Liability
- Cables and pipes
- Damage to crops or buildings
- Injury to bystanders
Insuring a hobby tractor
A hobby tractor is private property, and that is precisely why it falls outside two policies people assume will cover it: personal liability insurance (AVP) and buildings or home contents insurance.
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- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
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The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert.nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
A small tractor for your own yard, the paddock or maintaining a drive is not a business asset. In law it is nevertheless a motor vehicle, and that has two consequences: on the public road the insurance obligation under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)applies, and your ordinary liability insurance excludes damage caused by motor vehicles.
The second point is where things go wrong. The personal liability insurance contains a standard exclusion for motor vehicles. If you drive the tractor into a neighbour's car, there is no one to pay without motor cover of your own.
Since agricultural and works vehicles have been subject to registration, registration with the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority) is the basis on which insurers accept them. A hobby tractor is insured as a private agricultural vehicle: third-party liability compulsory, comprehensive or third-party, fire and theft optional, with the express stipulation that no business use takes place.
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Hobby tractor: what is covered?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Own-damage cover
Damage, theft and usually inherent defect as well.
- Theft and vandalism
- Fire and storm
- Inherent defect and operating error
Extensions
What matters besides the machine itself.
- Attached parts
- Transport to the site
- Downtime and hired plant
What is covered
| Situation | Liability | Own-damage cover |
|---|---|---|
| Damage to crops, buildings or pipes and cables | Yes | No |
| Theft of the machine | No | Sometimes |
| Fire or storm damage | No | Yes |
| Inherent defect or operating error | No | Sometimes |
| Blades, teeth and tyres worn out | No | No |
| Deferred maintenance | No | No |
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
What does your premium depend on?
- Market value or purchase price of the tractor. Determines the own-damage premium. Older hobby tractors are often insured on market value.
- Power and design speed. Heavier and faster tractors fall into a higher rating class and sometimes carry a separate licence requirement.
- Use on public roads. Whether the tractor stays on your own yard or travels to fields and into the village. That shifts the liability risk considerably.
- Storage. A locked barn or under a lean-to. For theft and fire this is the most significant factor.
- Age and experience of the drivers. Who is allowed to drive it and whether a category T licence is held.
- Attachments. Front loader, mower or tipping trailer declared separately with their value. Without a declaration they are not covered.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
- We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
- You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
- We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The AVP does not cover a tractor
Virtually every personal liability insurance policy excludes damage caused by a motor vehicle. That applies on your own land as well, and also when the tractor is standing still with the power take-off running. Anyone who hits a fence, a parked car or a leg and has no third-party liability cover on the vehicle itself faces a claim under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code that they have to bear personally. This is the main reason for taking out a separate policy.
Hobby means: not for payment
As soon as you do work for third parties with the tractor for which something is given in return, it is no longer hobby use. Clearing snow for the street in exchange for a contribution, mowing a neighbouring meadow for the hay, or hiring it out to an acquaintance: insurers treat that as business use and it appears as an exclusion in the conditions. Report a change of use in advance. Afterwards it becomes a matter of Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Who else may drive it
On the yard it is often not only the owner who drives. Most policies cover any authorised driver, but they do set a minimum age and sometimes a requirement about the category T licence for use on the road. If you let a minor or an inexperienced acquaintance drive and that is established after a collision, the own-damage claim can be refused while the injured third party is still paid under the WAM and the insurer recovers from you.
Attachments, modifications and competitions
A front loader, mower bar, tipping trailer and sweeping brush are not automatically insured; they have to appear on the policy schedule with their value. Tuned engines and taking part in tractor pulling or skills competitions are excluded as standard, as is damage while working on the tractor and test running it in a workshop. Wear, rust and a defective clutch also fall outside own-damage cover: only sudden, externally caused damage counts.
Theft and security
For higher values, insurers require a tracker and agreements on where the machine is kept outside working hours.
Wearing parts remain excluded everywhere
Blades, teeth, cutting edges, tracks and tyres are wearing parts and are not insured anywhere; only sudden damage is covered. Deferred maintenance is also a ground for exclusion. A demonstrable maintenance regime with a logbook is therefore not only good management but also strengthens your position in a claim.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
I only drive on my own yard, do I still need insurance?
Not by law, as long as the land is not in fact accessible to the public. But your personal liability insurance excludes motor vehicles, on your own land as well. If you hit a visitor or their car, there is no cover at all. A third-party liability policy on the tractor is therefore the sensible minimum even for purely yard use, whatever the WAM prescribes.
Does the tractor fall under my home contents or buildings insurance?
No. Motor vehicles are excluded on home contents insurance, even when they are in the barn. If the barn burns down, buildings insurance pays for the structure and home contents insurance possibly for tools, but the tractor itself only if it carries own-damage cover. The same applies to the attached implements standing next to it.
May I clear snow for the neighbours with the hobby tractor?
Unpaid help for a neighbour is usually not a problem, provided you do not do it regularly or for payment. If you ask money or something in return for it, it is business use and that is excluded. If you also clear snow on the public road, the requirements for lighting and registration apply. Report this use in advance, and it can usually simply be recorded on the policy.
Is own-damage cover worthwhile on an old hobby tractor?
That depends on the value and on what you do with it. With a tractor of limited market value many owners choose third-party liability with fire and theft cover only. If it carries an expensive front loader or the machine has recently been overhauled, comprehensive cover is worth the premium. Wear, rust and mechanical faults remain excluded in both cases.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare plant and machinery insuranceThe main page
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- Insuring a tractorRegistration, category T licence, implements
- Insuring a sweeper and scrubberCleaning, batteries, work at third parties' premises
- Insuring a mowing machineVerge work, flying stones, seasonal use
- Insuring pallet trucks and warehouse equipmentInternal transport, racking damage, inspection
- Insuring a shovel loaderSite use, tyre damage, loading damage
- Insuring an excavatorExcavation damage, KLIC notification, theft
- Insuring a tractor as plant and machineryWAM obligation, own-damage, implements on the linkage
Read more
Ready to compare?
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.