Do I Need Comprehensive or 3rd Party Insurance On My Farm Vehicles?

If you drive, you’ll be familiar with the ins and outs of car insurance. But what about if you own a tractor – do you need comprehensive, or third party only insurance?

You can have either or both, depending on what you need.

You need third party only cover at a minimum for any vehicles that go on a public road or public property.  Vehicles that are used solely around the farm, on your private property, do not need to have insurance at all.

In this article, we’ll cover the following questions:

• Do I need to insure my farm vehicles?
• Does farm vehicle insurance cover my trailer?
• How do I insure my farm vehicles?

Once farm insurance matters start straying into vehicle insurance territory, things can get a little confusing. If you’re not sure what kind of coverage you need, talk to us today and our friendly farm insurance experts will guide you.

Do I need to insure my farm vehicles?

Yes you do, if you ever plan on driving your tractors and ATV’s on a public road. In order for your vehicle to be road legal, you need to take out vehicle insurance just like everybody else.

Agricultural vehicles include tractors, forage harvesters, combine harvesters, diggers, loaders, quads, gators and forklifts. These are all suitable for road use, and therefore must have insurance to protect other drivers in the event of a collision.

The minimum cover you need to drive on the roads in Ireland is Third Party Only. This protects the other party in the event of a collision or accident, but it won’t insure you or your agricultural vehicle. That’s why if you want extra peace of mind, you have the option of purchasing comprehensive insurance.

In particular, farm vehicles can be attractive to thieves. This is why you may want the next level of insurance, which is third party, fire and theft.

Some of your farm vehicles can be insured comprehensively. Comprehensive vehicle cover will protect you from accidental damage, fire and theft, as well as other risks.

Of course, quads, ATV’s, tractors and everything else you drive on the road is subject to the Road Traffic Act. This means that in order for your insurance to remain valid, you must adhere to the rules of the road when driving on a public highway.

Does farm vehicle insurance cover my trailer?

When you buy agricultural vehicle insurance, your provider will normally include attachments on the policy as standard. This is called Unspecified Third Party trailer cover, and it is automatically included on the policy once you have noted some agricultural vehicles to be insured.

This includes horseboxes, tractor implements and other attachments, as well as combine harvesters, protecting you against accidental damage and theft. Getting this kind of policy means items will also have cover when you detach them from your vehicle and put them in storage. Many policies will have an inner limit, so it is important to check with an adviser that you have adequate cover.

Many policies will also include agricultural GPS equipment in their cover, as well as goods in transit. It’s an exceptionally useful kind of policy for farmers to have, and will help avoid costly disasters should your vehicles be targeted by thieves or vandals.

How do I insure my farm vehicles?

All you need to do is pick up the phone and give us a call. We’ll help match you with the policy that best suits your needs.

Prepare to answer some questions, as in order to give you an accurate quote we will need to know all the machinery and agricultural equipment you own, their value, their condition and where they are stored overnight.

We’ll also need to know how you usually use your vehicles – whether on your private property exclusively or on the road, in order to find a policy that best suits your needs.

You can also cover multiple farm vehicles under one policy. Like an employers’ fleet policy for taxi drivers or delivery companies, a fleet policy insures many vehicles at once. And if you own other vehicles such as private cars, commercial vehicles or bikes, it may be possible to include these within your agricultural fleet policy.

As a farmer, you can pick and choose your covers for your vehicles however you like. Just let us know what you need, and we can organise insurance for your farm, machinery and vehicles for your peace of mind.