A useful drone insurance budget starts with a quote for the operation you actually run. An advertised starting price or another pilot’s premium does not establish your price, eligibility or coverage. Compare proposals using the same aircraft, pilots, work, requested limits, equipment values and policy period.
Build a quote brief before comparing prices
Give the broker a clear description of your work: what you fly, who flies it, where you operate and what you are being hired to do. Describe photography, inspections, surveying or other activities specifically. Provide current client insurance requirements instead of assuming that a familiar limit or policy label will satisfy a new contract.
- List each drone and identify whether it is owned, leased, rented or borrowed.
- List cameras, sensors and other payloads separately, with the values you want reviewed.
- Provide pilot qualifications and experience as requested on the application.
- Describe operating locations, planned activities and the requested start date.
- Send the actual insurance language from client or venue contracts for review.
Compare the protection as well as the premium
Ask the broker to identify which parts of each proposal address liability, the drone itself, payloads and any rented or borrowed equipment. Do not assume that a proposal includes all four. Read the quoted limits, deductibles, exclusions and conditions alongside the premium.
A lower price can reflect different requested protection or terms. If two proposals differ, ask for those differences to be explained before choosing one. A coverage heading alone does not show how a particular loss would be handled; review the proposed policy wording and endorsements.
Use current equipment values
Provide an itemized equipment schedule rather than relying on a generic model-price example. Note accessories and payloads that need separate consideration. Ask how the proposed policy values equipment, which items are scheduled and what deductible applies. Update the information when equipment is replaced or your operations change.
Review the work and the policy period together
Tell BWI when the work starts, how long it is expected to run and whether there are additional jobs planned. Ask which policy periods are available for your operation and how the proposed dates align with your contracts. This page does not promise that temporary, hourly or other short-term coverage is available through BWI for a particular operation.
Before comparing annual and shorter-period proposals, confirm what each actually includes, when protection starts and ends, and any cancellation or minimum-premium terms. Do not choose a period based solely on a generic daily-price comparison.
Questions to ask when a quote arrives
- Does the proposal describe the aircraft, pilots and work in the application accurately?
- Which requested coverages are included, and which are absent or subject to conditions?
- What limits and deductibles apply to each part of the proposal?
- Are the client’s requested additional-insured or other contract requirements addressed?
- What is the total quoted amount, and what does that total include?
- What information, payment or other steps are still required before coverage can be bound?
- When will the applicable policy documents and evidence of coverage be available?
Keep equipment service plans separate in your comparison
If you have a manufacturer’s repair or replacement plan, obtain its current terms and compare them with the insurance proposal. Ask what each document addresses and where gaps or overlap may remain. Do not assume that a service plan meets a client’s insurance requirements or that two products provide equivalent protection for the same price.
Request a quote for your operation
Use BWI’s drone insurance quote application or call 800-666-4359. Have your aircraft and equipment list, pilot information, operating details and client requirements ready. Ask BWI to review the proposed terms before you authorize binding; an application or quote request alone does not put coverage in force.
For additional background, see the drone insurance overview and commercial drone insurance information.
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