Caterpillar 320 excavator digging bulk earthworks on a housing estate at dusk, with a Kenworth tipper waiting
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Earthmoving equipment insurance

Excavators, loaders and dozers financed over five-year terms, where a fixed premium matters most.

Earthmoving equipment insurance through EquipCover is a multi-year policy for excavators, loaders, dozers and graders used in your business. The premium is set once and fixed for up to five years, so it can run for the same term as your equipment finance.

Insurance indication

Earthmoving equipment, 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.

What are you insuring?

$
Length of cover 60 months
Registration

No name, mobile or email needed to see it.

What’s covered

What the policy covers, and what it doesn’t

Sudden and unforeseen damageYes
TheftYes, with conditions for equipment left in the open and machines on hire
Total lossSettled at that year’s insured value
Finance payout after a total lossUp to an extra 30% of that year’s insured value
AttachmentsYes, when they’re listed on your schedule
Extra costs while it’s off the jobYes, such as hiring a substitute machine, within the schedule limit. Lost revenue isn’t covered
Recovery costsYes, within the schedule limit
Dry hireYes, with a written hire agreement
Third party property damageRegistered machines, where your schedule shows it
Public liability and injuryNo. That’s a separate policy
Machinery breakdownNo, except mechanical damage caused directly by covered damage
Wear and tearNo
Private useNo

A summary only. The policy wording decides what’s covered, and limits are on your schedule.

By the numbers

Earthmoving in Australia.

478,651

Construction businesses operating in Australia at 30 June 2026, up 3.4% in a year. Earthmoving and site preparation contractors are counted in construction.

Source 1
$242 billion

Major public infrastructure pipeline for 2024-25 to 2028-29, up 14% on the previous five-year outlook.

Source 2
$20.8 billion

New 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 3

What can be covered

Earthmoving equipment 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 (over 7 tonnes)
  • Excavators (mini)
  • Backhoes
  • Bulldozers
  • Dumpers
  • Front end loaders
  • Graders
  • Ground compactors
  • Rollers
  • Scrapers
  • Skid steer loaders
  • Trenchers
  • 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.

Can I insure a used excavator?

Yes. New and used equipment up to 40 years old can be covered, as long as it is used wholly or predominantly for business.

Can the cover match my finance term?

Yes. You choose a term from 12 to 60 months, and the premium is set for the whole term on day one. Earthmoving equipment is often financed over five years, which is where a fixed premium helps most.

Are attachments covered?

Attachments such as augers, buckets and hammers are on the approved item list, so they can be insured too.

Sources

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics: Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2022 to June 2026 (released 18 August 2026)
  2. Infrastructure Australia: 2025 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report
  3. Australian Bureau of Statistics: Lending Indicators, June quarter 2026
  4. business.gov.au: Types of business insurance
  5. Product information and approved item list from our specialist insurance partner (August 2026)

Updated 6 October 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 yearly

Four renewals, four re-ratings. Bar heights are illustrative, not real premiums.

Fixed multi-year policy

Locked on day one

One 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.

Annual policy premiums (illustrative) and the multi-year policy’s insured value, over five years
YearAnnual policyFixed multi-year policy: insured value
1Starting premium100%
2Re-rated at renewal100%
3Re-rated at renewal90%
4Re-rated at renewal81%
5Re-rated at renewal72.9%
Komatsu PC210LC excavator silhouetted on a ridge of a civil earthworks site

5 years cover in 5 minutes

Price it once.
Get back to work.

Insurance indication

See your insurance indication

About 90 seconds. An indication is an estimate, not a quote or an offer of insurance.