HGV and truck insurance
Tow Truck Insurance
cover for a recovery operator, where the most valuable thing on the road is usually somebody else’s car
Cover for a recovery vehicle and the vehicles it carries. The motor policy insures the truck; on-hook liability insures customers’ vehicles in transit, and storage cover looks after them in the yard.
- Road risks for the truck
- On-hook liability for the load
- Storage in the yard
- FCA authorised and regulated
Quick answerTow truck insurance covers a recovery operator, and the difference from ordinary commercial motor is what is on the back. A recovery vehicle carries other people’s cars, and damage to those is not covered by the motor policy at all: that needs on-hook liability. Vehicles left in the yard need covering too. Tell us the work you do, and specialist UK brokers can come back with quotes.
A pick-up with a towbar? See pick up truck insurance.
At a glance
Recovery Work, in Brief
Six things that separate recovery from every other kind of truck work.
- The load is a vehicle
- And it belongs to a customer
- On-hook is separate
- The motor policy does not cover the car
- Storage creates liability
- Vehicles left in your yard
- Roadside work is hazardous
- Live traffic, often at night
- Drivers work alone
- Often at unsociable hours
- Equipment is specialist
- Spec lifts, cranes and winches
The basics
The Most Valuable Thing Is Not Your Truck
A recovery operator is exposed on three fronts: the truck, the customer vehicle being carried, and the customer vehicles sitting in the yard. Only the first is ordinary motor cover.
Road risks
The recovery vehicle itself.
On-hook liability
Customers’ vehicles in transit.
Storage liability
Vehicles left with you.
Equipment cover
Lifts, winches and cranes.
Liability for the public
Working at the roadside.
Recovery of your own truck
Who rescues the rescuer.
How it works
Four Steps to Getting Tow Truck Quoted
Four steps. Describe a tow truck, name the drivers, explain the work, then choose the level of cover.
You list what you run
Everything that makes a tow truck what it is.
You name the drivers
Or agree an age and licence condition.
You explain the job
Roadside recovery, contract work, accident recovery or vehicle transport.
You pick the level
Third party upwards, with the excess you want.
What it covers
Three Covers, One Operation
The sections that matter to a recovery operator sit across more than one policy, and the gaps between them are where the expensive claims land.
| Section | Where it sits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Third-party liability | The base of every policy | Others’ injuries and property |
| Fire, theft and attempted theft | From the middle level up | Locks, alarms and storage terms |
| Own damage | Comprehensive | Damage to a tow truck on your own schedule |
| Windscreens | Usually part of comprehensive | A separate, smaller excess |
| Roadside and recovery | Where offered | Ask what happens to a loaded vehicle |
| Legal cover | Bought as an extra | Disputes and uninsured loss recovery |
| Goods carried | Outside motor cover | Insured by a goods in transit policy |
On-hook is not part of the motor policy. Damage to a customer’s car while it is on your truck is a liability of yours, and it needs its own cover with its own limit.
What it leaves out
What the Motor Policy Will Not Touch
The limits follow the declaration. Anything outside the description, the use class or the driving terms puts your own cover at risk, though an injured third party is still paid and the cost recovered afterwards.
Anything not on the list
A new vehicle is covered once it is added, not before.
Drivers the terms exclude
Licence category, age and experience.
Paid carriage of goods
A standard policy does not stretch to it.
Equipment fitted later
Declare cranes, tail lifts and bodywork.
Cargo
A motor policy insures the vehicle, not the goods.
Vehicles carried without on-hook
A customer car with no liability cover behind it.
Kinds of recovery vehicle
Spec Lifts, Tilt Beds and Heavy Recovery
Recovery vehicles differ as much as the jobs they do, and the equipment fitted changes both the value and the exposure.
Spec lift and wheel lift
Fast roadside recovery.
Tilt and slide beds
Whole vehicle carried on the deck.
Heavy recovery units
Lorries and buses.
Multi-car transporters
Several vehicles at once.
Accident recovery vehicles
Working with police and insurers.
Mobile technicians
Roadside repair rather than recovery.
Moving vehicles you own? See vehicle transporter insurance.
Who it suits
Who Needs All Three Covers
Anyone who puts somebody else’s vehicle on the back of theirs, whether that is a single truck or a contracted recovery network member.
Independent recovery operators
Local roadside work.
Contracted network members
Working for breakdown providers.
Accident recovery firms
Working with insurers and police.
Garages with a recovery truck
Collecting customer vehicles.
Heavy recovery specialists
Commercial vehicle rescue.
Vehicle movement firms
Trade and auction deliveries.
A garage as well? Motor trade cover and recovery cover are different things.
Road risks or full cover
Road Risks Alone vs the Full Recovery Package
Road risks insures your truck and nothing else. For a recovery operator that leaves the two biggest exposures uncovered.
| Road risks only | Full package | |
|---|---|---|
| The recovery truck | Covered | Covered |
| Customer vehicle in transit | Not covered | On-hook liability |
| Customer vehicle in the yard | Not covered | Storage cover |
| Suits | Almost nobody in recovery | Working operators |
Carrying goods rather than vehicles? See road haulage insurance.
Cost
What a Recovery Proposal Is Priced On
The vehicle, the equipment, the on-hook limit, the drivers, the hours worked and the yard. We do not print average premiums.
Why the on-hook limit leads
The limit has to cover the most valuable vehicle you would realistically carry, and recovery operators are regularly asked to move cars worth far more than their truck.
Why night work counts
Roadside recovery happens at the worst times in the worst conditions, and insurers price the hours worked as well as the miles driven.
What the quote is rated on
The main factors
- The recovery vehicleType, equipment and valueBase
- On-hook limitThe most valuable vehicle carriedRate
- StorageHow many vehicles, and whereRate
- DriversExperience and hours workedRate
- Claims recordMotor and on-hook bothAdjust
Set the on-hook limit properly
For the best car you might carry.
Secure the yard
Stored vehicles are your liability.
Fit cameras
Evidence of pre-existing damage.
The details
Four Habits That Save a Recovery Operator
Most disputes over a tow truck trace back to the description rather than the accident. Four habits prevent them.
Keep the description current
Equipment fitted later still needs declaring.
Check entitlements regularly
Categories, medicals and endorsements.
Photograph before you load
Pre-existing damage is the commonest dispute.
Notify quickly
Late notification is a common reason for a dispute.
Quote checklist
What an Underwriter Asks a Recovery Operator
Gather these six before you ask. Everything else on a quote for a tow truck follows from them.
What you run
Everything that describes a tow truck.
Who drives
Licence categories, ages and records.
The job
Roadside, contract, accident recovery or transport.
Weights
Gross vehicle weight and payload.
Where it sleeps
Secure compound, yard or open ground.
What has happened before
Claims over recent years.
Comparing
Comparing Recovery Cover Across Three Policies
The price is the last thing to look at. The cover, the excess, the driving terms and the fit to what a tow truck actually does decide whether the policy works.
The protection
- Level across the policy
- Recovery when loaded
- Windscreens
The excesses
- Compulsory amount
- Voluntary amount
- Any extra for inexperience
The driver basis
- Licence category
- Years held
- Temporary cover
The load and the work
- On-hook limit and basis
- Storage cover included
- Equipment and winch cover
Set the on-hook limit for the best car. Not the average one you carry. Unfamiliar terms are explained in our plain English jargon guide.
Cutting costs
Managing the Cost of Recovery Cover
The levers are the yard, cameras, driver experience, the excess and a clean record. We publish no savings figures.
Secure the storage compound
It reduces the yard exposure.
Fit cameras and record loading
Disputes end faster with footage.
Use experienced operators
Loading damage is a skill issue.
Choose the excess deliberately
A higher voluntary excess is a lever, worth using only at a level the business could pay.
Review the on-hook limit
Up as well as down.
Build a clean record
On-hook claims count as much as motor.
Glossary
Recovery Terms, Explained
The words that come up when the load on your truck belongs to somebody else.
- Goods cover
- Insurance for what is being carried, separate from the vehicle policy.
- Own account work
- Carrying goods that belong to your own business.
- Haulage work
- Carrying goods that belong to somebody else, for payment.
- Operator licensing
- The permission a goods vehicle operator holds to run vehicles.
- GVW
- Gross vehicle weight: the vehicle and its load together.
- Drawbar
- A rigid vehicle pulling a trailer behind it.
- Body type
- What is built onto the chassis, which changes the value and the risk.
- Tachograph record
- Evidence of driving and rest, asked for after an incident.
- Voluntary excess
- The extra amount you choose to carry to reduce the premium.
- Declared use
- What the insurer has been told the vehicle does.
Why MyMoneyComparison.com
Why Recovery Operators Compare on Cover, Not Price
MyMoneyComparison.com is an FCA-authorised UK comparison service that introduces operators to specialist brokers. We do not sell insurance and we do not give advice: the broker you choose arranges the policy. Using us is free.
One form, one vehicle
Describe the vehicle once, instead of repeating yourself to each broker.
Advice given
We are an introducer, not a broker. We do not sell policies and we do not recommend one insurer or product over another. Read our editorial policy.
Authorised and regulated
MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd appears on the FCA register under FRN 916241.
Incorporated
A UK company since 2013. FCA authorisation is separate and later; the register carries its date.
FAQs
Tow Truck Insurance FAQs
Answers on carrying customers’ vehicles, on-hook cover, road risks and storage liability.
Is a customer’s car covered while on my truck?
Not by the motor policy. Damage to a vehicle you are carrying is your liability, and it needs on-hook cover with its own limit. It is the single most important policy a recovery operator buys after the motor cover.
What limit should on-hook cover carry?
Enough for the most valuable vehicle you would realistically recover, not the average one. Operators are regularly asked to move cars worth several times the truck, and a limit set on typical work leaves a gap on exactly the wrong job.
Are vehicles in my yard covered?
Only if you have storage cover. Once a customer’s vehicle is left with you, you owe a duty for it, and a fire or theft in the compound can involve several vehicles at once rather than just one.
Does the policy cover my winch and lifting gear?
Equipment cover is usually a specific item rather than part of the vehicle value. Say what is fitted, because a spec lift or crane is worth a substantial part of the truck and is exposed every time it is used.
Who pays if a car is damaged loading?
You do, through on-hook cover, which is why photographing vehicles before loading matters so much. Pre-existing damage is the commonest dispute in recovery, and a timestamped photograph ends it quickly.
Can I recover heavy vehicles on the same policy?
Sometimes, but not always. Heavy recovery is a distinct risk with different equipment and different exposures, so tell the broker if you do both rather than assuming one policy stretches across.
Do I need cover for working at the roadside?
Liability cover matters here more than in most trades. Working in live traffic, often at night, exposes both your staff and passing drivers, and that is a separate question from the vehicle policy.
Does contracted network work change anything?
It often brings requirements with it. Breakdown providers and insurers frequently specify minimum limits and conditions before they will put work your way, so check what your contracts ask for before setting the cover.
Is the cargo insured by this policy?
No, and it is the most common misunderstanding on commercial motor. The vehicle is covered; the load is not. Goods in transit cover fills that gap and is normally bought alongside.
Do we need hire and reward cover?
Only if the vehicle carries goods for payment. Moving your own stock or materials is own goods use. Where a vehicle does both, it has to be insured for the wider of the two.
Does the driver need a specific licence?
The category has to match the weight being driven. Insurers also ask how long it has been held, because experience moves the price more than most operators expect.
How should we judge a quote on a tow truck?
Beyond the price: the level of cover, the total excess, recovery of a loaded vehicle, the driving terms, and whether any equipment fitted to the vehicle has been declared and accepted.
Can several vehicles share one policy?
Yes, and most operators end up there. One schedule, one renewal date and one claims record, with each vehicle type rated separately inside it. Adding the next one then becomes an adjustment rather than a new policy.
Does the yard affect what we pay?
Noticeably. Overnight location carries the theft risk, and insurers rate a secured compound quite differently from a street or an open hardstanding. It is one of the few levers fully within your control.
What is the process for adding a vehicle?
A mid-term adjustment charged pro rata for the rest of the year. Do it before the vehicle turns a wheel, because cover starts when the insurer accepts it and not a moment earlier.
Do we need recovery cover for a tow truck?
Many operators find they do. Check whether the service recovers a loaded vehicle, how far it will take it and whether a replacement is offered, because those three points are where policies differ most.
Ready when you are
Get the Recovery Vehicle and the Load Covered
Tell us the vehicle and the recovery work you do. Specialist UK brokers can then come back with quotes. Free to use, with no obligation to buy.
- Road risks, on-hook and storage together
- Free to use, no obligation
- FCA authorised and regulated
Free to use · No obligation · UK brokers
About this page
This page explains UK tow truck insurance: the cover a recovery operator needs for the vehicle, for customers’ vehicles on the back, and for those left standing in the yard. It is general information rather than advice. Policies differ between insurers, so read your own documents and put the questions raised here to your insurer or broker.
How we approached this page
- Published UK recovery and commercial motor policy summaries
- On-hook liability, storage and road risks terms
- Financial Ombudsman material on commercial motor complaints
Legal & Regulatory Information:
The MyMoneyComparison.com website is owned and operated by MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd, which does not provide financial advice and does not sell insurance policies. MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for insurance mediation and credit broking activity under FCA registration number 916241.
MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd is a data controller under the Data Protection Act 2018, registered on the Data Protection Register under registration number ZA460665.
Registered Office: Jubilee House, 55 Church St, Morley, Leeds LS27 9JQ, United Kingdom.
© 2013-2026 MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd. All rights reserved.