We are committed to finding you the very best deal on your coach insurance
Cheap coach insurance and minibus insurance – get a coach insurance quote online
Tailor made insurance solutions for coach drivers and coach operators – including nationwide coach fleets
If you want coach insurance you have come to the right place! insureCOACH are coach insurance brokers who provide competitive coach insurance quotes online for the full spectrum of coach drivers and operators. We also provide bus and minibus insurance.
insureCOACH are coach insurance experts with access to exclusive coach insurance quotes that we have negotiated with our underwriters and can provide both a single vehicle coach insurance policy and a coach fleet insurance policy at competitive rates. We also provide exceptional public liability cover which is a must if you are transporting passengers.
insureCOACH provide comprehensive coach insurance for private hire, contract work, stage carriage, foreign use, day trips, charities and groups (e.g. scouts).
Our team of coach insurance brokers are experts in their field, and will provide you with great value coach insurance, a friendly service with no compromise to your cover. European cover available.
As an independent coach insurance broker, we act in your best interests and use our excellent relationships and exclusive coach / minibus insurance rates to secure the best online coach insurance quotes for our customers. We use our panel to find you discounted coach insurance to save you money AND provide excellent levels of cover – many of our rates are exclusive and not available anywhere else.
We’ll make sure that you, your passengers and your vehicle are well protected!
Why insure your coach with insureCOACH
- Dedicated expert coach insurance team
- Owner/drivers or nationwide fleets
- Exclusive schemes with our underwriters not available elsewhere
- Unlimited coach insurance mileage policies
- Free coach courtesy vehicles to keep you on the road – like-for-like coaches at no cost
- Free Legal expenses
- Monthly coach insurance payment options available – via direct debit – helping you spread the cost
- Large introductory discounts for new coach drivers and new ventures
- Protected no claims bonus for experienced coach drivers
- Named drivers / Any driver policies available
- Coach Fleet insurance & free management services available for 3 or more vehicles
- Helpful advice on the latest coach driver regulations and how to reduce your premium
- Cheap coach insurance – plus minibus insurance online quotes
For a coach insurance quote, submit your details using our online coach insurance quote form or call 0800 142 2831
** Huge discounts available for experienced coach drivers/operators and second / third vehicles!
** Specialist Coach Fleet insurance policies to save you time and money
Click here for the full range of insurance quotes we provide
Other coach insurance services we provide:
Public Liability insurance Cover
Goods in transit insurance cover
Coach Fleet insurance
Call 0800 142 2831 to discuss your coach fleet insurance requirements or use our online coach insurance quote form
Coach Insurance and Minibus Insurance – Frequently asked questions
What is Coach Insurance?
Motor insurance is required by law if you intend to use or leave your vehicle on a public highway. You need specialist insurance if you are driving a multi-seat vehicle such as a coach or a bus. You can choose if this vehicle is for private use or for hire and reward
What types of Coach insurance are there?
Coach insurance UK cover types
Coach insurance follows the exact basic principles of other motor policies – although it is likely you will need additional cover on top (such as liability cover as you are carrying passengers)
The coach insurance policy will offer either:
- Comprehensive coach insurance
- Third party, fire and theft coach insurance
- Third party coach insurance
Insurance policies for coaches can also be restricted to named drivers or any driver policies, policies in the name of individuals, company coach policies (sometimes known as coach fleet insurance or coach operator insurance) and therefore add or delete drivers from the policy
Public Liability insurance is usually a must for all policyholders. We have exclusive facilities with large insurance companies and can offer all types of liability insurance, including public liability and employers’ liability insurance.
Drivers will also need a specialist license to carry passengers. This is covered later in these FAQ’s.
Who will my coach insurance be with?
insureCOACH search a wide panel of coach insurers to find you the best deal for your coach insurance. Our mission is to find you cheap coach insurance but without compromising your levels of cover. In fact, we often increase your level of cover at the same time as saving you money.
We will include liability cover on request. Before you buy your coach insurance policy, our coach insurance online quote service will allow us to search for the cheapest coach insurance with the best levels of cover. This applies for both single vehicle coach insurance and a fleet of coaches run by a coach operator.
As one of the country’s biggest and fastest growing coach insurance brokers, we have negotiated exclusive rates with our underwriters and you’ll have direct access to coach insurance rates that you won’t find anywhere else.
Our underwriters include big names such as Aviva (Norwich Union), Tradex, HBCS insurance, Brit and Groupama.
Can I get immediate cover?
Yes, providing you have a credit or debit card we can issue you with immediate cover, subject to normal terms and conditions. Please note that if you choose to pay by Direct Debit we will require a deposit from you, payable by credit or debit card and you will need an account that supports the Direct Debit facility.
How many drivers can I have on my coach insurance policy?
The majority of coach insurance policies are either insured only or Named Drivers as the coach insurance costs increase as driver numbers increase. But you can have Any Driver policies if you wish.
We recommend that you have named drivers if possible as this will keep your premiums lower.
There are several driving restrictions available to include Insured Only, Named drivers and then Any Driver over a requested age. Your coach insurance quotes will depend on how many drivers you have, what age they are and what no claims history they have.
The more experienced the driver(s), and the more no claims, the lower your premium will be.
If you have a coach policy no claims bonus you will receive a substantial discount – up to 65% off the rate.
If you have private car / van no claims discount you will also receive a substantial discount – sometimes up to 65% off – this applies even if you have no claims / accidents as a named driver of another vehicle.
You will need the necessary license if you are driving a large multi-seat coach (compared to a small minibus with seven seats or less for example).
Are there coach insurance introductory discounts?
Yes – Because of the relationships we have built amongst the coach insurance underwriters, we have been able to obtain a variety of coach insurance discounts. Our reputation in the industry and our buying power means that we can secure attractive introductory discounts.
We can mirror No Claims Bonus from your car or a minibus, and if you haven’t got another vehicle in your name we can offer discounts just for driving experience.
What types of coaches are there?
The term coach is used to refer to a large motor vehicle for conveying passengers. To differentiate from other types of bus, a coach has a luggage hold separate from the passenger cabin. Also, whereas other buses are primarily used to transport commuters relatively short distances within the same city, coaches are more used for longer trips between cities – or even between countries – where passengers may pre-book tickets for a specific journey.
Coaches provide you with the best way of transporting yourself to far-off places. There are different types of coaches that you can hire for different traveling needs. The types of coach services provided by these coach hire companies are school coach hire, standard coach hire and executive coach hire.
There are coach hire companies that offer you package trips and take care of all the arrangements of the trip. There are also different kinds of coaches such as the mini coach that can seat 24 to 27 passengers or those which have an onboard toilet. There are standard coaches that seat 46 to 47 passengers and the extended coach that can accommodate 57 passengers.
When will I get my insurance documents?
You will get your coach insurance documents within 5 working days (often sooner). We will issue an immediate cover note if necessary. Your coach insurance renewal documents will be sent to you automatically.
Can I use my coach no claims bonus?
Yes, you can use your coach insurance no claims bonus to earn a discount off your coach policy. The more years no claims bonus you have, the bigger the coach insurance discount you will receive.
insureCOACH have big discounts for experienced coach Drivers – this includes any no claims bonus you have from previous coach insurance policies.
By using our network, we can usually obtain discounts of up to 65% for renewal of existing coach insurance policies or coach operator’s fleet insurance policies.
What driving licence do I need to drive a coach?
Coach
As a coach driver, you are responsible for getting your passengers from pick-up points to their destinations and back again, either in the UK or abroad. Coach driving usually involves longer journeys than bus driving. Coach driving can range from transporting children on school trips, taking passengers on day trips, or holiday coaches that travel over several days. Unlike with bus driving, you are often responsible for making sure that all passengers get back on the coach safely after breaks and at the end of the trip.
To qualify as a coach driver, you need to be aged 21 or over. You also need to get the relevant driving licence, and pass medical tests, including an eyesight test.
Firstly, you need to have a valid UK or EU car driving licence before you can apply for your provisional Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) driving licence. You need to have passed a medical before you can apply for your provisional PCV licence, and this will cost around £100. When you apply, send your orange medical form, current driving licence and payment along with your application form to the DVLA in Swansea. You will usually receive your provisional PCV driving licence within two weeks. You can then book your theory test. Alternatively, you can book by phone, post (get a DLV26 application form) or through an API / ATB.
Minibus
You may be allowed to drive a minibus if it is not used for hire or reward. Hire or reward generally means any payment in cash or kind made by or on behalf of passengers that gives them right to be carried in a vehicle.
If you had entitlement to drive cars before 1 January 1997 you can drive a minibus provided it has a maximum of 17 seats including the driver’s seat and is not being used for hire or reward. Your minibus entitlement will remain valid in the United Kingdom until your licence is next renewed.
There are special licensing arrangements allowing you to drive minibuses and buses without having to hold the higher passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) driving licence entitlement.
Drivers of minibuses having 9-16 passenger seats will normally need to hold a PCV license category D1 or a category D license to drive larger buses.
I want to start a coach business or become a coach operator – what about discounts for new coach operators?
We understand that a huge cost when starting your transport business will be your coach or minibus insurance. A no claims discount is usually a large factor of consideration with coach insurance companies as this makes a significant difference to your insurance premium.
However, if you don’t have any or have limited no claims bonus we can still save you money if you are an experienced or even a new coach driver. We have negotiated huge introductory discounts from many of our insurance partners and pass these sizable discounts onto our customers.
For example:
- we can give up to 65% Introductory No Claims Discount if you are an experienced coach driver (or are employing experienced coach drivers as business owner)
- we can give up to 65% Introductory Discount if you have been driving another coach not necessarily insured in your name
- we can give up to 65% Introductory No Claims Discount if you have another coach being insured elsewhere
Is there an excess on my coach insurance?
The choice is yours. Your online coach insurance quote will ask what excess you are looking for. Of course, if you get a phone quote then our account handlers will advise this.
There is the option to delete the policy excess from all our coach insurance quotes at a small additional cost. However, most coach drivers and coach companies choose to have an excess as it keeps the premium lower.
Do you provide a coach insurance quote online?
insureCOACH provide online coach insurance quotes. Simply visit our online coach insurance quote page and submit your details. One of our expert bus insurance brokers will receive your details, search for the best prices and contact you within 24 hours with the quote.
Can I phone you for a coach insurance quote?
Yes, we’d welcome your call – freephone 0800 142 2831
Many of our customers choose to discuss their coach insurance quote by phone. The main benefit of a phone quote is that we can change a policy to suit your individual needs there and then, shop around, and usually provide larger discounts AND better policy cover.
We are based in the UK with a specialist coach insurance UK broker team. These coach insurance experts know exactly where to go to get the right insurance for you and our large panel and exclusive insurance rates means we have access to market leading coach and minibus insurance prices
Will coach fleet insurance be the best option if I have more than one vehicle?
Coach Fleet insurance (sometimes referred to as coach operator insurance) is a specialist area and we have a specialist coach fleet insurance team who deal with fleet insurance every day. Please call 0800 142 2831 or see our specialist fleet insurance website.
We can insure any coach operator fleet, any size and a variety of vehicles – we can even include your cars and vans into your coach fleet policy for simple administrations and increased savings.
Bus fleet insurance will save you considerable money and time if you have 3 or more public transport vehicles – with one simple renewal date.
What if I need European cover?
UK coach insurance is the traditional contract unless otherwise specified. However it is becoming more regular that foreign use insurance is required, especially with the expansion of the European Union and channel tunnel links.
Coach travel – by its very nature – will often require overseas travel. Its vital you and your passengers are fully covered in the event of overseas coach travel.
Temporary foreign use insurance to European countries can be easily issued with a Green card extension. If very regular foreign use travel occurs then we can easily provide Annual cover for European bus insurance by issuing an Annual Green Card endorsement.
If you are a tour coach operator and regularly travel to Europe, please call or email us to discuss your specialist requirements.
What other policies should I consider?
If you are transporting passengers for hire and reward as part of a coach business (either single driver business or multi-vehicle operator), it’s vital you have public liability insurance cover in the event on any accident where injuries are sustained. This insurance covers you for claims against you for injury to third parties or damage to their property. You can choose how much public liability insurance to have – read more about this in our public liability insurance section.
If you have business premises, this will also be included in the cover.
If you have employees, it’s strongly recommended that you include employer’s liability cover. This is a compulsory policy that protects the policyholder / employer from claims
Goods in transit insurance should be considered if you are carrying other people’s goods. This will protect you in the event of the goods becoming damaged, lost or destroyed (e.g. fire). This is important if you are regularly carrying suitcases and other items of luggage.
Carriage of own goods insurance is best if you simply transport your own goods and equipment (e.g. scaffolding company)
Replacement vehicles and claims management service
Most of our insurance policies guarantee a replacement bus or minibus in the event of an accident. This is a must to ensure that your livelihood and your business are covered in the unfortunate event of your vehicle being off the road.
We know how important it is to keep coaches on the road and we have an excellent relationship with one of the UK’s leading accident management company who specialise in business vehicles of all sizes, including large coaches.
Why insureCOACH.com?
insureCOACH are one of the UK’s leading coach insurance brokers, covering the whole of the UK. We are a specialist coach insurance broker and our coach insurance broker team do nothing else but work closely with coach drivers, coach owners / operators and large nationwide coach fleets. They know exactly where to do depending on your individual needs.
insureCOACH are part of County Insurance Consultants Ltd, who specialize in professional driver insurance. This includes courier insurance, HGV insurance, Fleet insurance, taxi insurance, taxi fleet insurance and also private car and van insurance.
We can also provide goods in transit insurance and liability insurance. Please include these requests on our online insurance quote form.
CLICK HERE FOR A COACH INSURANCE QUOTE OR CALL 0800 142 2831
