Mini excavator insurance
Mini excavators and small diggers used in your business, new or used, with the price for the whole term set on day one.
- Under 7 tonnes
- Small diggers
- Attachments
- Up to 40 years old
Mini excavator insurance through EquipCover is a multi-year policy for mini excavators used in your business. As a real example, a mini excavator insured for $55,209 has a five-year premium of $4,310, about $862 a year, with the price for the whole term set on day one.
Insurance indication
Mini excavators, fixed for up to five years.
The machine, its value, your state, the term and registration, then your ABN. About ninety seconds, no proposal form, and you see your indication before we ask for a name, mobile or email.
An indication is an estimate, not a quote or an offer of insurance.
Financing it? See the finance repayment and the insurance together in the calculator, before you give any details.
Your insurance indication
Each policy covers up to $2 million of equipment. Above that, our partner sets up more than one policy, each with its own fixed premium.
Same state and term as the first item. Different state or term? Tell our partner when they contact you.
Done. We have your details.
- NowYour indication and details reach our team, who pass them to our specialist insurance partner.
- Same business dayThe partner emails you an e-brochure for your consideration, with the policy wording.
- When you acceptAccept online, and your certificate of currency follows in about five minutes.
- ABN
- State · term
- Average per year (incl. GST)
- Pay upfront
- Pay by the month
- Re-rated during the term
- No, set on day one
The problems this solves
What fixed cover solves for mini excavators.
Real five-year premiums from current policies are below, with what each costs a year and as a share of the insured value.
Light enough to steal
A mini excavator can be loaded onto a trailer in minutes, and it often sits on an open site overnight. Theft is covered, and a few simple steps make it harder.
Buckets and augers add up
An attachment is covered when it’s listed on your schedule, so give us each bucket, auger and hammer when you apply.
Owner-operators on finance
Many mini excavators are bought on finance. The cover can run for the same 12 to 60 months as the loan, and it can pay up to an extra 30% of that year’s insured value towards a finance payout after a total loss.
Older machines
New and used machines up to 40 years old can be covered, as long as they’re used wholly or predominantly for business.
Bought in the last five years
A mini excavator bought in the last 60 months can get up to five years of cover.
$4,310fixed for 5 years
About $862 a year
7.8% of the insured value, over five years
Real premiums from current policies. Yours depends on your state, item, value, term and registration.
What’s covered
What the policy covers, and what it doesn’t
| Sudden and unforeseen damage | Yes |
|---|---|
| Theft | Yes, with conditions for equipment left in the open and machines on hire |
| Total loss | Settled at that year’s insured value |
| Finance payout after a total loss | Up to an extra 30% of that year’s insured value |
| Attachments | Yes, when they’re listed on your schedule |
| Extra costs while it’s off the job | Yes, such as hiring a substitute machine, within the schedule limit. Lost revenue isn’t covered |
| Recovery costs | Yes, within the schedule limit |
| Dry hire | Yes, with a written hire agreement |
| Third party property damage | Registered machines, where your schedule shows it |
| Public liability and injury | No. That’s a separate policy |
| Machinery breakdown | No, except mechanical damage caused directly by covered damage |
| Wear and tear | No |
| Private use | No |
A summary only. The policy wording decides what’s covered, and limits are on your schedule.
By the numbers
The numbers behind it.
Motor vehicle thefts recorded in Australia in 2025, the highest in 17 years. The ABS doesn’t count plant separately.
Source 1Rise in insurance prices paid by Australian households in the five years to June 2026, about double the 24.1% rise in all prices.
Source 1New plant and equipment finance written for small businesses in 2025-26, about 35% of their new fixed-term borrowing. ABS counts a loan as small business when the lender’s exposure is under $1 million.
Source 1What can be covered
Mini excavators on the approved list.
New or used, up to 40 years old, used wholly or predominantly for business. One item or several on one policy, up to $2 million per policy.
Approved items
- Excavators (mini)
- Attachments (augers, buckets, hammers)
When this isn’t the right fit
- Equipment used mainly for private or household purposes. Cover is for business use only.
- Equipment you already own that was bought more than 60 months ago (it can be covered, but not on a multi-year policy).
- Equipment more than 40 years old (it can be covered, but not on a multi-year policy).
- Items that are not on the approved item list, or worth more than $2 million on one policy (they can be covered, but not on a multi-year policy).
Not sure? Call us on 0457 932 988 or email info@equipcover.au, and we’ll tell you where you stand.
FAQs
Common questions.
Can’t see yours? Every question we answer is on one page, or call us on 0457 932 988.
How much does mini excavator insurance cost?
It depends on your state, the machine, its value, the term and its registration. As a real example, a mini excavator insured for $55,209 has a five-year premium of $4,310, or about $862 a year.
What counts as a mini excavator?
The approved list has two groups: mini excavators, and excavators over 7 tonnes. Tell us the make and model and our partner will confirm the group.
Does this include public liability?
No. This policy covers the machine. Public liability is a separate policy for injury and damage to others, and we explain the difference in our guide to public liability and plant insurance.
Can I insure a mini excavator I’m hiring for a week?
No. The policy runs for 12 to 60 months on machinery your business owns or finances. For a short hire, ask the hire company what its agreement requires.
Can I hire my mini excavator out?
Yes, on dry hire with a written hire agreement. Our dry hire agreement guide lists what to put in writing.
Sources
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Recorded Crime, Victims, 2025 (released 3 September 2026)
- Policy wording from our specialist insurance partner: Multi-Year Plant & Equipment Insurance (6 October 2025)
- Product information and approved item list from our specialist insurance partner (August 2026)
Updated 1 November 2026. Reviewed by James Rock (National Partnerships Director). General information only, not personal advice. Read the policy wording before you buy.
Why fixed
Priced once.
Not every year.
A standard annual policy is re-rated at every renewal for claims, inflation and market changes. A multi-year policy sets the price for the whole term on day one.
Annual policy
Re-rated yearlyFour renewals, four re-ratings. Bar heights are illustrative, not real premiums.
Fixed multi-year policy
Locked on day oneOne price for the term you choose, set on day one and never re-rated. The bars show the insured value: 100% in years 1 and 2, then a 10% depreciation each year from year 3.
In the five years to June 2026, insurance prices paid by Australian households rose 47.9%, about double the 24.1% rise in all prices (ABS). Why premiums keep rising.
| Year | Annual policy | Fixed multi-year policy: insured value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Starting premium | 100% |
| 2 | Re-rated at renewal | 100% |
| 3 | Re-rated at renewal | 90% |
| 4 | Re-rated at renewal | 81% |
| 5 | Re-rated at renewal | 72.9% |
