Drone Insurance Guide
Revised August 28th, 2026 by Chris Travers
Introduction
Travers Aviation Insurance has worked with many insurance companies to create a drone insurance policy with competitive rates and policy terms.
With the increase of drone pilots and potential for drone commercial operations in the general public, our insurance companies are making huge strides in creating inexpensive tailored policies for UAV operators.
There are several basic coverage options available under a drone insurance policy. Bodily injury and property damage can help protect UAV operators against claims from others. If you injure someone while operating your drone, your bodily injury feature of the policy would be available to protect you against covered claims. Property damage coverage is available and can help protect you if you cause damage to property not owned by you.
Physical damage insurance for the UAV can be purchased and depending on policy wording can cover repairs or replacement of the drone and its cameras or equipment minus any deductibles.
Commercial UAV insurance for those that use a drone for a business is increasing in popularity. Real estate agents, photographers and law enforcement operations are a few entities that are using drones daily in business or to help with the safety of the community. Most business relationships or clients that require a contract to do business with them will require you carry drone liability insurance.
Get a Drone Insurance Quote Today
Understanding the various coverage options to protect your drone / UAV is our top priority. We look forward to discussing your specific insurance needs.
Do I Need Drone Insurance?
Drone insurance is becoming a necessity. From Construction companies using drones to inspect buildings to powerline and pipeline patrol operations, drones are changing the way we look at certain jobs that before required many man hours and high risk operations.
Now, with minimal risk, UAV’s are taking on far more responsibility with significantly less operating cost. Many businesses and municipalities are requiring insurance for UAV’s used professionally and as a hobby.
Generally, there are two aspects of coverage available to drone operators: hull and liability. You may purchase one or both:
- Drone liability insurance under our drone insurance policies can help with covered claims arising from bodily injury or property damage. This is a tremendous help with risk mitigation for drone operators.
- Hull insurance can help with physical damage to the insured's drone itself. Hull insurance may also cover equipment added to the drone. Cameras and other devices may fall under the hull coverage of the drone as long as it is specifically listed on the policy.
As in other standard aircraft policies, drone hull insurance policies will include a deductible. The insured will be responsible for the first portion of the claim (deductible). With drone hull insurance, deductibles will typically be a percentage of the value of the drone.
When you are on a job or opening a new operation that involves work with a drone, drone insurance is a necessity. As with any business venture, make sure you protect yourself by insuring your operation.
Why Should I Get Drone Insurance?
Insuring your Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is important for many reasons. Operating your UAV commercially opens you up to liability exposure. It is important for UAV operators to carry Business Drone Insurance to help mitigate bodily injury and property damage exposure. Charging for services as a professional drone operator can open operators up to extra liability exposure.
First and foremost, protecting your liability exposure is the most important aspect of insuring your drone. If you are found liable for bodily injury or property damage, UAV liability insurance can be your primary defense for covered losses. And, when operating your drone commercially, liability insurance will generally be required. Travers Aviation Insurance is also able to offer hull insurance to help with covered damage to your drone, but in most cases your liability exposure will be the most important part of insuring your UAV.
Your homeowner’s insurance policy will usually not cover business use of your unmanned aerial vehicle.
Drone liability insurance can help protect you if you injure someone. When filming, bodily injury to people is a risk due to mechanical malfunction or just because of piloting mistakes. Drone insurance policies are designed to help provide coverage in the event that a person is injured by your drone in a covered loss.
You should insure your UAV/drone. Whether operating your drone for pleasure or business use, there is always the slight risk of damaging property owned by somebody else, or injury.
Insurance for Your Drone
Have a customer, municipality, or business ready to hire you that requires insurance for your drone services? Most drone operators are required to carry liability coverage when working professionally. Travers Aviation Insurance can quote and bind coverage quickly, and affordably. We can insure individual drone operators capturing aerial footage, as well as large UAV fleets operated by multiple pilots. We can generally provide certificates of insurance for you within minutes.
Drone liability insurance will generally be required when working for a construction company, municipalities and law enforcement agencies, real estate agency, or performing pipeline patrols, as well as when capturing images or creating movies professionally. Insurance coverage may be available to cover aerial imaging, large drone fleets, predator control, agriculture spraying, or surveillance.
UAVs generally fall into three primary categories: multi-rotor, fixed-wing and single-rotor.
• Multi-rotor UAVs use multiple rotors to provide lift and allow the aircraft to hover and maneuver vertically. Quadcopters, which use four rotors, are the most common type of multi-rotor UAV.
• Fixed-wing UAVs use wings to generate lift and generally cannot hover. They are often used for applications requiring longer flight times or the ability to cover larger areas.
• Single-rotor UAVs operate similarly to helicopters, using a primary rotor to generate lift and are used for certain specialized applications.
When considering insurance for your drone/UAV, Travers Aviation Insurance can help make operating drones affordable.
Drone Insurance Cost
Drone insurance costs can vary depending on the specific drone you operate and what specific uses you have. Different risk categories for drones can lead to a wide variety of drone insurance costs. For example, the typical quadcopter used for aerial photography can usually be insured for a very inexpensive premium.
Typically, a commercial umbrella liability policy will exclude all aviation including drone usage. For this reason, we offer liability limits tailored to your needs and are here to help you navigate the drone insurance industry.
The cost to insure your drone is minimal compared to the liability exposure you assume while flying your drone. Bodily injury and property damage are common perils faced while flying a drone. Injuring a person with your drone can result in more than just medical expenses. Drone insurance can also help pay for legal defense depending on policy wording.
Over the years, drone insurance costs have dropped for many reasons. Competition between drone insurance companies has driven down UAV insurance rates. Low loss ratios also help UAV insurance companies skew drone insurance costs in a favorable direction. Spending a few hundred dollars to insure a drone can save you thousands, or maybe even millions.
The cost to insure your drone will vary depending on the make and model of the drone, fixed wing vs rotor wing, size of the drone, and the use. If you are using your drone in rural areas, the cost to insure it will generally be less than insuring your drone in populated areas. In general, drone insurance costs are reasonable for commercial purposes such as aerial mapping, photography, surveillance, filming, agriculture, and more. The cost to insure the physical damage to your drone is also generally reasonable for almost all uses.
The cost to insure your liability exposure can generally be more expensive than insuring the physical damage to the drone because the risk is so much more. The cost to insure a $1,000 drone to even a $100,000 drone is minimal because the exposure is so much less than a potential $1,000,000+ liability claim and the cost to defend the insured person or entity. The amount you will pay for drone insurance will depend on your specific circumstances. For example:
- If you are operating under FAA Part 107 guidelines and perform standard aerial photography the cost can be minimal.
- Reasonable drone insurance rates are available for power line patrol, pipeline patrol, security, shipping or aerial inspections.
The drone insurance costs for exposures such as shipping or racing may be more expensive but are generally available. - Insurance is becoming an increasingly common requirement for commercial drone operations. These costs have continued to drop, as drones become more popular and more insurance companies are entering the market.
Municipalities and your customers may face exposures that are not covered by standard business insurance policies. We offer broad policies that can include liability and physical damage coverage on the drone. The cost for this coverage is very reasonable considering the risk.
Insurance companies take many factors into consideration when estimating costs of insurance. Be sure to tell your broker about any specialized training, certifications, or safety procedures that demonstrate your commitment to safe UAV operations. These factors may help your broker better assess your risk and identify the right coverage. Travers Aviation Insurance can help you find the coverage you need, from micro drones to fleets of large heavy-lifting drones.
