Vacuum Cleaner Insurance

Vacuum Cleaner Insurance

With some vacuum cleaners costing up to £1,000, it’s worth considering vacuum cleaner insurance to protect your domestic appliance. Because let’s face it, if your vacuum cleaner kicks the bucket and you don’t have the money (or the insurance) to replace it, it won’t be long before your home is covered in dust and dirt.  

Insure a Vacuum Cleaner Now 

Is vacuum cleaner insurance mandatory in the UK? 

Nope, it’s entirely optional. 

In fact, there are very few types of insurance that are mandatory in the UK, and insurance for home appliances like vacuum cleaners doesn’t fall into that category. 

But it is worth considering this type of insurance policy even though it isn’t a legal requirement, especially if you have a particularly high-end vacuum cleaner that might cost £500 or £750 or even £1,000 to replace.  

Isn’t my vacuum cleaner already covered by a manufacturer’s warranty? 

Yes, if it’s a new vacuum cleaner it will come with a manufacturer’s warranty, which may be valid for anything from one year to two years to five years. 

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that these types of manufacturer warranties generally only cover mechanical faults or electrical faults, whereas a domestic appliance insurance policy for a vacuum cleaner can insure you against a broader range of issues. 

Oh right, what other types of issues would be covered by vacuum cleaner insurance then? 

Well, exactly what’s covered (and what’s excluded from coverage) can vary a little from one insurance provider to the next, but in most cases, your vacuum cleaner insurance can cover you for things like: 

• Mechanical breakdown caused by faulty parts or components 
• Repairs and replacement parts, including labour and call-out charges 
• Replacement of the appliance if it can’t be repaired 

With some vacuum cleaner insurance policies, you might also be covered for accidental damage to the appliance, although that can vary quite a bit from one insurance provider to the next. 

So vacuum cleaner insurance is basically the same thing as an extended warranty? 

A vacuum cleaner insurance policy is very similar to an extended warranty for that home appliance. 

The main difference is the potential to include cover for accidental damage, which would never be an option with an extended warranty. 

How much does vacuum cleaner insurance cost in the UK? 

There’s no way to quote an average cost for this type of insurance because the insurance premium calculation will take a range of different risk factors into account, many of which will be specific to your vacuum cleaner. 

For example, the make and model of the vacuum cleaner you’re insuring, its estimated market value, the age of that appliance, the size of the voluntary excess and your history of insurance claims on your home appliance insurance can all influence the cost of this policy. 

The best plan is to compare real quotes that take your real risk factors into account, and then go with the provider that offers the best coverage at the most competitive price.  

Does the brand of vacuum cleaner I’m insuring affect the cost of that domestic appliance insurance policy? 

Yes, it can do. 

Some brands of vacuum cleaners obviously cost more than others to buy (or replace), which can influence the cost of insuring that appliance as well. 

In addition, some home appliance insurance providers may take into how often certain brands may result in an insurance claim compared to other brands, which could affect the cost of insuring that brand as well. 

Is accidental damage covered under a vacuum cleaner insurance policy? 

The short answer is “it depends”. 

Some home appliance insurance policies may cover accidental damage as standard, while others may allow you to add accidental damage cover to the policy for a small fee. 

It’s important to double-check the policy’s terms around this before you sign up for the policy, in order to know where you stand if an accident does happen. 

When I insure my vacuum cleaner will I be covered for repairs and servicing? 

Repairs will almost certainly be covered, unless the repair is the result of accidental damage to the vacuum cleaner, in which case you’d need to ensure your policy included accidental damage cover. 

Most vacuum cleaner insurance policies won’t cover you for servicing of the appliance though, so in most cases you’ll need to cover the servicing costs yourself. 

If my vacuum cleaner is stolen during a break-in will that theft be covered by this policy? 

It’s possible, although it’s more common to turn to your contents insurance provider if some of your contents are stolen.  

Theft will usually be covered by your contents insurance, so if your vacuum cleaner is stolen during a break-in you would normally claim for that theft on your contents insurance policy (or the contents component of your buildings and contents insurance) along with any other items that were stolen.  

If my vacuum cleaner suffers cosmetic damage but it still functions ok will that be covered? 

No, cosmetic damage to your vacuum cleaner generally won’t be covered by your vacuum cleaner insurance, since this type of policy is really only designed to help with the unforeseen expense of repairing or replacing that home appliance. 

Can I insure an older vacuum cleaner? 

That depends on just how old the vacuum cleaner is, and on the insurance provider you decide to go with. 

Every home appliance insurance provider will have a maximum age limit for appliances, after which they won’t insure it. But this age limit can vary from one insurance provider to the next, ranging from five years to 10 years to 15 years, so it’s worth double-checking your own provider’s limits on this. 

Can I insure a second-hand vacuum cleaner? 

Some insurance providers may be willing to insure a vacuum cleaner that you purchased second-hand, although you may still be expected to know the age of the appliance and ensure it isn’t older than the provider’s maximum age limit.