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Aviva business insurance review

Find out all you need to know about Aviva's business insurance cover and whether it's right for your business.

Who is Aviva?

Aviva is the largest general insurance provider in the UK and offers an extensive range of financial products including car, motorbike, travel, home, life and pet insurance.

The Aviva Group is made up of several businesses, including Aviva Insurance Services UK Ltd and Aviva UK Digital Ltd, amongst others.

Who underwrites the business insurance from Aviva?

Aviva policies are underwritten by Aviva Insurance Ltd.

Aviva Insurance Ltd is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

What types of business insurance policies are available?

Aviva’s business insurance policy has public liability cover at its core, and you can add different elements on top of that to match your needs.

Here’s what each cover component means:

  • Public liability insurance. Whether you have your own premises or not, public liability cover protects you in case a member of the public is injured or their property is damaged and your business is legally liable – for example, if someone trips over some of your equipment or is injured in your work space.
  • Employers’ liability insurance. If you employ staff, you are legally required to take out employers’ liability insurance, to protect your employees, as well as yourself in case of legal action.
  • Tools, stock and business equipment insurance. This covers the cost of replacing lost, stolen or damaged business equipment, tools and stock.
  • Professional indemnity insurance. Indemnity insurance protects you in case a client sues for alleged poor service or advice.
  • Business vehicle and van cover. Commercial van insurance includes cover for tools, as well as many other benefits found in regular car insurance. It’s important to note that most car insurance policies don’t include business use, so it’s worth checking the details of your policy if you use your car for work.
  • Buildings and contents insurance. This cover protects your business’s premises, inside and out. Even if you don’t own the property you run your business from, Aviva covers most damages to furnishings, right down to fixtures and fittings. If you work from home, note that your home insurance is unlikely to cover you for this. You can find out more in our guide to working from home insurance.
  • Landlord insurance. If you rent out a property, this policy covers the cost of rebuilds and repairs if your property is damaged. Read our full review of Aviva’s landlord insurance.
  • Business income insurance. Business income protects you from loss of earnings if your business has to close for a number of insured incidents.
  • Product insurance. If you sell products or use them in your work, product liability insurance protects you in case one of these causes harm to a customer.
  • Self-employed insurance. Self-employed insurance protects professionals who work for themselves as contractors, freelancers or sole traders and includes a variety of cover options from the list above.

What does Aviva business insurance cover?

Aviva offers different combinations depending on your needs, so your exact spec will be personal to you.

Here’s what’s on offer for Aviva’s main business insurance components:

Public liability insurance:

  • Legal expenses, including up to £500 per day if you need to attend court
  • Accidental damage cover for employees and visitors, including vehicles and belongings
  • Injury cover
  • Flexible cover options – £1m, £2m or £5m to suit your contract or trade
  • Products liability cover

Employers’ liability insurance:

  • £10m of cover for legal costs and compensation for illness and injury claims
  • Cover against claims made by all members of staff, including government schemes and work experience
  • Up to £500 compensation per day for each director, partner or employee attending court

Tools, stock and business equipment insurance:

  • The cost of replacing lost, stolen or damaged business equipment
  • Covers overnight theft from an unattended vehicle as standard
  • Insurance for business equipment, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops and computers
  • Up to £500 cover for employees’ and visitors’ personal belongings or tools while in your control
  • Up to £500 cover for trade samples and promotional merchandise

Professional indemnity insurance:

  • Up to £2 million cover for compensation and legal costs for defending a claim
  • Protection for your business if it’s part of a liable joint venture
  • Cover for the cost of recovering lost or damaged documents or data

Buildings and contents insurance:

  • Cover against risks including flood, accidental damage and subsidence
  • Replacement of broken glass, plus any boarding-up costs
  • Up to £50,000 lock replacement if keys are stolen (includes digital cards)
  • Protection for you and your employees for working from home
  • Cover for personal items belonging to employees or visitor
  • Protection for trade stock and promotional merchandise
  • The option to take out just buildings cover, just contents cover or a combination of both

How much cover do I need?

This will depend on the exact specifications of your business. A few things to consider when trying to decide how much cover to take out include:

  • How many employees do you have?
  • Do you deal with members of the public?
  • Do you own or lease vehicles (including vans)?
  • Do you work in public spaces?
  • Do you have dedicated business premises? Do you own or rent these?
  • How much equipment and tools do you have and how expensive are they?
  • Do you use or sell products?
  • Do you store stock?
  • Do you provide financial advice?

How much does business cover from Aviva cost?

This will depend on what types of business insurance you take out and how much cover you require.

The price of your insurance will also depend on what kind of business you run, its location and the level of risk to you, your employers and the public that the business involves (for example, working with dangerous materials or in risky circumstances).

What is the claims process for Aviva business insurance?

The number you need to call to make a claim depends on what the claim relates to.

For employers’ liability insurance, buildings and contents insurance, business income insurance and tools, stock and business equipment insurance, call 0345 030 7074 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year).

Here are the numbers to call for other claim types:

  • Business vehicle and van insurance: 0345 030 6925 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year)
  • Public liability insurance: 0345 030 7563 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)
  • Professional indemnity insurance: 0207 157 2569 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)

Aviva business insurance customer reviews

Online reviews are for Aviva as a company, rather than its business insurance product specifically.

On customer review platform Trustpilot, Aviva as a company has 1.6 out of 5 stars and a rating of “Bad”, based on more than 1,600 reviews.

On Reviews.io, Aviva has a rating of 2.04 out of 5, based on more than 180 reviews. 23% of people who left reviews would recommend Aviva to a friend or family member.

Customers praised the ease of use and great service, but several complained about price hikes on renewal.

Pros and cons for Aviva business insurance

Pros

  • Flexible, comprehensive cover that can be tailored to your needs
  • Cover for digital equipment included in equipment cover
  • Dedicated policy for self-employed

Cons

  • Different claim numbers depending on policy component, which can be confusing

Verdict

Aviva provides some great cover options with many essential elements included as standard. Your can choose between three cover levels for public liability and tailor the policy to your specific needs.

Policies are also available for self-employed people and landlords.

Online customer reviews for Aviva indicate premium costs might increase on renewal, but if you’re after comprehensive cover for your peace of mind, Aviva can help protect your business against a range of circumstances.

Get started by visiting Aviva’s website and sign up for a policy. If you have read this review and decided that Aviva is not for you, you can also compare other business insurance policies on the market.

Frequently asked questions

The offers compared on this page are chosen from a range of products we can track; we don't cover every product on the market...yet. Unless we've indicated otherwise, products are shown in no particular order or ranking. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations), aren't product ratings, although we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it; this is subject to our terms of use. When making a big financial decision, it's wise to consider getting independent financial advice, and always consider your own financial circumstances when comparing products so you get what's right for you.

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