You’ve taken the first step and started your business – but what’s next? How do you protect and futureproof your business? Protecting your livelihood starts with Business Insurance.
What is business insurance?
Business insurance is a policy made up of a combination of covers such as: public liability, professional indemnity, employers’ liability, and contents. There are also several optional extras you can add to your policy such as legal expenses, business interruption, tools insurance and more.
Every business is different, but with AXA you can build a policy that works for your business and gives you protection you need.
Business insurance at a glance
No two businesses are the same and which covers you need is entirely dependant on the type of businesses you run.
Below, we’ve broken down the basics of each cover we offer so you can decide which best suits what you do.
Suited to:
All businesses.
Protects you from:
Claims made by a third-party (anyone who is not an employee) for accidental injury or property damage.
Cover limits:
Maximum cover of £5 million†.
Covered for:
- Being self-employed or working from home
- Accidental injury or damage caused by your employees
- Products liability included as standard (for retail businesses)
Useful to know:
- Most public authorities will require you to have public liability before working with them
- You can get a certificate of public liability insurance to prove you’re covered
- Even businesses who aren’t in regular contact with the general public need public liability
Suited to:
Businesses who give advice or offer professional services.
Protects you from:
Claims from clients who have lost money after following your advice.
Cover limits:
From £100,000 to £5 million cover (depending on your occupation).
Covered for:
- Situations where the advice you give a client ends up costing them money
- More complex issues like break of confidentiality, defamation, breach of copyright etc
- Fraud or dishonesty by an employee
Useful to know:
- Most professional bodies require you to have this cover to become a member
- Specialist policies available for accountants and many more professions
- Certain trades can also get professional indemnity
Suited to:
Businesses who have anyone working for them in any capacity.
Protects you from:
Claims made by employees who’ve fallen ill or been accidentally injured due to their job.
Cover limits:
£10 million as standard.
Covered for:
- Full/part-time staff, self-employed contractors, temporary staff, work experience
- An employee suffering accidental injury or illness as a result of their job
- Up to 50 days’ free cover for temporary workers
Useful to know:
- Required by law if anyone works with or for you
- Employees means anyone working for you - not just full or part-time paid employees
- You can be fined £2,500 by HMRC every day that you’re not properly insured
Suited to:
Businesses who have premises with fixtures and fittings or contents.
Protects you from:
Accidental damage or theft of your business’ contents.
Cover limits:
Varies depending on the number and value of contents being insured.
Covered for:
- Accidental damage or theft
- Employees’ personal belongings as well as fixtures and fittings
- Also protects shop fronts – such as signage and windows
Useful to know:
- Suitable for all businesses that have contents – even those without premises
- Get a 30% increase in stock cover during seasonal periods, or at a time of your choice
- Contents insurance is required to take out buildings cover
Who do we cover?
Whether you're just starting out, or you've been your own boss for years – we've got the cover you need. We know small business, and can provide cover for:
Why choose AXA Business Insurance?
79,000+
small businesses protected by AXA2
£250,000
given away through Startup Angel in the last 5 years to support small businesses
4.6/5 stars
rated by over 19,000 customers on Feefo3
567
small businesses entered Startup Angel in 2025
Ready to protect your business?
Now that you’ve got a better understanding of our products, getting cover for your business couldn’t be easier. Simply click the button below to start your online quote and get protected in a matter of minutes.**
Protecting your health as well as your business
Did you know that by becoming an AXA Business Insurance customer, you and your employees can access a free 24/7 health support line provided by AXA Health.
This will give you free access to several medical professionals, such as a counsellor, midwife, nurse, or pharmacist quickly, at a time that suits you.
What else AXA can help you with
Do you have a business that you need protect? Or maybe you’re an aspiring landlord in need of the right protection for your portfolio. Either way, AXA is here to help.
Qualifiers
All links and statistics corrected at the time of publishing 31/05/2026.
1While it is free to make a mid-term adjustment (MTA) to your policy, please note that if the change you wish to make affects your covers – such as adding or removing covers – these will incur the relevant changes to your policy cost.
2Number of small businesses protected by AXA corrected as of July 29th, 2025
3Based on an average rating of 4.6/5 stars on Feefo across 19,383 reviews as of October 4th, 2025
*Covers available will be dependent on your occupation. Underwritten by AXA Insurance UK plc. Terms, conditions, limitations, eligibility, and exclusions apply.
**Based on the average time taken for customers to complete an AXA Business Insurance quote online. The average time taken is 4 minutes and 25 seconds. Data corrected as of May, 2025.
†Not all occupations are eligible for £10 million coverage, the best way to find out which level of cover you are eligible for is to get a quote. Existing customers may want to consult their policy documents.