Insuring your drone

Drones are more popular than ever and a lot of fun to fly, so it’s important they're protected with insurance, and you know exactly what’s covered. 

Here’s what you need to know about covering your drone, as well as what to do to keep safe while piloting.

When we talk about drones, we mean a remotely piloted aircraft that can capture photos and videos, not the larger ones that are used to deliver things. 

Drones are often expensive pieces of equipment and certainly something worth protecting. Contents insurance covers your drone if it’s accidentally damaged, lost or stolen. 

You should also consider your legal liability. If you accidentally cause damage to someone’s property, like flying your drone into someone’s house, you can be legally responsible for paying to fix that damage.

As long as you’re flying your drone within Civil Aviation Authority rules, your AMI Contents Insurance will cover your drone against accidental loss or damage, as well as your legal liability. 

If you’re not following these rules or taking reasonable care of your drone while flying it, your claim may be declined.

If you use a drone for your business, it needs to be covered under your Business Insurance.

Your contents insurance covers the cost to repair or replace your drone up to the cover limit that are listed in your policy wording. 

If your drone is worth more than the cover limit in your policy, get in touch with us and specify it, to ensure it’s listed in your contents policy for the correct value.

If you’re new to flying a drone or even if you’ve been flying for a while, there’s a few things you must always do to fly safely:

• Check out the information and training guides on the Civil Aviation Authority website as well as Air Share. You can also log flights and find information about local councils on these sites.
• Before flying over people or private property, ensure you have express permission from those people and/or the property owner.
• Check with the local council to see where you can fly and whether you need a permit.
• Always stay at least 4km away from any aerodromes (airports, etc).
• Always fly lower than 120 meters.
• Always fly during daylight and always keep your drone in visual contact (with your own eyes, not binoculars or through other visual sources).
• If flying in a controlled airspace, obtain clearance from air traffic control and give way to all crewed aircraft.

Most importantly – be safe, keep your drone in control, and have fun. For more information on how drones are covered, read the policy wording. You can get a quote online, call us on 0800 100 200, or chat to us on Facebook.