Mechanical engineer insurance

Expect more from your insurer. Specialist insurance for mechanical engineers from £5 per month*.

  • Fast, easy online quote in 90 seconds

  • Interest free direct debit

  • No hidden fees or cancellation charges

Our specialist insurance covers a wide range of risks facing mechanical engineering contractors undertaking design and consultancy work.

What is mechanical engineer insurance?

Mechanical engineers insurance is designed to protect you and your mechanical engineering 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 mechanical engineering professions across a wide range of onshore and offshore industries, including energy, oil and gas.

What does mechanical engineer insurance cover?

With over 25 years’ experience in the sector, Markel understands the risks facing mechanical engineers. An error in your work could result in your client claiming against you for the fees incurred while 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 caused by your planning and design could cause severe delays to a project, costing a client significant time and money to fix.
  • Accidents - If someone is injured or client property is damaged due to your negligence, you and your business could be liable to pay eye-watering compensation and costs, which can quickly spiral

Professional indemnity insurance for mechanical engineers

If you find that you and your business are facing claims of professional negligence, then this could be costly. Professional negligence could include accusations of bad advice, or bad engineering work on a client project that causes significant and expensive delays in delivery. That’s why professional indemnity, or PI insurance, exists in the first instance – to ensure that you are protected in the face of expensive claims and the cost of any damages awarded against you. 

Public liability insurance for mechanical engineers

If someone is injured or their property is damaged as a result of your work, you could face very expensive costs both defending yourself in court and in terms of any damages that may be awarded. It could be that a client is injured while on your premises, or that their vehicle is damaged on site as a result of you going about your work. Public liability insurance is there to keep you covered in all such situations.

How much does insurance for mechanical engineers cost?

At Markel Direct, we offer insurance for mechanical engineers from £5 a month for £1 million worth of public liability cover*. When it comes to insurance, the cost varies from business to business depending on;

  • The size of your business - your turnover and whether you have any employees
  • The level of cover you choose
  • The types of projects you work on and the equipment you use

To get a clearer idea of how much you’ll pay, simply get a quote online.

If you’re looking for other forms of engineers insurance beyond mechanical engineer insurance, such as refrigeration engineers insurance, we can help too. Call one of our experts now on 0333 920 1921 for more information.

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Cover starting at £5 a month

Tailor your 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 ideas and 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 mechanical 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 business has employees. It covers your business against claims for injury or illness suffered by employees arising from their employment. If your business has employees, including other mechanical or refrigeration engineers, you need this cover. Cover for £10m.

  • Legal expenses insurance

    Legal expenses insurance covers the costs of defending you as a director or officer of your company against allegations of wrongful acts and any damages subsequently awarded against you. Cover is also provided for the legal costs and expenses of defending actions for disqualification as a director, investigations and extradition proceedings. Limits range from £100,000 to £5m.

  • 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 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 £100,000 to £5m.

  • Tool insurance

    Also known as ‘tools and equipment insurance’, this form of cover protects against any damage or loss of your tools. It ensures you’re not left out of pocket should any of your own tools be stolen and require replacement, or if any of your equipment is damaged due to flooding, fire or theft.

  • 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 professional indemnity insurance to secure a contract - do you provide proof of cover?

    Yes. If you purchase your policy with us, your documents are emailed to you instantly and include a dedicated 'Confirmation of Liability Insurance' document (detailing the cover you have with us) which you can present to agencies and clients as proof of cover.

  • What insurance do I need as a mechanical engineer?

    This depends on the exact type of work you do and the projects you undertake. However it is advisable to start with both professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance, both of which are usually a mandatory requirement for contractors, and build your cover from there. To get a better idea of what would work for you, call one of our insurance experts on 0333 920 1921.

  • 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 0333 920 1921 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 0333 920 1921 if you'd prefer to speak to someone.

  • How much does mechanical engineer insurance cost?

    This all depends on a number of factors. These range from the size of your business, the type of work you undertake, the size of the projects you take on, and the kind of tools you expect to use while working. The best thing to do is to get a quote online, or give us a call on 0333 920 1921.

  • 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 Direct's Insurance

    Markel Direct 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 of London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of £2.4bn in 2023

    To talk about your insurance requirements and better understand our cover, call us on 0330 822 3551 or get a quick quote online.

  • How are Markel Direct regulated?

    Markel Direct is a trading name of 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 specialist contractor services with your Markel insurance policy

Our specialist insurance for mechanical and refrigeration engineer includes exclusive access to a range of specialist services for contractors, consultants and self-employed professional (included as standard with certain covers).

24 hour legal helpline  24 hour legal advice helpline

When you insure with Markel, you'll benefit from 24/7 telephone access to a qualified solicitor at no additional cost. Expert legal advice can be costly when you're working for yourself and it's difficult to know who to turn to for a trustworthy answer. Whether it's a question on health and safety, employment law, legal structures for your business or how to handle a difficult client, an experienced team of solicitors are on hand day and night to help you with any business-related legal queries. Included as standard with all policies.

Legal hub access Markel Business Hub access

In addition to our 24 hour legal helpline, you'll have access to the Markel Business Hub - an award winning online resource of legal and business guides, templates and content written and created by our team of expert solicitors. Instantly download ready-made contracts, policies, procedures and guidance you can use for your business - without paying any expensive legal fees. Included as standard with all policies.

  Discounted IR35 contract reviews

Falling within IR35 legislation - which determines that an individual is avoiding tax by using a limited company to disguise employment - is a huge concern for contractors and consultants of all descriptions, with the fees and penalties due to HMRC eye-wateringly high. Our policyholders receive an exclusive discount on IR35 contract reviews from Markel Tax (a Markel company), who have over 20 years experience advising individuals and businesses on their tax status. As part of the service, Markel Tax will review your contract, along with your working practices, to determine whether or not you are operating outside of IR35, and you'll receive a written report with suggested contract amendments where appropriate. Policyholders can access this service by calling 0345 223 2727 or emailing contractreviews@markel.com, quoting 'MKLD' and your policy number.

  Public relations crisis management service

In today's 24 hour news culture, public relations disasters can occur at any time. Having to deal with the press whilst managing a difficult situation can be hugely stressful as well as being a potential minefield. When there is a risk to your business as a result of negative press attention, our specialist public relations crisis management firm, The Counsel House, will work with you to help manage allegations of fraud, injury caused to employees or the public, and official investigations into your company's affairs. Included as standard with professional indemnity insurance, directors and officers insurance, cyber and data risks insurance and legal representation and employment disputes insurance.

Cover starting at £5 a month

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