What Insurance EV Charger Installers Need in Australia

If you install EV chargers in Australia, the insurance that matters most is public liability, and how much of it you carry decides what work you can legally take on. The level is effectively a gate. A registered electrical contractor (REC) licence, the state licence that lets you contract electrical work, sets a floor of about $5 million. Commercial and government jobs push it to $10 to $20 million, and in the ACT, public charging infrastructure licensing requires $20 million. On top of that, professional indemnity and tools cover fill specific gaps.

This guide sets out what each type of cover does, how much you need for the work you want to win, and what it costs. It's written for installers, not insurers.

Public liability: how much cover you need

Public liability (PL) covers claims from third parties for injury or property damage arising from your work: the switchboard fault that damages a client's home, the trip hazard on a commercial site. For electrical contractors, PL is the non-negotiable cover, and the level you carry decides the jobs you can bid.

The three standard tiers, and what each unlocks:

Cover level	Typically required for
$5 million	REC licence minimum; most residential installation work
$10 million	Commercial sites, most builders, many strata jobs
$20 million	Government tenders, large commercial, ACT public charging infrastructure licensing

Because the higher tiers cost only moderately more than the base, many installers simply carry $20 million to keep every tier of work open rather than turning down a commercial job for want of cover.

Licence requirements: the $5 million floor

In most states, holding a registered electrical contractor licence requires you to maintain a minimum level of public liability insurance, commonly $5 million. Without it, you can't hold the licence, and without the licence you can't legally install a hardwired EV charger to the wiring standard AS/NZS 3000. This is the floor every installer clears before anything else.

The exact figure and conditions are set by each state's electrical licensing authority (for example, NSW Fair Trading, Energy Safe Victoria, or the QBCC in Queensland), so confirm the current requirement with your own licensing body.

Commercial and government work: $10–$20 million

Once you move beyond residential, the client sets the bar. Commercial builders and head contractors commonly require $10 to $20 million in public liability before they'll engage a subcontractor, and they'll want a certificate of currency on file before you start. Government and infrastructure tenders are stricter again. The ACT requires $20 million for public charging infrastructure.

If EV charging infrastructure (workplace car parks, fleet depots, public chargers) is where you want to grow, carrying $20 million from the outset removes a recurring barrier to bidding.

Strata jobs: what body corporates ask for

Installing a charger in an apartment block or townhouse complex adds a layer of documentation. Strata committees and their managers typically ask for proof of public liability (often $10–$20 million), evidence of your electrical licence, and increasingly a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) before approving work in common property. The building's own strata insurance sits alongside yours, and the committee will want your cover documented so the two don't leave a gap.

The practical takeaway: keep a current certificate of currency and your licence details ready to send. Jobs stall when an installer can't produce them on request.

Professional indemnity: when you need it

Professional indemnity (PI) covers claims arising from professional advice or design, not the physical work but the decisions behind it. If you size the circuit, recommend a specific charger, specify load management, or advise a client on what their site needs, PI covers you if that advice is later blamed for a loss.

An installer who only fits chargers to a provided specification may not need PI. An installer who offers design, consulting, or "we'll sort out what you need," increasingly the norm for commercial EV work, generally should carry it. It's a smaller premium than public liability but fills a real gap for advice-based work.

Tools and equipment cover

Not a liability cover, but a practical one for a mobile trade: tools and equipment insurance covers theft or damage of your gear from the van or the site. For an installer whose tools are the business, it's cheap protection against a bad week. Many business insurance packages bundle it with public liability.

What it costs

As a general guide for 2026 (premiums vary with turnover, claims history, cover level, and work mix):

Cover	Indicative annual premium
Public liability ($5M–$20M)	~$500–$2,500
Professional indemnity	added premium, scales with revenue and advice exposure
Tools & equipment	modest add-on, often bundled

A sole trader doing mostly residential installs sits at the lower end; a growing business chasing commercial and government EV work sits higher. Treat these as ballpark figures and get a quote from a licensed broker who understands electrical trades. The right structure matters more than shaving a few dollars off the premium.

For the consumer side of the trade, see our guides to home EV chargers and typical EV charger installation costs in Australia.