Modern-Aviation

Hobbyist and Recreational Drone Insurance Comparison
Several different types of insurance are available for hobbyist drone operators conducting recreational flights.

Public Liability Insurance will cover you against claims made by third parties. It can cover things such as legal expenses or compensation claims if members of the public suffer personal injury or property damage because of your drone. Different levels of Public Liability cover are available. The amount of protection they offer you varies from £1,000,000 up to £25,000,000

Other types of insurance are available that will cover your equipment against Accidental Damage, Theft, Loss and Flyaways. A flyaway can occur when you lose the remote controller connection with your drone, or the control of your drone, and it flys away on its own and is not recoverable.

In some cases your existing Home Insurance provider may already cover your drone equipment as they tend to class it as a camera. However, making a claim against your home insurance for the loss of a drone is something that will need careful consideration. If you make a claim on your home insurance this will need to be declared at the time of renewal, or at the time of taking out a new policy with a different provider. In some cases your premiums will increase because of your previous claim(s). This increase in premiums for the next five years may total more than the cost of a replacement drone.

Manufacturer Drone Insurance is a bespoke insurane policy offered by a limited number of drone manufacturers. These policies usually cover you in the event of a crash or flyaway and will replace your lost or damaged drone with refurbished unit. Manufacturer cover is sometimes only available to drones that have been activated in the last 48 hours and in other cases is available if other critera are met such as providing a video of the drone in good working order.

This comparison covers only hobbyist / recreational insurance. Commercial insurance cover is not detailed here.