Public Liability Insurance from £4.20/month

Public liability insurance for UK businesses

Public liability insurance covers your business against claims for injury to members of the public or damage to third-party property arising from your activities. While not legally required in most sectors, most UK contracts — including every local-authority tender, most commercial leases and most construction sub-contracts — require £5m or £10m of public liability cover as a minimum. A single slip-trip claim at a café can comfortably exceed £100,000; a damaged service main on a building site can hit £500,000+.

Typical cover levels by sector

• £1m — small home-based businesses, online retail, sole-trader consultants
• £2m — most café, retail and beauty businesses; entry-level trade
• £5m — most local-authority and commercial contracts; mid-size trades
• £10m — construction principal contractors, larger venues, manufacturing, hospitality groups

Typical public liability pricing in 2026

• Home-based consultant (£1m PL): £8.00–£18.00/mo
• Sole trader retail / café (£2m PL): £14.00–£32.00/mo
• Small trade business (£5m PL): £22.00–£58.00/mo
• Larger commercial business (£10m PL): £45.00–£165.00/mo

What public liability does NOT cover (and what you need instead)

PL excludes: injury to your employees (need Employers' Liability); damage to your own property or stock (need property/contents); damage to property in your care, custody and control (need a CCC extension); claims arising from your professional advice (need Professional Indemnity); cyber liability (need cyber); and product liability (often included but sometimes separate). The most common gap is professional advice — a public liability policy will NOT respond to a claim that you gave bad financial, design or technical advice.

Premier Insurance benchmarks public liability across 200+ UK insurers. For a quote tailored to your sector and contract requirements, call 020 8908 2426 or message us on WhatsApp 07954 331362.