Liability
- WA traffic risk, compulsory with registration
- Working risk: falling loads, cable damage
- Sum insured often € 2.5 million or more
Insuring a JCB
A JCB telehandler or backhoe loader lifts loads many metres high and drives on public roads in between; both activities need their own cover on the plant and machinery insurance (werkmaterieelverzekering).
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- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands
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
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- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
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Personal quote request. A no-obligation request: nothing is taken out automatically. After sending you receive a reference number and a confirmation by e-mail.
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In brief
In the Netherlands, JCB is best known for the Loadall telehandler, the backhoe loader and the mini and midi excavators. These machines run every day on construction sites, in agriculture and at agricultural contractors, with new prices ranging from a few tens of thousands of euros for a mini excavator to well over one hundred thousand euros for a large telehandler. As soon as such a machine goes on a public road, it must be registered and the compulsory third-party liability (WA) insurance for motor vehicles applies.
Plant and machinery insurance therefore consists of two parts. The traffic risk covers damage to others while driving; the working risk covers damage the machine causes while it is being used as a tool: a load falling from the forks, a façade struck while lifting, a cable or pipe damaged while digging. It is precisely that working risk that leads to the largest claims, and it is not included in ordinary motor insurance.
In addition, you choose own-damage cover (casco) for the machine itself, against fire, theft, overturning and damage during transport. Insurers ask about security, storage and use by third parties; separate conditions apply to rental or deployment with an operator. As an indication, the own-damage premium is often between one and a half and three per cent of the insured value per year. We compare insurers that accept plant and machinery.
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JCB: what is covered?
The cover your JCB needs depends on the type of machine, whether it goes on public roads, what it lifts or digs and whether it is rented out.
Own-damage cover
Damage to the machine itself, from overturning on site to theft from the shed.
- Fire, theft, tipping over, collision
- Inherent defects and wear excluded
- Declare attachments and add-ons separately
Downtime and transport
The machine stands idle more often than it runs, and is moved by low-loader.
- Theft from storage or from the site
- Damage during loading, unloading and transport
- Security as a condition of cover
What is covered
| Situation | Covered |
|---|---|
| Theft from the building site | Sometimes |
| Fire and storm damage | Yes |
| Inherent defect in the hydraulics | Sometimes |
| Damage to cables and pipes | Sometimes |
| Normal wear and tracks | No |
| Damage due to deferred maintenance | 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?
- Lifting capacity and maximum lift height. The higher and heavier, the greater the consequential damage from a falling load.
- Use of a work platform. Lifting people brings its own regime and additional requirements.
- Attachments and their certificates. Forks, jibs, clamps and buckets are assessed and declared individually.
- Inspection and competence of operators. Demonstrable instruction and valid inspections count towards acceptance.
- Farmyard or building site. Work for third parties on construction sites is a different risk from use on your own yard.
- Working on public roads. If the machine travels on the road, its registration comes into play.
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
These are the risks and conditions that come up most often in practice when insuring a JCB.
Working risk when lifting
A telehandler lifts pallets of bricks, window frames and roof panels to heights of ten metres or more. If a load falls because of a misjudged weight or unstable ground, the damage to a façade, scaffolding or a person underneath quickly exceeds the value of the machine. That damage falls under the working risk of the plant and machinery insurance, not under the WA cover for traffic. Insurers set a sum insured of at least 2.5 million euros and ask about the machine's inspection and the operator's training. Lifting people in a work platform requires a separate notification.
Cables and pipes
During excavation, a JCB backhoe loader or mini excavator regularly hits a gas pipe, water main, power cable or fibre-optic cable. The network operator recovers the repair costs and consequential loss, which for a medium-voltage cable or main gas pipe run into tens of thousands of euros. The working risk covers this damage, but insurers require a KLIC notification to the Kadaster before digging and the drawings to be present on site. If that notification is missing, the insurer may reduce the payout or recover the damage from the business owner. Record for each job who makes the notification.
Registration and public roads
Since registration became compulsory for agricultural and construction vehicles, a JCB that goes on public roads must have a registration plate and be WA-insured. The maximum speed also determines the requirements: a telehandler doing forty kilometres an hour must meet different conditions from a mini excavator on a trailer. If the machine only drives on your own premises or the construction site, no registration is needed, but the working risk remains. If you drive an unregistered machine on a public road anyway, even just to cross it, there is no cover.
Theft and security
Mini excavators, telehandlers and attachments are popular with thieves: they are often left unguarded on a construction site and can be gone on a trailer in no time. Insurers therefore require security, such as an approved immobiliser system, a GPS tracker and preferably storage in a locked shed outside working hours. In the event of theft without the agreed security, the payout may be refused. Register the chassis number and the attachments, take photos and keep the purchase invoices. A telehandler left behind on a construction site is often subject to a higher excess than a machine in your own shed.
Transport on a low-loader
A JCB is usually taken to the job by low-loader or trailer. Damage during driving on, securing and transport falls under own-damage cover if that cover expressly mentions transport; some policies only cover damage while driving and working. If the machine tips over when driving off the ramps or hits a viaduct because the boom was not secured, tens of thousands of euros are at stake. Also check the insurance of the towing vehicle: the WA of the lorry covers damage to others while driving, not damage to the load.
Rental and deployment with an operator
If you rent out the JCB without an operator, the hirer bears the working risk and it must be covered on their policy; the owner insures the machine itself. If you rent it out with an operator, the working risk stays with you and the policy must cover it, including work for clients. With rental, insurers ask about the rental contract, the deposit and the hirer's experience, and charge a higher premium. If you occasionally lend the machine to a fellow business owner without reporting it, you risk rejection in the event of damage. Put the agreements on excess and damage in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about insuring a JCB.
Does my JCB need a registration plate and WA insurance?
If the machine goes on public roads, yes. Since registration became compulsory for agricultural and construction vehicles, telehandlers, backhoe loaders and other self-propelled machines that can go faster than six kilometres an hour must be registered and WA-insured. A machine that works exclusively on your own premises or on a closed construction site does not need a registration plate, but you still insure the working risk and the machine itself.
What is the difference between traffic risk and working risk?
The traffic risk is liability for damage to others while the JCB is being driven, for example a collision on the road. The working risk is liability for damage the machine causes as a tool: a falling load, a façade that is struck, a damaged cable. Ordinary motor insurance only covers the traffic risk; plant and machinery insurance covers both. With a telehandler, it is precisely the working risk that leads to the largest claims.
Is damage to the machine itself covered if it tips over?
With own-damage cover, yes. Tipping over because of an excessive load, too steep a slope or soft ground is a sudden external event and falls under own-damage cover. Damage from overloading that leads to a mechanical defect, or from wear and poor maintenance, is excluded. After a tip-over, insurers may ask about the machine's inspection and the operator's instruction. The excess is often a few hundred to a thousand euros.
What does insurance for a JCB telehandler cost?
As an indication, the premium for full plant and machinery insurance with liability and own-damage cover is often between one and a half and three per cent of the insured value per year. For a telehandler worth eighty thousand euros, that comes to a few thousand euros. Liability only is considerably cheaper. The premium depends on the type of machine, its age, the sector, security, the excess and whether the machine is rented out. We compare several insurers.
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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.
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This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.