Motor Trade Insurance NI

Easy payment options available, Compare multiple quotes, Compare providers for Northern Ireland insurance

Compare Cheap UK & NI Motor Trade Insurance Quotes From Providers Including

UK Motor Trade Insurance Northern Ireland

Last Review Oct 2024 by Insurancequotesni Editorial Team

Searching for motor trader's insurance NI? It normally pays to get multiple trader insurance quotes from Northern Irish brokers that deal in this insurance sector. 

We work in partnership with Quote Zone who provide a simple form which once completed is submitted to a specialist panel of brokers. To get multiple quotes, select GET A QUOTE and provide basic information. The panel of brokers also offer comparative quotes for Car Valet and Detailing insurance, a product that comes under the motor trade insurance umbrella.

traders Insurance NI

Do I need Motor Trade insurance?

If you carry out any form of motor trade activity from your home, you most likely will benefit from motor trade insurance. Even if you only work part time from home as a hobby, you will still to consider the need for a part time motor trade insurance policy.

What type of Motor Trade Policy Do I need?

Motor trade polices come in two flavours. Road Risk only, which provides you with cover for driving customer vehicles. The second and more common type of cover is referred to as Combined Motor Trade Insurance. A Combined policy will include road risk, but enable you to additional cover, for example your premises and tools plus equipment

Road Risk only

Road risk only insurance is aimed at those in the motor trade business. It is a basic level of insurance specifically designed for businesses involved in buying, selling, or servicing vehicles. It provides minimum legal cover when you drive a customer's vehicle on the road for any business-related activity, such as:

  • Let customer test drive cars
  • List Picking up or returning a customer vehicle
  • Recovering a vehicle that has broken down

This It is the minimum legal requirement for motor traders in Northern Ireland: You must have it to legally drive customer vehicles on the road for business purposes.

Road risk similar to standard car insurance is available at 3 Levels are available (1) Third Party, (2) Third Party and Fire and Theft, (3) Fully comprehensive

Combined Cover

This is a policy aimed at covering you for road risk plus providing cover for your motor trade business, example if you are a mechanic the cover can be tailored to cover your garage and valuable tools and equipment. If you are a car salesman, the cover can then be extended to cover the vehicles that you have in stock plus business premises. Other covers can be added, example public liability NI cover, a cover that proved cover against third party claims that if successful can be devastating to any business.

Business Types that can be Covered with a Motor Trade Policy

When you think motor trader, buying and selling cars comes to mind, but trades insurance provides covers for a host of business types that are motor related, below we have complied a list of the most common ones that can be covered under motor trade insurance. 

  • Mobile Mechanics
  • Vehicle breakdown agents
  • Accident Body Repair Shops
  • Service, Repair and MOT garages
  • Car Valet and Detailing agents
  • Car Dealers working from home full or part time
  • Coach Builders - Including Livestock and Campervan Conversions

All in the above list and lots more. Basically, anything that involves buying, selling, servicing or repairing motor vehicles is working in the motor trade and will need some form of motor trade insurance.

I Fix Cars From Home, Do I need Motor Trade Insurance?

Fixing cars from home is common for qualified motor mechanics in Northern Ireland. After gaining experience and qualifications, all you need to get started is a good size shed and all the necessary tools and equipment. For those working from home, you may decide to take out road risk insurance only. This will provide cover for test-driving and the storage of the customer vehicles that you are working on. Additional cover can be added for public liability or claims for damage caused by poor or substandard workmanship

Who is it in Northern Ireland that needs Traders insurance?

In addition to the business types mentioned above, you will need motor trade insurance if you operate a car-valeting company, a scrapyard, a vehicle-restoration business or a company that does repossessions. For the most part, if you or your customer’s vehicles are under the ‘care, custody and control’ of your staff, you will need this type of cover in some form.

There are indeed times when a customer’s own policy may cover other drivers, albeit just third-party rather than on a comprehensive basis. This has been a feature that was common of motor insurance in the past, but nowadays, this is much less likely to be the case. Because of this fact, it is crucial that businesses in the motor trade have their own form of cover in place at all times.

Here are some of the most common aspects that can be covered by Motor Trade insurance NI 

Road Risk:  If in the course of business you take vehicles onto the public highways of Northern Ireland, then you will need to have traders insurance NI. Examples of this would be if you or your staff are delivering cars to buyers. Or maybe you run a mechanic's business, and you have the need to take cars out to test drive to check faults. As is the case with normal motor insurance, you can opt for road risk cover with third-party only, third-party, fire and theft, or full comprehensive. Other options to consider comparing trade insurance NI include:

Does trade insurance cover uninsured cars?

Trade insurance does not allow you to drive cars that have no insurance. To drive such an uninsured vehicle, you will need to contact your broker and get the vehicle added to your trade policy.

Motor Trade Insurance Optional Extras

  • Employer's liability insurance, this will protect you and your business against claims from your staff. This is important to have whether they’re actually driving vehicles or not.
  • Public Liability This will protect you and your workers against claims that might be made by customers or members of the public.
  • Product Liability This will offer your business protection should you fit a new part to a customer’s vehicle, and then the part then turns out to be defective.

Is motor trade insurance nI under 25 available?

The specialist panel of brokers can provide a range of quotes for N. Ireland motor trade industry, including young trader, new ventures and under 25's. However, polices for traders under 25 may have extra restrictions imposed by the insurance provider, plus expect to pay a higher premium than for those over 25. 

Is Trader Cover available for convicted drivers available?

Convicted motor trade cover is also available, but the policy may come with some exclusions to lower any risk to the insurance company plsu you will paying more to cover that additional risk, until you can prove your risk is reduced.

Does Motor Trade insurance Cover me to drive any Vehicle?

All polices will have exclusions, so it is wrong to assume that you can drive any vehicle if you have trader insurance. Some polices will exclude high performance or high value cars for example. Familiarise yourself with this section of the policy so you understand any limitations in terms of vehicles that he cover will extend to.

Does trade insurance cover personal use?

A motor trader insurance policy only provides cover to vehicles that are being used for business activities. It does not provide cover for taking the kids to see a movie for example, for that you will need to take out a separate car insurance NI policy for personal social and domestic use.

Scroll to Top