Telehandler insurance
Telescopic handlers for construction and farm work, new or used, with the price for the whole term set on day one.
- Telescopic handlers
- Up to $2M per policy
- Attachments
- Dry hire
Telehandler insurance through EquipCover is a multi-year policy for telescopic handlers used in your business. As a real example, a telehandler insured for $703,150 has a five-year premium of $21,556, about $4,311 a year, with the price for the whole term set on day one.
Insurance indication
Telehandlers, 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 telehandlers.
Real five-year premiums from current policies are below, with what each costs a year and as a share of the insured value.
An expensive machine on a long loan
A large telehandler is a big commitment: the example below is insured for $703,150. The cover can match a finance term of 12 to 60 months, and each policy covers up to $2 million of equipment.
Lifted loads
Telehandlers lift. The policy includes an extension for damage to lifted goods, within the limit on your schedule.
Road use
Third party property damage applies to registered machines where your schedule shows it. Choose the registration that matches how the machine is used.
Overloading
The policy can exclude overloading unless you took reasonable steps to instruct, train or oversee the operator. Keep your training records.
$21,556fixed for 5 years
About $4,311 a year
3.1% 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.
Construction businesses operating in Australia at 30 June 2026, up 3.4% in a year.
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
Telehandlers 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
- Telescopic handlers
- 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 telehandler insurance cost?
It depends on your state, the machine, its value, the term and its registration. As a real example, a telehandler insured for $703,150 has a five-year premium of $21,556.
Is damage to a load covered?
There’s an automatic extension for damage to lifted goods, within the limit shown on your schedule. Read the policy wording for the conditions.
Does a registered telehandler need different cover?
Third party property damage applies to registered machines where the schedule shows it, and not while the machine is being used as a tool of trade. It doesn’t cover personal injury.
Sources
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2022 to June 2026 (released 18 August 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% |
