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Product Liability Insurance

Product liability insurance provides cover for people who manufacture, distribute or sell, and can protect you from financial damages.

Compare product liability insurance

Name Product AUFBI-NEW Personal injury Public liability Legal costs Levels of cover
QBE Business Liability
$5 million
$10 million
$20 million
Elders Business Liability
$20 million
Hollard Commercial Insurance Public and Products Liability Cover
Hollard Commercial Insurance Public and Products Liability Cover
Not stated
RelyOn Public Liability Insurance
RelyOn Public Liability Insurance
$5 Million
$10 Million
$20 Million
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Product liability insurance cost

Each business is different so the cost of your product liability insurance quote will depend on your personal circumstances. Some things that may affects the cost of your insurance can include:

  • What types of products you sell. Someone selling pillows is likely to pay less than someone selling hunting knives, all else being equal.
  • How many products you move. The higher the volume of products you sell, the more likely someone could get injured and the higher your premiums will be. It's a numbers game.
  • How many products you move. The higher the volume of products you sell, the more likely someone could get injured and the higher your premiums will be. It's a numbers game.
  • Where you are in the product chain. A retailer is less likely to be at fault than the manufacturer would be for a faulty item, meaning retailers would pay less as far as that goes.
  • The structure of your policy. You can decrease the cost of your policy by choosing higher out-of-pocket costs (excess) and lower benefit limits, and vice versa.
  • Your claims history. If you've been found to be at fault for product damages in the past, you're probably going to pay more than a similar business that hasn't.

What does product liability insurance cover?

Product liability insurance coverage can protect your business against a wide range of scenarios including:

Personal injury and illness. If a customer is harmed as a result of your product. For example, if a product malfunctions and injures someone or a food or vitamin product makes someone ill.

Property damage. If your product damages someone's property. For example, a faulty pipe damaging a home.

Software damage. If a product of yours damages software. For example, malware damaging computer systems.

Do I need product liability insurance?

While it's not mandatory, product liability is strongly encouraged for businesses involved in the life cycle of a product. This can include parties that are directly or indirectly responsible for the damage. Here's who it could include:

  • Designers, engineers and developers
  • Parts suppliers
  • Product manufacturers
  • Importers, distributors and wholesalers
  • Brands who use only their name to sell products
  • Retailers
  • Installers

As you can see, many people could be liable for a faulty product. That's because lawyers will try to determine who's responsible for the product failure and that blame does not always lie with the same party. For example, an electrician installing a power point in a home may not have created or imported the products used but they could still be liable for claims if they didn't install them properly.

What's the difference between public and product liability insurance?

In a nutshell, product liability insurance is a subset of public liability insurance. It covers you when it is your product that causes the harm. Public liability on the other hand, is a little broader. It protects you from lawsuits that may not necessarily be related to the products you provide. For instance, if you are a store owner and someone comes in to use the bathroom and slips, public liability would protect you in case of a lawsuit. Check out the examples for further clarity.

Store front Product liability

The damage happens because of a product you made or sold. Example: You're a bicycle shop owner and you sell someone a bike with an overinflated tyre that pops and causes them to crash.

Baseline Public liability

The damage happens on your premises and is unrelated to your products or direct service offerings. Example: You're a bicycle shop owner and someone slips on some gear grease that had been spilt on the shop floor.

Product liability insurance is often covered under a public liability insurance policy or bundled together. You may find that they have different types of coverage limits. For example, your public liability policy may have an unlimited number of claims per year that it will cover you for, while your product liability is more likely to be capped at a certain dollar amount. If you think about it, public liability has to cover you for a lot more than just your products, so it makes sense that product liability cover is often slightly smaller.

Talk to a broker about product liability insurance

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Editor, Insurance

Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

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Gary Ross has written 670 Finder guides across topics including:
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8 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    PariNovember 27, 2017

    Hi, I make my own nail polishes and beauty products, do you have any recommendation for product liability insurance? I already have public liability insurance. TIA

      AvatarFinder
      JudithNovember 28, 2017Finder

      Hi Pari,

      I hope you are doing fine today. Thanks for your question.

      As we are a comparison website, I cannot recommend or suggest a specific option for you, as your decision would entirely depend on your needs.

      On the page you are viewing, you may fill out the form for you to receive a quote for product liability insurance.

      I hope this helps.

      Cheers,
      Judith

    Default Gravatar
    RenaeSeptember 28, 2017

    If we want to be a distributor for a certain camera brand from China. Apart from product liability what other insurance do we need? I would like a quote please. Thank you

      AvatarFinder
      MaySeptember 29, 2017Finder

      Hi Renae,

      Thank you for your inquiry.

      As we are a comparison website, I’m afraid we may not be able to recommend specific insurance to you as the best option would depend entirely on your situation by taking into account the type of your business, your cover needs, and the insurance you can afford. Nevertheless, there are types of business insurance that you’d want to check. If you’d like to get a personalised business insurance quote, best to fill out the form from that same page and click on the green “Enquire Now” button.

      Please ensure you review the relevant PDS and T&C before purchasing a cover.

      Cheers,
      May

    Default Gravatar
    fran.dFebruary 21, 2014

    Hello. I am wanting to start a small home based business making baby wash, lotions etc. that a naturally based. I have developed the product and now am looking at the next steps. It will be an online business with myself doing everything and not employing anyone. What type of insurance will I need to start with? and around about what will I need to pay?

      AvatarFinder
      WilliamFebruary 21, 2014Finder

      Hi Fran,

      Thank you for your enquiry. Considering you are manufacturing your own product to distribute to the public, it would definitely be worth considering taking out product liability cover to offer protection in the event that a claim is made against you. It is not possible to provide you with an estimate for what you will pay based on this information alone as many other factors will need to be considered. finder.com.au is not currently partnered with any business insurance providers but we can recommend the business insurance broker austbrokers.com.au/

      Thanks again for your enquiry and apologies for not being able to provide more assistance at this stage.

    Default Gravatar
    alanFebruary 17, 2014

    Hi,

    I am new in business and just started sourcing out for product liability insurance for my business. I am selling security products importing from China and resell it in Australia. However, all of the insurance companies I called advise that they do not offer product liability insurance to anyone that import Electronic products from overseas especially security products (cctv, camera gadgets etc) because I am considered as the manufacturer of the products if I’m importer. The insurance companies advise that we should go for insurance brokers to source for the product liability insurance. We have being sourcing for the past few months and it appears that anyone that sell imported security products from overseas will not be able to cover the business in terms of product liability. Do finder.com.au know of any insurance companies that offer this type of product liability insurance.
    Your help is much appreciated.

    Al

      AvatarFinder
      WilliamFebruary 18, 2014Finder

      Hi Alan,

      Thank you for your enquiry. Unfortunately, most insurers will exclude cover for products that are imported from overseas. Finder does not currently feature any Business Insurance providers that will provide cover for this type of product distribution. You may wish to make an enquiry with the Australian General Insurance Broker Group Austbrokers.com.au

      We apologise for not being able to provide further assistance with your enquiry at this stage.

      Thanks again for your enquiry and all the best.

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