Cheap digger insurance quotes

Northern Ireland Digger Insurance

If you own or are investing in a digger for your Northern Irish farm, your life might be becoming a whole lot easier. Diggers are an incredible resource that can speed up and refine tasks like land clearing, levelling, transporting feed and digging for irrigation or fencing. A digger can cost you thousands if not tens of thousands of pounds, so you’ll want to find a farm digger insurance NI policy that covers your investment. 

Whether you’re using a mini excavator, crawler or backhoe, there’s no doubt that diggers are bulky machines that take some getting used to. The risks involved in handling and driving them on public roads can be higher than regular vehicles, especially if you are purchasing one for the first time.

Likewise, diggers can be at risk of theft on NI farms, especially in isolated rural areas where farm vehicles make for easier pickings. A 2022 PSNI report announced that theft makes up 74% of all agricultural crime in Northern Ireland. Insurance that covers theft can take this risk (and expense) off your plate and help you get back to work as quickly as possible. 

At CompareNI.com we can match your digger to Northern Ireland digger insurance specialists who can cover your needs and protect your assets. 

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Cheap NI Digger Insurance

Like other insurance, finding the cheapest option that covers what you need is about shopping around for the best quote. At CompareNI.com we know Northern Ireland insurers. Comparing with us means you get an unbiased and speedy comparison across a range of cheap NI digger insurance companies. 

If you’re managing a farm with multiple farm vehicles, you might also consider farm vehicle insurance. This lets you insure multiple vehicles under one policy (and one premium) including tractors, balers, diggers and even quads, depending on the specific policy. 

Some types of insurance are cheaper than others. If you intend to drive your digger on NI public roads, you will need at least third-party insurance by law in Northern Ireland. 

Your options for digger insurance are the same as those for car insurance:

• Third party insurance: This is the lowest level of cover needed to drive on public roads in Northern Ireland, which means it’s typically the cheapest option too.
  
  
• Third party, fire, and theft: This covers you if your digger damages a vehicle or property belonging to a third party, as well as paying out if your digger is stolen or damaged by fire.
  
  
• Fully comprehensive: This can be the most expensive level of cover, but it’s also the most comprehensive. With this, you are covered for any damage to your own vehicle property and person as well as third parties, theft and fire. 

How much does it cost to insure a digger in Northern Ireland?

Like other vehicle insurance, there’s no one size fits all cost. Your premium will depend on your digger and how you use it. For example, if you are using a mini digger for small scale area clearing, insurance companies are going to offer you a different price than someone using a five ton excavator to transport loads on public roads.

The quickest way to check how much your digger insurance will cost is to compare NI digger insurance with a simple, unbiased quote at CompareNI.com.

How can I reduce the cost of insuring a digger for my Northern Ireland farm?

Some of the factors that affect your insurance premiums are fairly fixed. But if you want to Insure a digger in Northern Ireland, there are a few things that you can consider to keep your premium as cheap as possible.

Who’s driving your Digger?

Besides the digger itself, insurers’ main concern is you, the driver. Like car insurance, younger drivers are seen as higher risk so insurance is typically cheaper for older, more experienced drivers.

Your previous claims

Obviously, people usually only claim when they feel it’s necessary, but there is a lot you can do to avoid these ‘necessary’ claims. Keep your digger and other vehicles in a good state of repair and have them regularly serviced. This can lower the risk of faults and breakdowns, so you’ll have fewer claims long term.

Avoid motoring convictions

Adhering to Northern Ireland road laws on speed limits, signposting and substance use will keep convictions off your record and help reduce the cost of your digger insurance. 

Your digger weight 

Digger regulations are often categorised by the vehicle’s weight. Because diggers can vary from 700 kilograms to over seven tonnes, the scale of and damage caused by potential accidents can mean that smaller diggers are usually lower risks for insurers to cover.   

How you use your digger

Underwriters usually insure your digger against its current market value. So generally speaking, owning a more inexpensive vehicle can make it cheaper to insure a digger in Northern Ireland. Carefully balancing the work you need to do with a suitable digger size can mean that you’re not paying more for an unnecessarily large digger when a smaller one would be just as effective. 

Where you keep your digger

No matter how safe you think your digger is on your own land, it’s usually safer to secure it in a shed or behind locked gates. Alarms, trackers or CCTV can also help deter theft and reduce premiums with some insurers. This is particularly important as theft accounts for the majority of agricultural crime in Northern Ireland, especially in rural areas. 

What our experts say:

“When it comes to your digger insurance you should never accept your existing insurance company’s renewal quote until you shop around first. Farm vehicle insurance doesn’t come cheap, so it’s even more important to get the best price. You could be surprised at how much you save by shopping around for a better deal.” – Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk.

Who can drive my digger once I take out NI digger insurance?

When getting an NI digger insurance quote you will need to give the name of the policyholder and how many other drivers will be covered. These will be the only drivers covered under the insurance policy.

Does the location of my farm affect the cost of my NI digger insurance?

If the location or layout of your farm means you need to drive your digger on the road, whether for access to land or for the work itself, this can affect your insurance cost. Insurers generally judge urban or built up areas to be more dangerous for drivers. 

Equally, agricultural crime is reported as being higher in rural areas than in urban ones. This seems like an obvious statement but for insurers, it means that you are a higher risk to ensure and can affect premiums.

Does the type of farm I own affect the cost of my Northern Irish digger insurance?

Not directly, but it can affect how you use your digger and this is important for your insurance costs. If your farm layout means that you need to drive your digger on public roads, you will need a minimum of third party insurance by law. 

Similarly, if the type of work you are doing with the digger means extended periods working around the public, this can make you a higher risk. If this is the case you might consider public liability insurance.

Can I drive my digger across a public road if I have a suitable NI digger insurance policy?

Yes, if you have a minimum of third party insurance and the necessary licences for your specific digger. But diggers can only be driven on public roads when engaging in agriculture, horticulture or forestry purposes or when travelling to or from a place where they will engage in these activities. 

You’ll also need to be careful around using red diesel. If insured vehicles are used outside of normal farm operations and are still using red diesel it can invalidate some insurance policies. 

Does Northern Ireland digger insurance include public liability cover?

This will differ across Northern Irish digger insurance policies. If you have existing insurance it may also already be covered under different policies like farm insurance or tradesman insurance so it would be a good idea to check the details of these before buying public liability cover specifically for your digger use. 

Does this type of insurance policy cover me if the digger is stolen from my Northern Ireland farm?

This depends on the level of cover you buy. If you choose third party only insurance, damage to third parties only is covered. Third party, fire and theft will cover fire and theft to your digger and fully comprehensive will cover third parties, you and fire and theft.