vehicle and passengers on a hire and reward basis, with third-party liability and comprehensive cover for pre-booked work.
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- ✓ Cover for minicabs, Uber and app-based work
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What is private hire insurance?
Private hire insurance covers a pre-booked minicab or PHV carrying paying passengers on a hire and reward basis. A standard car policy is invalid for this work, and a public hire or hackney policy does not fit either, because a private hire vehicle is pre-booked only through an operator or app and cannot be hailed on the street or wait at a rank. Cover comes as third-party only, third-party fire and theft, or comprehensive, and includes liability to your passengers and to other road users. Add-ons such as breakdown and recovery, a replacement vehicle and public liability can be built on top. For anyone holding a PHV driver licence and working through a licensed operator, it is the policy that keeps you legally on the road.
Private hire insurance covers a wide range of drivers because the work itself varies so much. A local minicab driver, an app-based Uber or Bolt driver, an airport transfer driver, a chauffeur and an executive car driver all sit within private hire insurance, but each carries a different underwriting picture. Insurer appetite varies by the driver's history, the vehicle and the area worked, which is why specialist broker placement matters more than a mainstream off-the-shelf quote.
Policies are built around the cover each driver needs. Third-party only, third-party fire and theft or comprehensive form the core, all on a hire and reward basis, then the extras are added on top. Every private hire driver carrying paying passengers needs cover for liability to those passengers and to other road users, and you can add public liability for injury or damage that happens off the road. The exact mix is priced against the real driver and vehicle rather than treating every minicab the same way.
Brokers on our panel underwrite private hire risks every day. They understand why the driver's history is the biggest factor in the premium, how the cover level, the vehicle and annual mileage move the price, why high-mileage town-centre driving costs more than standard car use, and the tighter appetite for younger or newly licensed drivers. They price the policy against how you actually work rather than a fixed online figure.
Related private hire cover
What private hire insurance covers
Private hire insurance covers your minicab or PHV on a hire and reward basis, for pre-booked passengers taken through an operator or app. Here is what a policy can be built from, printed line by line.
9 cover lines
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Third-party only TPO
The legal minimum. Pays for injury and damage you cause to other people and their property.
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Third-party fire and theft TPFT
Third-party cover plus your own vehicle if it is stolen or damaged by fire.
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Comprehensive
The widest level. Adds accidental damage to your own vehicle, even in a fault claim.
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Passenger and third-party liability
Covers claims from the paying passengers you carry and from other road users.
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Breakdown and recovery
Roadside help and recovery so a breakdown does not leave you stranded mid-shift.
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Uninsured loss recovery
Helps you recover your excess and lost earnings after an accident that was not your fault.
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No-claims bonus protection
Keeps the discount you have earned intact if you need to make a claim.
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Replacement vehicle
A like-for-like vehicle after a non-fault accident, so you keep working while yours is repaired.
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Public liability
Covers injury or damage claims that happen off the road, such as loading luggage.
What private hire insurance does not cover
A private hire policy is built around the driver, the vehicle and the work you declare, all on a hire and reward basis. Once a journey or a use falls outside what you told the insurer, the policy stops paying out. Knowing where the cover ends matters as much as knowing what it includes, particularly because using the wrong policy, undeclared drivers and work outside your PHV licence are among the most common reasons a private hire claim is reduced or declined.
Hire and reward on a standard car policy
A standard car insurance policy does not cover carrying paying passengers. The moment you take a pre-booked private hire job on ordinary cover, a claim will be refused and the policy can be void. Private hire work needs a hire and reward policy from the start.
Plying for hire, ranks and street hails
A private hire vehicle is pre-booked only, through an operator or app. Picking up a passenger who hails you in the street, or waiting on a taxi rank, is public hire, a different licence and a different policy. Doing that work on a private hire policy leaves the journey uninsured.
Undeclared drivers and convictions
Cover applies to the drivers and the history you declared. Letting an unnamed driver use the vehicle, or holding back motoring convictions, points or past claims, can see a claim reduced or refused. Declare every driver and every conviction when you set up the policy.
Use outside your PHV licence
The policy covers the private hire work allowed by your PHV driver and operator licences. Carrying passengers in an area you are not licensed for, or using the vehicle for a purpose your licence does not permit, falls outside the cover. Work within the terms of your licence.
Social and pleasure use only
Some drivers add personal use so the family can use the car off duty, but that is an extra, not the default. A private hire policy is arranged for the paid work, and school runs or family trips are only covered where personal use has been added. Check what your policy allows off shift.
Wear, tear and mechanical breakdown
Loss caused by ageing, general wear, mechanical or electrical breakdown and gradual deterioration is not met by the motor policy itself. Keeping the vehicle roadworthy and serviced is the driver's own responsibility. Breakdown and recovery is a separate add-on you can arrange alongside.
How much is excluded differs widely from one insurer to the next and from one driver to another. Always check the policy wording carefully on who is covered to drive, the use allowed and the cover level before buying. For cover against injury or damage away from the vehicle, see our public liability insurance guide.
Vehicles we cover
Private hire cover is arranged on a hire and reward basis for pre-booked work through an operator or app, not street hails or ranks. These are the vehicle types a specialist policy is built around.
Saloons
The everyday minicab of choice, rated for high mileage and busy town-centre work.
MPVs and people carriers
Room for larger groups and luggage on airport runs and family pre-booked jobs.
Minibuses
Higher passenger counts on a licensed vehicle, rated for the seats you carry.
Wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs)
Ramps, lowered floors and fitted restraints all reflected in the cover.
Executive and chauffeur cars
Higher-value vehicles on corporate and contract transfers, priced to match.
App-based private hire (Uber, Bolt)
Jobs booked through an app on a hire and reward basis, covered as private hire.
What affects private hire insurance costs
Private hire cover costs more than a standard car policy because of high mileage and congested, town-centre driving. Six things move the premium the most.
Driver history Biggest factor
Claims, convictions and years on the road weigh heaviest. A clean record is the clearest route to a lower price.
Cover level
Third-party only, third-party fire and theft, or comprehensive. The wider the cover, the higher the premium.
The vehicle
Make, model, value and seat count all feed the rating. A higher-value or larger vehicle costs more to cover.
Driver age
Younger drivers sit in a higher bracket. Over-25 drivers with a clean history usually see the keenest rates.
Years of private hire experience
Time spent carrying pre-booked passengers counts. More licensed years on the job brings the premium down.
Annual mileage
The more miles you cover through the year, the greater the exposure, and the higher the quoted price.
How much does private hire insurance cost?
Private hire cover costs more than standard car insurance because of the high mileage and congested, town-centre driving. There is no fixed online price. What you pay depends on you and the vehicle, and a specialist prices it against the risk. The table below shows the main factors that move a private hire premium up or down.
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Driver's history | The biggest factor. A clean licence and no claims bring the price down. |
| Cover level | Comprehensive costs more than third-party fire and theft or third-party only. |
| The vehicle | The make, model and value of the car all affect the premium. |
| Driver's age | Younger drivers usually pay more; over-25s with experience pay less. |
| Years of private hire experience | More years licensed and claim-free lowers the risk to the insurer. |
| Annual mileage | High mileage in busy town centres raises the price. |
A rough guide: comprehensive cover is often around £1,500 to £3,500 a year for a driver over 25 with a clean history in a standard saloon, with a compulsory excess of about £250. It costs more than standard car insurance, and there is no fixed online price, so it is quoted by a specialist against your own driving, vehicle and cover.
How private hire insurance works
Three stops from your registration to hire and reward cover. Follow the route, compare specialist private hire insurers, and pick the policy that fits your work.
Enter your reg and details
Give us your registration and tell us about you and the vehicle, from your PHV licence to your annual mileage.
Compare specialist private hire insurers
We match you with FCA-authorised brokers who price hire and reward cover, not standard car policies.
Choose your cover and get on the road
Compare the quotes side by side, pick your cover level, and start work with immediate cover usually available.
Ready to compare?
Quotes from specialist private hire insurers in a few minutes.
Private hire vs public hire, and why standard car insurance will not do
Private hire and public hire look similar from the kerb, but they are different licences with different insurance. This section sets out what makes a private hire vehicle a pre-booked-only minicab, how public hire or hackney work differs, and why a standard car policy will not cover any of it. Open any section below to see how each part fits together.
Private hire is pre-booked only
A private hire vehicle, or PHV, can only be used for journeys booked in advance through a licensed operator, an app or a phone call. Uber, Bolt and local minicab firms all work this way. The driver cannot accept a fare that has not been booked through the operator first.
That single rule shapes the whole policy. Because the work is pre-booked and carries paying passengers, it is hire and reward, and it needs private hire insurance rather than an ordinary car policy. See our private hire insurance guide for how the cover is built.
Public hire and hackney can be hailed or ranked
A public hire or hackney carriage is the vehicle you can flag down in the street or pick up at a rank without booking ahead. Black cabs are the best-known example. It is a separate licence, with its own rules on fares and meters.
Because a hackney can ply for hire on the street, it needs public hire insurance, not private hire cover. If your work involves ranks or street hails, a private hire policy is the wrong policy for the job.
A standard car policy will not do
Ordinary car insurance covers social, domestic and pleasure use and commuting. It does not cover carrying passengers for payment. The moment you take a paid, pre-booked fare, you are working on a hire and reward basis that a standard policy excludes.
Drive private hire on a standard car policy and a claim will be refused, and the policy can be treated as void from the start. Only a hire and reward policy meets the cover you need to work legally.
You need a PHV driver licence
To drive private hire you must hold a PHV driver licence from your local council or, in London, Transport for London. The licensing authority checks your identity, medical fitness, driving record and a criminal record check before granting it.
The insurance follows the licence: cover is arranged for the private hire work your licence allows. Working outside the terms of the licence can leave a journey uninsured. See our private hire insurance guide for how licensing and cover line up.
Bookings must go through a licensed operator
Private hire jobs are taken by an operator that holds a private hire operator's licence, whether that is an app like Uber or Bolt or a local minicab office. The operator records the booking and assigns it to a licensed driver and vehicle.
This is what separates private hire from public hire in practice: no booking through a licensed operator, no legal job. The policy is written on the basis that your work comes through that operator channel.
Cover is on a hire and reward basis
Private hire insurance covers the vehicle while it carries paying, pre-booked passengers. It comes as third-party only, third-party fire and theft, or comprehensive, which is the widest and also covers damage to your own vehicle.
Every level includes liability to your passengers and to other road users. You can add public liability for injury or damage that happens off the road, for example while helping with luggage.
The vehicle must match the licence
The vehicle has to be licensed for private hire by the same authority that licenses the driver, and it must display the correct plate and any signage the licence requires. Saloons, MPVs, people carriers, wheelchair-accessible vehicles and executive cars can all be licensed.
Insurers price the premium against the make, model and value of the vehicle, so the car you licence has a direct effect on what you pay. Declaring the right vehicle and use keeps the cover valid.
Choosing the right policy
Getting the category right matters before anything else. Pre-booked, operator-based work is private hire; street hails and ranks are public hire; ordinary private use is neither. Pick the cover that matches how you actually work.
A specialist broker can confirm the right category and arrange single-vehicle or fleet cover, named-driver or any-driver, with immediate cover usually available. That way the policy matches your licence and your work from day one.
Getting the category right is what keeps you legal and insured. Compare private hire insurance quotes to see how hire and reward cover is arranged for pre-booked minicab and PHV work across the MyMoneyComparison.com broker panel.
Who needs private hire insurance?
Any driver carrying paying passengers on pre-booked jobs needs private hire insurance, but the policy looks different depending on the vehicle, the work and your driving history. Cover is arranged on a hire and reward basis, insuring you, your vehicle and your passengers for bookings taken through an operator or app. A standard car policy is invalid the moment you take a fare, so the right cover is a licensing requirement for the work.
Private hire and minicab drivers
Licensed minicab and private hire drivers working pre-booked jobs through a local operator. Every fare is booked in advance, so a standard car policy will not do and cover is arranged on a hire and reward basis.
Uber, Bolt and app drivers
Drivers taking bookings through Uber, Bolt and other apps. The work still counts as private hire, pre-booked through a licensed operator, and needs a hire and reward policy rather than ordinary car insurance.
Chauffeurs and executive drivers
Chauffeurs and executive drivers carrying clients in saloons and higher-value cars. Cover is rated on the vehicle and the pre-booked, hire and reward work you do, with passenger and third-party liability included.
Airport and contract transfer drivers
Drivers running airport runs, hotel pickups and contract transfers on set bookings. Every job is arranged ahead through an operator, so the vehicle needs private hire cover for carrying paying passengers.
MPV and minibus drivers
Drivers of MPVs, people carriers and minibuses on private hire work, from group transfers to contract runs. Cover reflects passenger numbers and the pre-booked jobs the vehicle is used for on a hire and reward basis.
New and part-time private hire drivers
Drivers new to the trade or working part-time around another job. Cover can be arranged with limited private hire experience, and immediate cover is usually available so you can start taking pre-booked fares.
Whatever you drive, cover should reflect the pre-booked work you do. Compare private hire insurance quotes to match the policy to your vehicle, licence and driving history.
Private hire insurance vs standard car insurance
The two products are commonly confused but cover fundamentally different situations. Private hire insurance is built around carrying paying passengers on pre-booked jobs, with cover arranged on a hire and reward basis for the driver, the vehicle and the passengers. A standard car policy covers social, domestic and commuting use, and it excludes carrying passengers for payment entirely. Working private hire on a standard car policy is one of the most common reasons a claim is reduced or declined.
| Comparison | Private hire insurance Hire and reward cover | Standard car insurance Social use only |
|---|---|---|
| How the vehicle is used | A licensed private hire vehicle carrying paying passengers on pre-booked jobs through an operator or app. Used for hire and reward every working day | A private car for social, domestic and commuting use. No paying passengers and no pre-booked hire and reward work |
| Underwriting basis | Rated as a commercial private hire risk, with the driver's history, the vehicle, cover level and annual mileage all declared to the insurer | Rated for personal driving only. Carrying paying passengers sits outside what the policy assumes and is excluded |
| Carrying paying passengers | Hire and reward cover included, so you are insured while carrying pre-booked, fare-paying passengers and their luggage on the job | No cover for hire and reward. Taking payment to carry passengers breaches the policy and a claim will not be paid |
| Liability cover | Liability to your passengers and to other road users, with public liability available for injury or damage off the road | Third-party liability for personal use only. It does not extend to fare-paying passengers or private hire work |
| The vehicle itself | Damage to your own vehicle is covered on a comprehensive policy, alongside fire and theft, all on a hire and reward basis | Own-vehicle cover applies to social use only. Use the car for private hire and the insurer can refuse the claim |
| Licence and use | Matches your PHV driver licence and the operator's private hire licence, covering pre-booked bookings taken through them | Assumes an ordinary licence and personal use. It does not recognise private hire licensing or pre-booked passenger work |
| If you use the wrong product | Cover responds correctly, the claim is paid, and the policy matches the fact the vehicle carries paying passengers | Claim can be reduced or declined entirely. Carrying paying passengers on a standard car policy is a material non-disclosure that voids the cover |
Important: Cover detail shown is indicative of how UK private hire policies are typically structured. It is illustrative only and does not constitute a quotation or offer of insurance. Specific policy wording, cover levels, excesses and exclusions vary by insurer and individual circumstances. MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FCA registration number 916241.
If you carry paying passengers, a standard car policy will not cover the work. Public liability insurance and full private hire cover are arranged to match the way your vehicle is actually used.
Specialist Private Hire Insurance
Specialist private hire insurance comparison since 2013
Since 2013, MyMoneyComparison.com has helped UK drivers find cover without the runaround. Whether you drive a minicab, an app-based private hire car, an executive saloon, an MPV or a minibus, our specialist broker panel underwrites private hire drivers every day. Compare specialist private hire insurance from a panel that understands hire and reward, passenger and third-party liability, comprehensive cover, breakdown and recovery and the full range of UK private hire risks.
Compare private hire insurance quotes from some of the UK's top specialist providers, including:
Specialist Commercial Motor & Fleet Insurance Brokers
Fleet Insurance Brokers
Gauntlet fleet insurance
Specialist Commercial Motor & Fleet Insurance Brokers
Specialist Commercial Motor & Fleet Insurance Brokers
Everything You Need to Know
Detailed answers to help you understand more about private hire insurance.
What is private hire insurance?
Private hire insurance covers a licensed private hire vehicle, or minicab, that carries paying passengers on pre-booked jobs. It insures the vehicle on a hire-and-reward basis, which a standard car policy does not, and it is what your licensing authority expects before you work.
Is private hire insurance a legal requirement?
To carry paying passengers as a private hire driver you must hold suitable hire-and-reward cover, and a licensing authority will expect proof of it. Working on a standard car policy leaves you uninsured for the job and can void a claim.
What is the difference between private hire and public hire?
A private hire vehicle can only take PRE-BOOKED jobs through an operator, app or phone, and cannot be hailed on the street or wait at a rank. A public hire or hackney carriage can be flagged down and use a rank, and needs public hire insurance instead.
Can I use my normal car insurance?
No. A standard car insurance policy does not cover carrying paying passengers and is invalid the moment you take a fare. Private hire insurance is built for hire-and-reward use and is the cover a licensing authority accepts.
What does private hire insurance cover?
It covers your liability to passengers and other road users, and, depending on the level, damage to your own vehicle. Add-ons include breakdown and recovery, uninsured loss recovery, no-claims protection, a replacement vehicle after a non-fault accident, and public liability.
What levels of cover are available?
Three levels: third-party only, third-party fire and theft, and comprehensive. Comprehensive is the widest and covers damage to your own vehicle as well as your liability to others, which is why most full-time drivers choose it.
Does it cover Uber and app-based work?
Yes. App-based private hire work, such as Uber and Bolt, is private hire, so it is covered on a private hire policy once you hold the right PHV licence. Declare the platforms and how you work so the cover matches your jobs.
What vehicles can be covered?
Saloons, MPVs and people carriers, minibuses, wheelchair-accessible vehicles, and executive and chauffeur cars can all be covered, provided the vehicle is licensed as a private hire vehicle by your local authority.
How much does private hire insurance cost?
There is no fixed price, and it costs more than standard car insurance because of high mileage and busy town driving. Comprehensive cover is often around £1,500 to £3,500 a year for an over-25 driver with a clean history in a saloon.
What is the excess?
The compulsory excess is typically about £250, and you can add a voluntary excess on top to lower the premium. A higher voluntary excess reduces the price but means you pay more towards any claim, so set it to what you could afford.
Can I cover more than one vehicle or driver?
Yes. Cover can be arranged as a single vehicle or a fleet, and as a named driver or any driver. If you run more than one private hire vehicle, a fleet policy can put them on one renewal and often works out simpler.
Why use a specialist private hire broker?
Specialist brokers rate private hire risks every day and understand PHV licensing, app work, driver history and mileage. They match you to insurers with the right appetite, rather than a standard motor quote that will not cover hire and reward.
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