The damage a ride-on mower causes is almost always greater than the machine itself is worth. That is why this policy starts with liability and not with own-damage cover.
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In brief
Start with the question of whether the machine has to be registered. Agricultural and forestry vehicles and motor vehicles with a restricted speed have to be registered with the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority) before they may go onto the public road; light, slow garden machines fall outside that. If your ride-on mower travels exclusively on private ground, the insurance obligation under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) does not apply. If you cross a public road to get to the next plot, it does.
That insurance obligation says nothing about your liability. That stands separately: if you cause damage to someone else, you are liable for it under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, on the yard just as much as on the road. The only question is which policy pays. That could be your personal liability insurance (AVP), separate third-party liability cover on the machine, or a plant and machinery insurance as soon as you use it professionally.
The machine itself is the smallest item in this. A ride-on mower is stolen from a barn or lock-up, overturns on an embankment or ditch edge, or catches fire because dry clippings settle on a hot exhaust. Own-damage cover is available for that, but it runs aground on wear and mechanical defects, and that is precisely what goes wrong most often.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Liability
Third-party liability for plant and machinery
Damage you cause to others with the machine.
Compulsory on public roads
Also during work
Cables and pipes separately
The machine itself
Own-damage cover
Damage to the machine, the body and the attachments.
Fire and storm
Theft from the site
Overturning and collision
Extensions
Extensions
What you add separately.
Inherent defect and machinery breakdown
Transport to the site
Hired plant
What is covered
Situation
Third-party liability for plant and machinery
Own-damage cover
Damage to a building or a parked car next to the site
Yes
No
Theft of the machine from the building site
No
Provided that
Fire and storm damage
No
Yes
Inherent defect in the hydraulics or the engine
No
Provided that
Damage to the item you are working on with the machine
No
No
Wear and deferred maintenance
No
No
Mobile plant is a motor vehicle within the meaning of the WAM and needs third-party liability insurance on public roads; non-mobile plant does not. Damage to cables and pipes is generally only covered if the excavation notification has been made and the trial trenches have been dug. The item you work on with the machine falls under the care, custody and control exclusion.
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.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Objects thrown out are the real risk
A mowing deck flings out whatever lies in the grass: gravel, a forgotten tent peg, a piece of wire. That hits a window, the paintwork of a parked car or a bystander, and eye injury is the loss against which covers of this kind are judged. You are liable for that under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, even if you were only driving on your own yard. Damage to your own lawn, paving and to the mowing deck from that same obstacle falls outside every liability cover.
Who drives it determines whether a claim is paid
Policy conditions state a minimum age for the driver and exclude use by unauthorised persons. If you let your son or a neighbour mow, check first whether that is permitted. If staff or a hired-in worker are involved, you are liable for their mistakes towards third parties under Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Code and for their own injury under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code. The latter belongs on employer's liability cover and not on the machinery policy.
Your personal liability policy may cover it
Personal liability insurance policies exclude damage caused by motor vehicles, but often make an exception for engine-driven mowers. Whether your ride-on mower falls under that depends on the design speed and on the precise wording of your conditions. Ask about it in writing before you assume you are covered. As soon as you mow for others for payment that private cover lapses in any event, and you need a commercial solution.
Where own-damage cover runs aground
Own-damage cover pays out for fire, theft, vandalism and overturning. Not paid for are wear of blades, belts, bearings and tyres, mechanical defects, engine damage from old or wrong fuel, frost damage to the cooling system and the consequences of deferred maintenance. Damage caused by driving over a stump, manhole cover or post is also generally treated as careless use. Attachments such as a collection box, sweeping brush or snow plough count only if they have been declared separately.
What does your premium depend on?
Purchase value and specification. A simple garden tractor, a zero-turn with front deck and a machine with attachments differ considerably in value.
Design speed and registration. Whether the machine needs RDW registration determines whether WAM cover is required and how the policy is drawn up.
Use. Your own garden, the grounds of a club or an owners' association, or professional landscaping use at third parties' premises.
Nature of the ground. Slopes, embankments and ditch edges create a risk of overturning; publicly accessible grounds create a risk of injury to bystanders.
Storage and security. A locked barn or garage is assessed more favourably than a carport or an open lean-to.
Cover and excess chosen. Liability only, or liability with own-damage cover for fire, theft and overturning damage to the machine itself.
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.
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.
Only if the machine goes onto the public road and has to be registered for that; Article 2 WAM then applies. If you stay on private ground, that obligation does not exist. Your liability for damage to others continues in both cases under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. So the question is not whether you have to be insured, but out of which policy that damage is paid.
Does my personal liability insurance cover the ride-on mower?
Often yes, through the exception many policy conditions make to the exclusion for motor vehicles. That exception is usually limited to slow mowing machines and does not apply as soon as you work for others for payment. Read the provision, or let us do it. If the exception is missing, you need separate liability cover on the machine.
Who pays if the mower flings out a stone?
A stone that is flung out and hits a car window, a greenhouse pane or a bystander is damage to a third party and falls under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. That comes from liability cover. Damage to your own window, your own car or to the mowing deck itself does not fall under it. That is your own loss and is only paid where the machine carries own-damage cover.
May someone else drive my ride-on mower?
Only if that person fits the description of permitted drivers; many policies state a minimum age and exclude use by unauthorised persons. If you hire a landscape gardener, they generally work with their own equipment and their own cover. If you have staff mowing, your employer's liability under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code comes into play where there is injury, and that stands separately from this policy.
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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