Zego

A London motor insurer for car, van, taxi and delivery drivers that prices cover using how people actually drive.

About Zego

Zego is a UK motor insurer that sells flexible cover to people who drive for work: car, van, taxi and delivery drivers. It insures individual drivers rather than fleets, and it started with pay-as-you-go cover so a delivery rider did not have to pay for a whole year up front. Its website covers products such as private hire and Uber driver insurance, van insurance, learner driver and electric car cover.

Zego was launched in 2016. A company blog says Estonian-born Sten Saar, now CEO, had the idea while working at Deliveroo, when he saw delivery riders struggling to afford annual motor insurance. An InsurTech Magazine profile says it was founded by Saar, Harry Franks and Stuart Kelly, who had worked together at Onefinestay, with Franks as the original CEO. Our sources differ on the founder list, so treat the three names as the fuller account. Zego is a trading name of Extracover Limited, registered in England and Wales at Eastcheap in the City of London.

Zego's stated ambition is to become "the single insurance relationship people have for their entire lives". It says it rewards people who do the right thing and prices risk by how people actually drive. Its core value, according to Saar, is "Zego before ego", along with speed, focus and testing ideas.

Over time the range grew: private hire taxi insurance came in 2018, followed by public liability, employers' liability and van cover, and more recently cover for electric fleets. Zego Sense is its telematics product, which uses driving data to lower prices for safe drivers. Zego also expanded into Ireland by the end of 2018, and its site shows UK and Ireland versions.

Saar describes Zego as like a sports team rather than a family, where people are expected to perform at a high standard; that is his view, not an independent finding. He says it holds monthly open meetings and that he has no separate top-floor office. About 20% of the team works in tech, and the founders have moved between roles. Job listings show hybrid roles in London, including sales and claims administration and customer support, which may suit people starting out. We did not find a published graduate scheme, internship or apprenticeship, so check Zego's careers page.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Cover for car, van, private hire and taxi drivers.', 'title': 'Driver insurance'}
• {'desc': 'Flexible cover for delivery work, where the idea began.', 'title': 'Delivery driver cover'}
• {'desc': 'Telematics that uses driving data to lower costs for safe drivers.', 'title': 'Zego Sense'}

Key facts

• Launched 2016; idea came from CEO Sten Saar's time at Deliveroo (Zego blog)
• Founders per InsurTech Magazine: Sten Saar, Harry Franks and Stuart Kelly
• Trading name of Extracover Limited, registered at Eastcheap, London
• Expanded to Ireland by end of 2018
• Value "Zego before ego" (Saar, Zego blog)

Website: www.zego.com