Courier and Transport Insurance, matched properly
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Step 1 of 3What insurance do couriers need?
Most couriers look at motor cover that allows delivery work, cover for the goods they carry and public liability, and delivery contracts often require several of these. By law only CTP is compulsory, and it covers injuries to people, not your vehicle or the goods.
What couriers commonly insure.
The covers couriers and small transport operators most often look at. What applies depends on your vehicle, what you carry and your contracts.
- CTP Compulsory in every state and territory, and paid with registration. It covers injuries to other people, not damage to vehicles or property1.
- Your van, ute or car Damage to your vehicle and to other people’s property. Private car policies can exclude delivery work, and so can some commercial ones (see below).
- Goods you carry Goods in transit insures the goods themselves. Carriers’ liability covers your legal liability for customers’ goods under your contract and terms of carriage. Commercial motor cover usually doesn’t reach the freight5.
- Cargo options One carriers cargo policy offers accidental damage, or a list of named events with extras such as theft. With the insurer’s agreement, its accidental damage option also pays up to $250,000 of legal costs to defend a claim from the cargo’s owner6.
- Public liability Injury or damage at the door, on the dock or in a client’s carpark. There’s no general law requiring it, but contracts may set a limit such as $10 million or $20 million per occurrence5.
- Injury and income Workers’ compensation covers employees, and some owner-drivers count as workers (see below). Uber and DoorDash provide injury cover while you’re on a job18, 20.
- Trucks Vehicles over 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass are heavy vehicles11, usually insured under truck policies. See our truck insurance guide.
Laws and contracts.
What delivery contracts, platforms and workers’ compensation laws require.
- Australia Post contractors Must indemnify Australia Post and hold combined public and product liability, general property, marine cargo, workers’ compensation and third-party property damage cover, with Australia Post on the policy. Personal accident cover is required where the law stops a contractor taking out workers’ compensation. The limits are set in the contract’s schedule7. Marsh arranges an optional group package for mail contractors with $20 million public liability and $100,000 goods in transit7, 8.
- CouriersPlease franchisees Must set up a Pty Ltd company, and hold comprehensive vehicle insurance and a WorkCover policy9.
- Uber delivery Cars must be registered, with CTP and at least third-party property damage cover, and the delivery person must be the policyholder or a named driver10.
- Food delivery apps From 17 August 2026, a Fair Work Commission order requires food and grocery delivery platforms to fund personal accident cover at “a reasonable minimum level”. Workers must hold CTP at their own expense and tell their insurer they use the vehicle for deliveries. The order doesn’t cover vehicles that carry more than 1 tonne17.
- Chain of Responsibility Makes parties other than drivers, from the business that owns the vehicle to the one that sends or receives the goods, responsible for heavy vehicle safety. It applies only over 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass, and the national law hasn’t started in WA or the NT11–13. Australia Post applies it to contractors driving vehicles over 4.5 tonnes7.
- Owner-drivers in Victoria Sole traders and partnerships are workers of their hirer for workers’ compensation, unless WorkSafe decides they run an independent business. Incorporated owner-drivers arrange their own WorkCover14.
- SA and NSW In SA, someone paid to carry goods in a vehicle other than a commercial vehicle, who doesn’t run more than one work vehicle, can be a worker15. In NSW, an ABN “by itself is not a definite indicator” of whether someone is a worker16.
Delivery work and your policies.
Private car policies commonly exclude carrying goods for payment, and goods policies set conditions on theft.
- Business use isn’t enough One insurer covers business use if you choose it, but not “carrying or delivering other people’s goods for payment… (e.g. parcel or food delivery)”2.
- Only if it’s listed Another insurer’s car policy doesn’t cover courier or delivery work unless that use is shown on the certificate of insurance. It covers takeaway food delivery only on its comprehensive covers, when that use is shown, for up to the hours a week listed3.
- Telling the insurer The same policy requires customers to tell the insurer if they start using the vehicle for deliveries3. The Fair Work Commission order puts that duty on food delivery workers17.
- Commercial policies Not every commercial policy accepts delivery work. Allianz lists “couriers and taxi trucks” among the vehicles its commercial vehicle policy doesn’t cover4.
- App liability cover DoorDash’s third-party liability cover in Australia is excess only: it applies after the Dasher’s own motor insurer has denied the claim. Dashers must keep their own motor insurance21.
- Theft of parcels Goods in transit wordings commonly set conditions on theft, such as forced entry into a locked vehicle, alarms, or a locked garage or secure yard overnight5.
How much does courier insurance cost?
No insurer or regulator publishes courier premiums. These are brokers’ marketing figures: a guide, not a quote.
Base premium per vehicle a year, before GST and duty. upcover, August 2026.22
A year, from quotes gathered in early 2026. National Cover, February 2026.23
Added to premiums, from nil in the ACT to 11% in SA. upcover, August 2026.5
Indicative annual premiums by cover, from one broker’s marketing page, August 2025. It doesn’t say how they were worked out24:
upcover says there’s “no single figure” for courier cover: it depends on the vehicle, the freight, how far you travel, your limits and your claims history5. National Cover says metropolitan work or recent claims can add 30% to 50% to its van figures23.
What the delivery apps cover.
Uber and DoorDash insure delivery workers for some injuries through Chubb, at no cost to the worker.
$600,000
The most paid as a lump sum, depending on the injury. Policy year to 30 November 202619.
$2,000 a week
The cap on 85% of income, paid for up to 8 weeks after a 5-day wait19.
$600 a week
For up to 52 weeks. All Australian Dashers have been eligible since 1 October 202020.
Uber’s cover runs from accepting a job until 15 minutes after delivery, and doesn’t replace CTP or motor insurance18, 19. Neither Uber’s nor DoorDash’s injury cover pays for damage to your own vehicle18, 20.
Real claims.
Published decisions of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). Every claim depends on the policy wording and what the insurer was told.
- Food deliveryA car insured for private and commuting use was hit by a stolen car. The owner hadn’t told the insurer at renewal that it was used for food deliveries, so the insurer could deny the $15,880.38 claim. It had to pay $1,500 for claim-handling errors. August 202626.
- Parcel deliveriesA Sprinter van insured for private and commuting use was making deliveries at least once or twice a week. The insurer wouldn’t have insured it, and AFCA upheld the decline. March 202627.
- Undisclosed useA driver answered “no” to “Is your car used to deliver rideshare passengers or food?” but knew or intended that it would be used for rideshare. The insurer’s guidelines excluded rideshare, delivery and courier use, so the decline stood and premiums were refunded. August 202625.
- Goods at the depotA fire at a carrier’s premises damaged a client’s goods that had been stored there for weeks or months. The policy covered goods in transit, and AFCA found they weren’t in transit, so the decline stood. March 202528.
- Theft cover not chosenTwo loaded trailers were stolen with customers’ goods worth about $140,000. Optional theft cover hadn’t been selected, and AFCA found it was probably requested only after the theft. November 202429.
Common questions.
Is courier insurance compulsory?
By law only CTP, which comes with registration and covers injuries to people, not vehicles or goods. Delivery contracts, such as Australia Post’s, and platforms such as Uber set their own requirements.
Does my car insurance cover food or parcel delivery?
Often not. Some private policies exclude carrying other people’s goods for payment even when business use is selected, and others cover it only when that use is shown on the certificate of insurance.
Do Uber Eats and DoorDash insure delivery riders?
Both provide injury cover through Chubb while you’re on a job, at no cost to you. Neither covers damage to your own vehicle, and Uber’s cover doesn’t replace CTP or motor insurance.
What changed for food delivery workers in August 2026?
A Fair Work Commission order from 17 August 2026 requires platforms to fund personal accident cover, and workers to hold CTP and tell their insurer about delivery use. It doesn’t apply to vehicles that carry more than 1 tonne.
What’s the difference between goods in transit and carriers’ liability?
Goods in transit insures the goods themselves. Carriers’ liability covers your legal liability for customers’ goods under your contract and terms of carriage.
Does Chain of Responsibility apply to courier vans?
Only to heavy vehicles, which have a gross vehicle mass over 4.5 tonnes. Australia Post applies its Chain of Responsibility requirements only to contractors driving vehicles above that.
Are owner-drivers covered by workers’ compensation?
It depends on the state and how you’re set up. In Victoria, owner-drivers who are sole traders or partnerships are workers of their hirer unless WorkSafe decides otherwise, while incorporated owner-drivers arrange their own cover.
How much does courier insurance cost?
There’s no published average. One broker puts comprehensive cover for a courier van at $1,200 to $4,500 a year, and another at $2,500 to $5,000 or more before GST and duty.
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Who requires cover.
- Parcel couriers Van, ute and car couriers, sole traders and small fleets
- Food and app delivery Riders and drivers working through delivery platforms
- Owner-drivers and contractors Mail contractors, franchisees and subcontract carriers
- Small transport operators Light trucks, local freight and small fleets
Covers couriers look at.
Our guides to the covers couriers and transport operators most often ask about.
Sources.
- What is CTP insurance?, Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Qld), 13 July 2026
- What does car insurance cover?, Budget Direct
- Car Insurance Product Disclosure Statement, NRMA Insurance, 10 September 2023
- Commercial Vehicle Insurance, Allianz
- What insurance do couriers need in Australia?, upcover, 29 August 2026
- Carriers Cargo Insurance Policy (NTI424B), NTI, 1 October 2025
- Delivery Contractor Agreement: Information for Tenderers Book, Australia Post, March 2024
- Mail contractors and courier insurance, Marsh
- Franchise Info Pack, CouriersPlease, July 2024
- Rideshare and delivery insurance, Uber
- What is a heavy vehicle?, NHVR
- Chain of Responsibility, NHVR
- Heavy Vehicle National Law and Regulations, NHVR
- Owner drivers: worker or contractor?, WorkSafe Victoria, 9 May 2023
- Deemed workers (table 4.2), Safe Work Australia, 2023
- Classifying workers or contractors, icare
- Interim On-Demand Delivery Employee-like Worker Minimum Standards Order, Fair Work Commission, 11 August 2026
- Support for drivers and delivery partners, Uber
- Uber Personal Accident coverage summary, Chubb, November 2025
- Group Personal Accident Insurance FAQs, DoorDash
- Understanding auto insurance maintained by DoorDash, DoorDash
- How much does commercial motor and fleet insurance cost?, upcover, 7 August 2026
- Courier van insurance cost, National Cover, 28 February 2026
- Courier insurance Australia, National Cover, 25 August 2025
- Determination 12-26-346713, AFCA, 5 August 2026
- Determination 12-25-289172, AFCA, 13 August 2026
- Determination 12-25-285291, AFCA, 31 March 2026
- Determination 12-24-101873, AFCA, 28 March 2025
- Determination 12-00-1053531, AFCA, 18 November 2024