What is hire and reward insurance?
Cover for carrying goods or passengers for payment. An ordinary social, domestic and pleasure policy does not include it, and delivering without it invalidates the policy.
Last checked 12/09/2026.
Hire and reward is the class of cover you need to carry goods or people for payment. Delivering a takeaway for a fee is hire and reward; giving a friend a lift is not.
It is not an add-on to a normal policy in most cases. It is a different policy, priced differently, because the risk profile is different: more miles, more time in traffic, more stop-start driving in unfamiliar streets.
There are two flavours worth knowing. Courier cover, for parcel and food delivery, and private hire cover, for carrying passengers. They are not interchangeable, and a courier policy does not let you take a fare.
Some insurers offer pay-as-you-go delivery cover by the hour, which suits somebody doing a few evenings a week better than an annual policy does.
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Hire and reward against courier and food delivery cover
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Does my normal car insurance cover delivery work?
No. You need hire and reward cover, and driving without it is an offence.
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