Once the stuff of sci-fi films, drones have become a standard tool in many different industries, from construction to film. Despite their relatively small size, though, you still need to be able to cover drone accidents or crashes that could happen. Whether the errors are the fault of the pilot or due to malfunctioning equipment, a drone insurance policy ensures that you won’t have to pay out-of-pocket if things do go wrong.
If you’re looking for UAV insurance for commercial purposes, also named drone business insurance, then you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ll discuss the average cost of drone insurance coverage and give you a brief overview of some of the best providers, as well as their monthly drone insurance rates. Let’s fly!
Although most drones for photographers and videographers are small, they’re designed to fly high. Even a small 5-pound drone can cause a lot of damage if it drops from high enough in the air. We’re talking about broken windshields, head injuries, traffic accidents, and more. In addition to completely destroying your expensive drone, these accidents can lead to expensive claims.
Insurance companies underwrite drone liability insurance that provides a trusty shield against financial losses when your drone causes damage to clients, strangers, and other third parties. Drone liability coverage typically covers the following:
Third-party personal injury claims-When your drone hit someone and the person sustains cuts, lacerations, contusions, or any other injuries, liability insurance for drones will provide the money you can use to cover medical expenses
Third-party property damage claims-Third parties will file a property damage claim if your drone damages cars, building structures, or any other properties. Drone liability insurance also helps in such a scenario. Specifically, it will refund the owners of the properties your drone damaged
Legal expenses-Drone liability insurance will cover attorney fees, administrative costs, and settlements if third parties take legal recourse upon sustaining personal injuries or property damage due to your drone
You can add advertising injury coverage to drone liability insurance. Advertising injury coverage will take care of compensatory payments, administrative costs, and other legal expenses when you're sued for slander, libel, and other related offenses.
How about negligence? Does drone liability insurance cover this? It depends on the carrier underwriting your drone liability insurance policy. But in case, negligence is excluded, don’t fret because you can get professional liability insurance for drone operators.
A claim will be filed because you’re negligent or allegedly negligent while operating a drone, which inflicted economic or financial losses to affected parties. Professional liability insurance for drone operators takes care of this peril. It will help reimburse the losses of aggrieved parties. Moreover, professional liability insurance covers attorney fees, administrative costs, and other legal expenses on your behalf.
Drone public liability insurance is designed to cover your business from any legal actions if it is found liable for any commercial mishaps, including property damage or personal injuries due to your commercial drone’s operation.
Also called on-demand drone liability coverage, one day drone liability insurance provides 24-hour protection against personal injury liability or property damage liability while operating a drone for recreational purposes or commercial purposes. Policy limits of drone insurance for one day differ from carrier to carrier. Hull insurance can be added as additional protection.
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Drone hull insurance sees to it that you can pay for costs when your drone becomes damaged. In simple terms, this insurance is the equivalent of physical damage coverage in commercial auto insurance.
When your drone incurs damage, hull insurance will pay for the repair or replacement of its hull, machinery, or attachments. Labor costs are covered too. The equipment you’re using to operate a drone is either covered or not covered depending on which insurance company you decide to work with.
Drone hull insurance is available as an all-risk total loss coverage or as a policy that only provides help in specific conditions.
Aside from hull insurance, there’s another drone damage insurance available; equipment in transit insurance. Equipment in transit insurance will take care of costs if your drone sustains damage during a trip.
Drone pilot insurance is what many would call workers' compensation insurance for the self-employed. Workers' compensation insurance will pay for the following when you sustain a work-related injury or disease:
Medical treatment/procedure-Workers' compensation insurance will pay for surgeries, therapies, and other medical treatments/procedures you need to fully recover from a work-related injury or disease
Hospitalization-If ever you become hospitalized due to a work-related injury or disease, workers' compensation insurance will provide the money you can use to pay for hospital bills. Coverage applies no matter how long you need to stay and which medical facility you’re staying
Medication-Workers' compensation insurance provides the money you can use to buy the medicines that will aid in the efficient recovery from a work-related injury or disease
Rehabilitation-Workers' compensation insurance will help if you need rehab after sustaining a work-related injury or disease. This insurance will take care of therapist fees, rehab equipment, and other related expenses
Death benefits-Workers' compensation insurance will help if you die due to a work-related injury or disease. This drone accident insurance policy will cover funeral expenses and provide cash assistance to your dependents
Drone loss insurance is what many usually call drone theft coverage. Theft coverage is already included in drone hull insurance in most cases. Nonetheless, there are insurance companies selling this as a stand-alone policy. The job of theft coverage is to cover repair or replacement costs if your drone got lost or sustained damage due to theft.
If you’re just using your drone recreationally or you just need hobby drone insurance, then you’ll likely find that your coverage costs are slightly more affordable. If you don’t fly often, then you might even be able to cover your drone under your existing home or renter’s insurance policy by classifying it as a gadget or home electronic device.
Most recreational drone insurance policies feature public liability insurance that’s designed to cover any mishaps, small amounts of property damage, or medical damage caused to victims.
On demand drone insurance provides coverage for individual flights. This is a great option for pilots who don’t use their drones on a daily basis or only use them for appointments.
The advantage of on-demand coverage is that you can save a lot of money by paying an hourly insurance rate instead of having to pay a set monthly premium. Typically, on-demand drone insurance is provided by insurers who specialize in drone insurance. Larger insurance companies like Geico, Progressive, and Allstate typically do not offer on-demand coverage. Carriers we recommended for on-demand drone insurance are:
● Thimble (formerly Verifly Insurance)
● Flock
● Skywatch
It is fairly simple to get cheap drone insurance. That said, here is what you can expect to pay for a standard drone liability insurance and Unmanned Aircraft System, aka UAS insurance coverage. The average commercial drone liability insurance cost is $50 per month or $600 per year for a $1,000,000 general liability coverage. Keep in mind that this is just an estimate. Your monthly drone insurance rate could differ, depending on your business size, drone usage, drone cost, experience, drone type, location, business sector, and more. (read more below the table)
Additionally, you can get cheap drone insurance by comparing drone insurance quotes online through this page by hitting the get quotes button and following the simple process.
| Provider | Average Monthly Drone Insurance Cost | Average Yearly Drone Insurance Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thimble | $10-$15 | $120-$180 | Periodic commercial drone flights |
| Flock | $38 | $456 | On-demand flights or large fleet policies |
| CoverWallet | $41.66 | $499.92 | Drone insurance quotes comparison online |
| USAA | $44 | $528 | Veteran drone pilots or active-duty service members |
| Skywatch | $53 | $636 | Part-time drone pilots or pilots with a clean piloting record |
| DJI | $55 | $660 | Large DJI commercial drones |
| Moonrock | $60 | $720 | Full-time commercial drone pilots |
| Geico | $64 | $768 | Businesses that use drones on a daily basis. |
| Progressive | $64 | $768 | Larger companies that use drones on a regular basis |
| State Farm | $65 | $780 | Mid to large-sized commercial drones used on a daily basis |
| Allstate | $67 | $804 | Occasional drone pilots or drones that are sitting |
The cost of your drone insurance policy is typically determined by:
Your business size
Your business industry
The overall size and value of your drone
The type of work you do with your drone
The area where you’ll be using the drone most often. For example, if you’re looking to purchase drone third-party insurance in a large city, you’ll likely pay more than if you were just flying your drone through the rural countryside where there aren’t as many people wandering around.
The level of experience that you or your employees have as licensed drone pilots may also affect your drone insurance premium costs.
Additionally, the number of claims you’ve made in the past will affect your monthly and annual drone insurance coverage costs.
As long as you do your research and compare drone insurance quotes, though, there’s no reason why you can’t find cheap drone insurance. You can do that through this page with ease by hitting the get quotes button and following the simple process!
On average, commercial drone insurance may cost a little bit more than traditional drone insurance which is done for personal use, or as a hobby. This is mostly because commercial drones tend to be larger and more expensive, and also in most cases, businesses use a big amount of drones, rather than just one, and they require more coverage as well, therefore indicating a higher degree of financial risk and responsibility. That being said, though, you might be able to get a better deal on commercial UAV insurance by bundling it with an existing heavy equipment insurance policy.
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
Now that we’ve given you a brief overview of what you can expect as far as monthly premiums and annual coverage rates go, it’s time to go a bit deeper. In this section, we’re going to take a look at the best drone insurance companies on the market. We’ll give you a bit of background on each insurer, the average cost paid by commercial drone pilots, the pros and cons, and our rating.
CoverWallet’s drone insurance policy provides you with liability coverage and drone hull insurance. This company’s drone hull insurance covers your drone and the equipment with it. CoverWallet’s drone liability insurance takes care of your personal injury, property damage, and fire legal liability.
Additionally, CoverWallet has an online quotes comparison platform you can use to find other carriers providing tailored coverage for drones. All you have to do is provide some basic information and CoverWallet’s platform will then send you the drone insurance quotes of different carriers via email.
No hidden charges
Compare quotes online for free.
Cancel your coverage anytime.
Doesn’t sell short-term drone insurance.
Doesn’t underwrite recreational drone insurance.
Best For: Drone insurance quotes comparison online
Average Cost: $41.66/month
Rating: 5/5
If you’re looking for Verifly drone insurance, it’s now known as Thimble. What sets Thimble apart from other insurers is that they focus exclusively on providing on-demand drone insurance for individual flights. You’ll be able to fly any drone up to a certain weight limit and receive geolocation-based quotes up to 60 days ahead of your scheduled flight.
● Book insurance for flights up to 60 days ahead of time.
● Only pay for where you fly (within a 2-mile radius).
● Fly any drone within your weight limit.
● Immediate proof of insurance.
● No long-term drone insurance policies.
Best For: Periodic commercial drone flights
Average Cost: $10-$15/month (on-demand insurance)
Rating: 5/5
If you’re looking for a specialty drone insurer, then you can’t go wrong with Skywatch. This company provides simple, easy-to-modify plans for all drone pilots (both recreational and commercial). Another great reason to choose Skywatch is that they provide amazing discounts for safe drone pilots who haven’t been involved in previous accident claims.
● Easy to sign up for.
● Fully customizable plans.
● Discounts for safe piloting.
● No brick-and-mortar offices.
Best For: Part-time drone pilots or pilots with a clean piloting record
Average Cost: $53/month
Rating: 4.5/5
If you’re retired or active duty military, then USAA provides some of the cheapest drone insurance rates in the nation. The only caveat is that you can’t sign up unless you’re a member of the armed forces. If you are approved, though, rates are cheap, and you’ll have a number of different professional and hobby drone insurance coverage options to choose from, ranging from third-party liability to full-scale hull coverage.
● Caters to members of the military.
● Amazing customer service.
● No on-demand policies are available.
● Only available to military members.
Best For: Veteran drone pilots or active-duty service members
Average Cost: $44/month
Rating: 4.5/5
Everybody knows Geico for the little green Gecko promising affordable insurance rates. Although they’re not the cheapest drone insurer on the market, they are among the top most-affordable commercial drone insurers. It’s easy to sign up for, you can bundle policies, handle all of your claims and view insurance paperwork through Geico’s easy-to-use app.
● Affordable commercial drone insurance.
● Wide variety of coverages available including drone crash insurance
● Ability to bundle with other Geico policies.
● No on-demand drone insurance.
Best For: Businesses that use drones on a daily basis
Average Cost: $64/month
Rating: 4/5
Flock Cover is another insurer that specializes in covering commercial and personal drones. Flock provides both monthly insurance plans as well as on-demand flight coverage, depending on your needs. You’ll be able to cover small drones with a basic liability plan for as low as $18/month, but the average rate is doubled for larger commercial drones. Still, Flock is considerably cheaper than many of the other drone insurers on the market!
● On-demand or monthly insurance plans available.
● Great rates on small and large commercial drones.
● Fleet pricing available.
● Online application only, no brick-and-mortar agencies.
Best For: On-demand flights or large fleet policies
Average Cost: $38/month
Rating: 4/5
Moonrock specializes in drone insurance coverage and offers everything from drone public liability insurance coverage to comprehensive plans that provide coverage for cyberattacks on your drone and even flight assessment tests! Their prices are relatively fair, and you can customize your policy to your needs.
● Coverage for cyberattacks and flight assessment tests.
● Customize your own plan.
● Friendly, professional customer service.
● No on-demand coverage.
Best For: Full-time commercial drone pilots
Average Cost: $60/month
Rating: 4/5
DJI is one of the top UAV manufacturers in the industry. In addition to providing top-notch commercial drones, they also offer an insurance policy designed to cover their more expensive drones as well. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for DJI Mavic Mini insurance or Mavic Air 2 insurance, then you’re out of luck as they don’t offer insurance on their small drones. However, if you have one of the company’s larger commercial drones then DJI drone insurance is an excellent choice!
● Affordable drone insurance for DJI commercial drones.
● Fast verification (less than 48 hours).
● Verify your drone over video chat/examination.
● Only designed for DJI drones.
● No coverage is available for smaller DJI drones.
Best For: Large DJI commercial drones
Average Cost: $55/month
Rating: 4/5
State Farm has been providing everything from auto and home insurance to commercial construction coverage since 1922, making them one of the oldest insurers in the nation. Recently, they’ve also developed a reputation for providing reliable drone insurance as well. One of the best things about State Farm is that they have agents located across the nation, so claims and signing up are incredibly easy.
● Offices nationwide.
● Great customer service.
● Able to cover a wide variety of commercial or recreational drones.
● They are a bit more costly than a drone-only insurance provider.
Best For: Mid to large-sized commercial drones used on a daily basis
Average Cost: $65/month
Rating: 3.8/5
Although Progressive doesn’t specialize in providing drone insurance, they do offer it. Their drone insurance policies are very similar to their auto policies, and they provide a number of options ranging from drone public liability insurance to crash/hull coverage. Overall, Progressive offers fair pricing, and you’ll have the ability to bundle your drone policy with other Progressive policies (if you already use them).
● Wide number of coverage options available.
● Fair pricing.
● Bundling available for existing Progressive customers.
● Progressive doesn’t specialize in drone insurance.
● No on-demand policies are available.
Best For: Larger companies that use drones on a regular basis
Average Cost: $64/month
Rating: 3.8/5
Although you can cover your drone as “personal property” under Allstate, they don’t offer any official commercial drone insurance policies. This means that you can purchase liability coverage, property damage, or theft coverage, but you won’t be able to find drone flight insurance or hull coverage. If your drone is just sitting in your garage collecting dust or if you don’t use it often, then Allstate will provide minimal coverage. Ultimately, though, it’s not designed for regular flights.
● Personal property and liability coverage available.
● Theft coverage available.
● No drone flight, hull, or crash coverage available.
● Rather expensive insurance policies.
● Not designed for drones.
Best For: Occasional drone pilots or drones that are sitting
Average Cost: $67/month
Rating: 2.5/5
This place is an absolute joke of a company and should be ashamed of the way they conduct business. I was hurt on the job at the end of July and it took them just shy of 7 weeks to issue out a paycheck to me. Yes the amount was back dated but still. Not many have the luxury of not receiving a paycheck for almost 2 months. To top it all off, the original adjuster marked me down for the wrong state which caused a problem from the get go, I've had 3 different adjusters now since each one can't seem to figure out the simplicity of my claim. All my paperwork which includes, my job, house, and drs visits all are from the same state and city but yet some how I have been filed under a completely different state 1500 miles away. They do not answer your phone calls or emails no matter how many you leave. I've had to escalate my frustrations to the supervisors of each of these individuals in order to even get some kind of response. I've had more communication and information given to me about my claim from the customer service representatives then the actual adjusters.......... please tell me how that works?! A serious overhaul needs to happen here in order to serve your clients the way they deserve to be taken care of. 10/10 do not recommend this company to a single soul on earth
I have never had the displeasure of working with a more incompetent and disrespectful person in my life. I’m an injured worker and the adjuster that was assigned to my case was named Carrie Furgeson. In the past 6 weeks that I’ve been injured and out of work I have only been able to get ahold of her twice, not for lack of trying. I have left countless voicemails, countless emails, and she ignores them all. When I am finally able to get ahold of her I’m greeted with terrible customer service. She is rude, she talks over me and I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise. She spelled my name wrong on my documents even after I spelled it for her properly countless times, this caused a whole new issue with my bank. I have bill collectors from the hospital calling me demanding payment and Carrie Furgeson won’t do a single thing to help, or to get them paid. All of my documentation is in Colorado, my job is in Colorado, my address is in Colorado, all my Dr offices and appointments have been in Colorado and Carrie still managed to hold my claim because she wasn’t sure what state she needed to file it under. It’s been 6 weeks since my Injury and my company still hasn’t received the wage paperwork to fill out so they can get me my correct wages. When she’s not ignoring me she’s answering my questions with “I don’t know” well I don’t know how she got this job, because apparently she doesn’t know anything about it. She is a disgusting morose individual inside and out and I genuinely wish her the worst in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend you don’t use this company. Please if you are a business owner and your looking into this company please don’t use them. I’m sure they have the cheapest payment and that’s why companies use them in the first place, but you will be doing your employees a grave disservice by forcing them to venture into this absolute dumpster fire of a company. I would rate 0/5 if possible but 1 was the lowest I was allowed.
Their general liability insurance purchase process is simply the best online experience I've ever had in my life!
As long as they cover your line of business, you're literally covered! best rates, best coverage, best online experience, best professionals, can't be happier that I chose them!
It really can't get any better than this... wow
Not all those who wander are lost.
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