Engineers insurance

Expect more from your insurer. Specialist insurance for technical and engineering contractors from £5 a month*.

  • Fast, easy online quote in 90 seconds

  • 24hr legal advice helpline and legal hub

  • No hidden fees or cancellation charges

Our specialist insurance for engineering contractors provides expert cover for a wide range of technical and engineering professions.

What is engineers insurance?

Engineers insurance is designed to protect your business if something unexpected happens - such as an error causing a financial loss to your client or someone being injured as a result of your negligence.

We cover a multitude of professions – including project engineers, design engineers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers and many more - across a wide range of onshore and offshore industries, including energy, oil and gas.

Why do engineers need insurance? 

A mistake in a design, poor advice or an accident caused by your error could result in your client pursuing you for the cost of putting things right. Without engineer insurance in place, you would have to defend these claims yourself.

Our contractor engineer insurance can cover you against such scenarios and many more - giving you the peace of mind that if something does go wrong, you'll be covered.

What does engineers insurance cover?

With over 25 years’ experience in the sector, Markel understands the risks facing contract engineers. An error in your work could result in your client pursuing you for the cost of putting things right. Examples of what's covered by professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance includes:

  • Design mistakes - an error in material calculations, an incorrect measurement or a safety risk could cause severe delays to a project, costing a client significant time and money to fix.
  • Poor advice - whether submitting a full written report or even just having a conversation on the telephone, clients are trusting your expertise to help them deliver a project. A hastily-written recommendation or a vague comment over a call could cost you more than you think.
  • Accidents - If someone is injured or client property is damaged due to your negligence, your business could be liable to pay compensation and costs.

Arrange your engineers insurance online

Tailoring your engineer contractor insurance online is quick and easy, and you'll receive an instant proof of cover enabling you to secure contracts straight away. Our simple quote system asks about your business activities and gives you the option to buy all or just some of the covers quoted, so you will only pay for the insurance you want.


Take advantage of our cover today - call us on 0800 640 6600 and one of our engineer insurance experts will be more than happy to answer any questions you have so you can choose the right cover for your business.

*Price based on a project engineer requiring £1 million of public liability insurance.

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Some of the engineering professions we cover

Cover starting at £5 a month

Tailor your contractor engineer insurance with these covers

  • Professional indemnity insurance

    Professional indemnity insurance for engineers covers the cost of defending your business against allegations of professional negligence (such as giving your client incorrect or wrongful advice) and, if unsuccessful, the cost of damages awarded against you.

    Examples of claims include:

    • You are contracted to provide a number of 3D designs for a client. You use incorrect measurements in your designs, which results in significant delays to your client's project. Your client takes legal action against you to recover their losses.


    PI insurance is usually a mandatory requirement for contract engineers requested by either the recruitment agency or directly by the client. We offer cover for a wide range of limits ranging from £100k to £5m.

  • Public and product liability insurance

    Public and product liability insurance covers the cost of defending your business (including damages awarded against you if unsuccessful) if someone is injured, or their property damaged, which arises from you going about your business or supplying products.
    If you visit client premises or sites as part of your business’ activities, it’s likely you’ll need this insurance cover. Like professional indemnity insurance, it’s usually a pre-requisite for recruitment agencies and/or clients. Limits range from £1m to £5m.

  • Employer’s liability insurance

    Employer’s liability insurance is a legal requirement if your firm has employees. This type of insurance covers your business against claims for injury or illness suffered by employees arising from their employment with you. If you have employees, regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time, you need this cover. Limit of £10m.

  • Legal expenses insurance

    Legal expenses insurance pays your legal costs and expenses for contract disputes, tax enquiries (including IR35), attending jury service, debt recovery, personal injury, as well as any award you are required to pay following an employment dispute with an employee. There is a limit of £100,000.

    If a client takes legal action against you because of an error you have made, this cover can prevent you from needing to use your own finances to cover legal expenses.

  • Directors and officers insurance

    Directors and officers insurance covers the costs of defending you as a director or officer of your company against allegations of wrongful acts, and of any damages subsequently awarded against you.
    Cover is also provided in respect of the legal costs and expenses of defending actions for disqualification as a director, investigations and extradition proceedings. Limits range from £100k to £5m.

  • Occupational personal accident insurance

    Occupational personal accident insurance provides a weekly payment if you are unable to work due to temporary total disablement (subject to a 14 day deferment period).

    It pays a lump sum in the event of:

    -       Loss of limbs

    -       Loss of sight

    -       Loss of speech

    -       Loss of hearing

    -       Permanent disablement

    -       Death

    This cover could help you maintain an income if you are unable to work following an accident while working on an engineering contract, and would struggle to maintain a steady income while off work.

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Frequently asked questions

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Cover starting at £5 a month

Frequently asked questions

  • I need to arrange insurance to start work - do you provide proof of cover?

    Yes. We provide a dedicated 'Confirmation of Liability Insurance' document (detailing the cover you have with us) as part of the documents that are emailed to you if you purchase your policy with us. You can present this document to agencies and clients as proof that you are insured.

  • Am I covered if I work abroad?

    In most cases, we can insure you if you do a proportion of your work abroad. Our quick and simple quote form will ask what percentage of your income comes from overseas and we can tell you instantly whether we can cover you or not. Alternatively, call us on 0800 640 6600 to speak to one of our contractor insurance experts.

  • I undertake work offshore - does the policy cover this?

    We offer cover for a wide range of professions working offshore. Get an online quote now or call us on 0800 640 6600 if you'd prefer to speak to someone.

  • What's the difference between professional indemnity and public liability?

    Professional indemnity insurance covers against allegations of professional negligence - which means it would cover you if you were to make an error or mistake in a piece of work (such as a project or report) for a client.

    Public liability insurance covers against allegations of injury or illness caused to third parties by your negligence. This includes many of the slips, trips and falls that are associated with personal injury claims. In addition, public liability insurance covers against damage to third party property - for example, if you were to damage a client-owned laptop or smartphone.

    As they insure against different scenarios, it's important you consider arranging both types of cover to ensure you are properly protected.

  • What limit of cover should I choose?

    Many clients and industry bodies with regulatory requirements will require you to have a minimum level of cover for you to undertake a contract, so it's worth checking this before you arrange cover. If you're unsure, give some thought to a worst-case scenario and the likely costs involved in putting your mistake right. We offer a range of limits on insurance, so you're sure to find the right cover for your business.

  • Why should I choose Markel’s insurance?

    Markel has over 25 years of experience insuring contractors, consultants and self-employed professionals. We insure over 200,000 micro businesses and are highly rated by our customers at Feefo.com.

    We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s and London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of £13.2bn in 2022

    To talk about your insurance requirements and better understand our cover, call us on 0800 640 6600 or get a quick quote online.

  • How are Markel Direct regulated?

    Markel International Insurance Company Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Find out more on the Financial Services Register.

Access exclusive contractor services with your Markel insurance policy

As an expert in providing tailored insurance for engineering contractors and professionals, we include exclusive access to a unique support services which offer you advice, help and legal resources whenever you need them – when the relevant cover is purchased:

24 hour legal helpline  24/7 access to a legal advice helpline manned by qualified solicitors

Legal hub access  Access legal templates and resources with the Markel Business Hub

  Receive discounted IR35 contract reviews with your policy

  Expert management of public relations crises with The Counsel House

Discover more about these services

Cover starting at £5 a month

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