Cherry Picker Insurance | Compare MEWP Cover

Q: Do I need insurance for a cherry picker?

There is no legal duty to insure the machine itself on a private site, but hire agreements almost always require it, and principal contractors usually ask for proof of liability cover before you can work.

Q: How often must a cherry picker be thoroughly examined?

At least every six months. Under LOLER 1998, lifting equipment used to lift people needs thorough examination at six-monthly intervals rather than the twelve months that applies to other lifting equipment.

Q: Is a hired-in cherry picker covered?

Only if hired-in plant cover is on the policy. The hire agreement normally makes you liable for the machine and for continuing hire charges while it is being repaired or replaced.

Q: Does it cover damage I cause while working at height?

Not under the plant policy. Damage to a building, or injury to someone below, falls under public liability. Working at height is exactly the situation where that cover earns its keep.

Q: Do operators need to be trained?

Insurers expect operators to be competent, and most contracts ask for an IPAF card or equivalent. An untrained operator can give an insurer grounds to question a claim.

Q: Is a vehicle-mounted cherry picker covered on the road?

Not by the plant policy alone. A van or lorry-mounted platform needs motor insurance for road use, with the platform itself insured as plant.

Q: What affects the cost of cherry picker insurance?

The type and working height of the machine, its value, where it is kept overnight, whether it is vehicle-mounted, whether you hire units in, and your claims history.

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Specialist cover for access companies, contractors and MEWP owners

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What is cherry picker insurance?

Cherry picker insurance is plant cover for mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs). It protects the machine against theft, accidental damage and fire, on site, in storage and in transit. Road risks for van-mounted platforms can be arranged, and public liability for injury or damage you cause while working is arranged separately.

Because a MEWP lifts people, it carries stricter inspection duties and higher liability risk than most plant.

Your cherry picker insurance depends on:

Type of platform and working height

Owned, financed or hired in

Where machines work and are stored

Road use between jobs

Operator training records

Number of machines

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Talk to a Plant Specialist

Orange Skyjack SJ60 AJ boom lift with extended work platform parked on a concrete yard outside industrial warehouse buildings.

Cover for every kind of access platform

Boom lifts, scissor lifts, van mounts and spider lifts can all be insured on one plant policy.

Boom lift

Scissor lift

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Van mount

Spider lift

Orange boom lift truck with extended articulated arm and work platform, supported by four stabilizing outriggers.

Truck Mount

Different machines. The same working-at-height risks.

Which cherry picker cover do you need?

What you need depends on whether the machine travels on the road, who operates it and where it works.

Orange boom lift with extended arm and work platform parked on a concrete yard at an industrial site.

1

Most common

Site & Yard Cover

For machines that stay on private sites and in your yard.

Best for

Theft and accidental damage

Fire, flood and vandalism

Machines in secure storage

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White utility van with rear-mounted lifting platform driving down a city street lined with shops and pedestrians.

2

Van and truck mounts

Road-Going MEWPs

For van and truck-mounted platforms driven between jobs.

Best for

Motor insurance for road use

Cover for the mounted platform

Tools and kit carried

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Who operates your platforms?

Insurers will ask who uses the machine and what training they hold.

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Your Own Operators

Best when only your trained staff use the machine.

Insurers expect:

IPAF or equivalent training

Records kept on file

Familiarisation on each machine

Most access firms work this way.

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Hiring Machines Out

Best when you hire platforms to other businesses.

Insurers expect:

Hire agreements in place

Handover and familiarisation

Thorough examination up to date

Tell us if you hire machines out, as it changes the cover.

LOLER: what MEWP owners must do

Because MEWPs lift people, LOLER requires a thorough examination by a competent person at least every 6 months, not the 12 months that applies to most other lifting machines.

What insurers and inspectors look for:

Thorough examination every 6 months

Reports kept and defects acted on

Non-fitted lifting accessories examined too

Operators trained on the machine type

Rescue plan for working at height

Pre-use checks recorded

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When things go wrong, we’re here to help

We’ll guide you through a plant claim, from the first call to getting the machine back to work.

Report

Tell us what happened and we’ll contact your insurer.

Support

We help you understand your cover and what happens next.

Back to work

Work with the insurer to repair, replace or settle quickly.

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Why use Insurance Revolution for cherry picker insurance?

We arrange cover for access firms, contractors and owner-operators, from a single van mount to a fleet of platforms.

Specialist plant insurers

Experienced UK advisers

Van and truck-mounted options

Hired-in and hire-out options

Cover that flexes as you grow

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Speak to a Plant Specialist

What affects the cost of cherry picker insurance?

Cherry picker insurance has no set price. It depends on the type and working height of your platforms, their value, whether they’re van or truck mounted, where they work and are stored overnight, operator training and your claims history.

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Machine type and height

Working height and reach drive both value and risk.

Van or truck mounted

Road-going platforms need motor cover as well as plant cover.

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Where machines work

City centre and roadside work is rated differently to private sites.

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Operator training

IPAF or equivalent records can improve your terms.

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Overnight storage

Secure compounds, trackers and marking reduce theft risk.

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Claims history

Insurers take previous damage claims into account.

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0330 808 1905

How to insure a cherry picker

Tell us what you run, where it works and who operates it.

Tell us about your machines

Type, working height, value and whether they’re van mounted.

Speak to an adviser

We’ll check sites, storage, road use and operator training.

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Cherry picker and MEWP guides

Practical advice on cover, compliance and claims for access operators.

Can You Insure Special Types Vehicles?

We specialise in insurance for business vehicles, from company cars to cherry pickers. Because of this, we have access to policies that other brokers don’t.

Cherry picker insurance FAQs

Straight answers on MEWP cover, cost, inspections and road use.

What is cherry picker insurance?

Cherry picker insurance covers a mobile elevating work platform against theft, accidental damage and loss, whether you own the machine or hire it in. Liability for injury or damage caused while working at height is covered separately.

Do I need insurance for a cherry picker?

How often must a cherry picker be thoroughly examined?

Is a hired-in cherry picker covered?

Does it cover damage I cause while working at height?

Do operators need to be trained?

Is a vehicle-mounted cherry picker covered on the road?

What affects the cost of cherry picker insurance?

Still not sure what cover you need?

Our plant specialists can match cover to the platforms you run.

Speak to an adviser

Get a quote

Cherry PickerInsurance

What is cherry picker insurance?

Cover for every kind of access platform

Boom lift

Scissor lift

Van mount

Spider lift

Truck Mount

Which cherry picker cover do you need?

1

Site & Yard Cover

2

Road-Going MEWPs