Car Detailing and Valeting Insurance UK: What Cover You Need and What It Costs

Most UK car detailers and valeters need two kinds of cover: public liability, and cover for damage to a customer's car while it's in your care. They aren't the same thing. Many public liability policies exclude the vehicle you're working on, so a polisher slip on a customer's bonnet can be turned down unless your policy specifically covers customers' vehicles. Guide prices for a sole mobile valeter put a combined policy at roughly £350 to £800 a year, and more if you drive customers' cars.

This guide is for anyone running a mobile detailing, valeting or mobile car wash business in the UK. It covers what each type of insurance does, which ones you need for the way you work, what they typically cost, and what to check in the policy wording before you pay. If you're starting a detailing business in the UK, sort this out before your first booking.

Why public liability alone isn't enough

Public liability pays out when your work injures someone or damages their property. For a mobile detailer that means the customer, a passer-by, the customer's house or their driveway.

The catch is the car itself. Liability policies normally exclude defective workmanship and damage to property you're working on. As one specialist broker puts it, they “will not cover damage to a vehicle whilst you are working upon it”. That's the claim a detailer is most likely to make, and a generic small-business policy can leave you paying it yourself.

The answer is cover for customers' vehicles. Policies call it different things, including care, custody and control, customer vehicle cover, or an accidental damage extension, but it's the part that pays when a car is damaged while you have it. Some valeting policies include it as standard. On others it's an add-on. Cheap public liability bought online often doesn't mention it at all, so check rather than assume.

Public liability: how much cover you need

UK policies usually come with a £1 million, £2 million or £5 million limit. The limit is the most the policy pays for a claim.

• £1 million is where most solo detailers start. Simply Business says 89% of its car valeting customers have a £1 million limit.
• £2 million is worth it if you work for dealerships, fleets or businesses, or on commercial sites. Commercial customers often ask for £2 million or more before they'll book you.
• £5 million is mainly for contracts that require it. The extra premium over £2 million is often small, so ask for both prices.

Your public liability limit isn't the same as the limit on customers' vehicles. That's set separately, and it's usually much lower.

Cover for customers' vehicles (care, custody and control)

This is the cover that matters most for detailers, so read this part of any quote carefully.

• The limit per vehicle. Extensions are often capped, for example at £50,000 or £100,000. If you damage a car worth more than your limit, you pay the difference. Make sure it covers the most expensive car you'll realistically work on.
• The excess. £500 is a common figure on these extensions, so you'll pay smaller claims yourself.
• The work you do. Declare everything: machine polishing, paint correction, ceramic coating, PPF, steam cleaning and engine bay cleaning. If a claim involves work you didn't declare, it may not be paid.
• Chemical conditions. Some policies exclude damage from cleaning or chemicals used other than as the manufacturer instructs, so dilution ratios and dwell times matter.
• Pre-existing damage. Most policies won't pay for damage that was already there, so you need evidence of the car's condition before you started.

That last point is where most disputes start. Walk round the car before you begin, photograph each panel and wheel, note what you find, and get the customer to acknowledge it. DetailBook's pre-job condition reports do this: a photo and note for each section, sent to the customer to acknowledge before work starts, with a PDF copy and a record that can't be edited afterwards.

Driving customers' cars: road risks

It's an offence to drive a car on a road or other public place without insurance that covers you. Public liability doesn't, and you shouldn't assume the customer's own policy does either.

If you ever drive a customer's car, you need road risks cover under a motor trade policy. That includes moving it off a driveway so you can reach the other side, collecting and delivering it, a test drive after the job, and moving cars around a car park or dealership. One motor trade broker puts it simply: if you drive customer vehicles, even a few metres, you need road risks.

Road risks comes in three levels: third party only; third party, fire and theft; and comprehensive. Third party only covers other people's vehicles and property, not the customer's car you're driving, so you still need cover for customers' vehicles. If you genuinely never move customers' cars, you may not need road risks at all. Be honest about how often “I'll just move it” happens, though.

Your van and your kit

Your van needs insurance for business use. For a detailer carrying their own equipment, that's usually “carriage of own goods”. Social, domestic and pleasure cover won't do, and using a van for something its class of use doesn't cover can leave a claim unpaid. If you use your own car for the business, it needs business use too. Tell the insurer about the van build as well, such as a water tank, racking, generator or fitted pressure washer, because insurers ask about modifications.

Van insurance covers the van, not what's in it. Detailing kit is portable, expensive and easy to sell, which makes vans a target for break-ins. Tools cover pays for theft of or damage to your polishers, pressure washer, vacuums and products. Check the conditions, because many policies restrict cover for kit left in the van overnight.

Employers' liability

As soon as you employ someone, including part-time staff, you must have employers' liability insurance covering at least £5 million. The government says you can be fined £2,500 for every day you aren't properly insured, and £1,000 if you don't display the certificate where staff can see it.

There are narrow exemptions, such as only employing close family members, so check the gov.uk guidance for your situation. Northern Ireland has its own rules. If you use self-employed helpers, ask your broker whether they count as employees for insurance purposes. That depends on how they actually work, not on what you call them.

What detailing and valeting insurance costs

Prices depend on your claims history, the cars you work on and the work you do. Treat these as guide prices, not quotes.

Where these figures come from: the cheapest 10% of Simply Business's car valeting customers paid £67.57 or less for up to £2 million of public liability between January and June 2026. The other public liability, combined policy and employers' liability ranges are from StartupCosts' 2026 guide to starting a valeting business. The road risks range is from Simply Quote, whose worked example of a sole trader valeter with one van, £8,000 of tools and a clean five-year record is £700 to £1,200 a year.

The price goes up with previous claims, high-value or prestige cars, paint correction and coating work, and drivers under 25. Paying monthly typically adds 10–20% over a year. Some policies exclude electric vehicle work or charge extra for it, so mention it if you work on EVs.

Insurance is a running cost your prices need to cover. Our guide to pricing car detailing services in the UK shows where it fits.

What to ask before you buy

1. Does this cover accidental damage to a customer's car while I'm working on it? Up to what value per vehicle, and with what excess?
2. Is all the work I do listed, including machine polishing, paint correction, ceramic coating, PPF, steam cleaning and engine bay cleaning?
3. Does it cover me moving or driving customers' cars? If not, what would road risks cost on top?
4. What are the conditions on chemicals, and what evidence do you need about pre-existing damage?
5. Are my tools covered in the van, and what are the overnight conditions?
6. Does it cover work at commercial sites and customers' workplaces as well as at homes?

Get at least three quotes from brokers who deal with valeting or motor trade insurance, and read the policy wording, not just the summary. Brokers with dedicated valeting cover include Coversure, Clegg Gifford, Gallagher and Roadrunner. DetailBook isn't affiliated with any of them. Whoever you use, check them on the FCA register.

Common mistakes

• Buying cheap public liability and assuming it covers the car. This is the biggest gap in most detailers' cover.
• Not declaring all your work. If a claim involves something you didn't declare, it may not be paid.
• “Just moving it” without road risks. Driving uninsured on a public road is an offence, and any damage is yours to pay.
• The wrong class of use on the van. Social, domestic and pleasure cover doesn't cover a working van.
• No record of the car's condition. Without photos from before you started, a dispute about existing damage is your word against the customer's.
• Not mentioning previous claims. Leaving out claims history can lead to a claim being refused or reduced, or the policy being cancelled.
• Letting the policy lapse. Set a renewal reminder, and don't take bookings for dates you won't be covered.

Frequently asked questions

What insurance do I need for car valeting or detailing?

Public liability, plus cover for damage to customers' vehicles while they're in your care, often called care, custody and control. Add road risks under a motor trade policy if you drive customers' cars, van insurance with business use if you work from a van, tools cover for your kit, and employers' liability as soon as you employ anyone.

Do car valeters need public liability insurance?

Public liability isn't a legal requirement, but in practice you need it, and many commercial customers won't book you without it. On its own it isn't enough, because many public liability policies exclude damage to the car you're working on.

How much does insurance cost for a mobile detailing business?

Guide prices start at about £68 a year for basic public liability. A combined policy that also covers customers' vehicles is roughly £350 to £800 a year for a sole mobile valeter. Motor trade road risks with public liability, for a sole trader with a van, is about £600 to £1,500 a year. Your claims history, the cars you work on and the work you do all change the price.

Does public liability cover damage to a customer's car?

Often not while you're working on it. Liability policies normally exclude defective workmanship and damage to property in your care, custody or control. You need a policy or extension that specifically covers customers' vehicles.

Do mobile detailers need motor trade insurance?

Only if you drive customers' cars. Driving a car on a road or other public place, even for a few metres, needs insurance that covers you, and public liability doesn't. If you never move customers' cars, public liability plus cover for customers' vehicles may be enough.

Do I need employers' liability insurance as a detailer?

Yes, as soon as you employ anyone, including part-time staff. The policy must cover at least £5 million, and you can be fined £2,500 for every day you aren't properly insured. There are narrow exemptions, such as only employing close family members.

This article is general guidance for UK car detailing and valeting businesses, not insurance, legal or financial advice. Policy wording and prices change, and cover varies between insurers. Read the full policy wording, declare your trade and the work you do accurately, and speak to an FCA-regulated broker before you buy.