How Many Steps Does It Take to Buy Tradies Insurance Online? We Tested 5 Providers
Last updated: 28 May 2026 | Tested by: VIZ Insurance | Product tested: Public & Products Liability insurance for Carpenters.
Buying insurance should be simple. But if you've ever started an online quote and found yourself buried in 15 screens before you can even see a price — let alone buy — you'll know that not all insurers treat your time the same way.
We wanted to find out how long does it actually take to get covered online with 5 of Australia's leading tradies insurance providers?
Here's what we found.
What We Measured
We set out to answer one key questions:
How easy is it to buy tradies insurance online?
We went to some leading tradies insurance providers and counted every question and form field required after clicking "Get a Quote" — up to but not including the payment details. We believe this gives a fair picture of how much effort a buyer must invest before they can get a quote and purchase a policy.
We used a consistent test scenario:
Occupation: Carpenter
Number of Employees: 1
Turnover: $150,000
Public & Products Liability Limit: $10,000,000
Excess: $500
Payments to sub-contractors or labour hire: $0
Claims history: None
Disclosure questions: All answered favourably
State of Operation: NSW
We tested providers who offer direct online purchase — that is, where a buyer can go from quote to bound policy without speaking to a broker or waiting for a call back. Providers that do not offer instant online binding were excluded from the buying-journey comparison, as the comparison would not be like-for-like.
Providers excluded from this comparison:
1. Trade Risk — not currently accepting new clients at time of testing.
2. Insure Tradies — does not offer instant online binding for this carpenter profile.
3. HIA — does not offer instant online binding, at the time of testing.
Results: Buying Journey Length
The table below shows the number of questions and form fields each provider required to reach the point of Quote and Purchase (excluding the payment screen itself).
Provider: VIZ
Questions & Form Fields to Get a Quote: 9
Further Questions & Form Fields to Purchase: 7
Total: 16
Provider: QBE
Questions & Form Fields to Get a Quote: 12
Further Questions & Form Fields to Purchase: 7
Total: 19
Provider: Allianz
Questions & Form Fields to Get a Quote: 15
Further Questions & Form Fields to Purchase: 6
Total: 21
Provider: Bizcover
Questions & Form Fields to Get a Quote: 24
Further Questions & Form Fields to Purchase: 6
Total: 30
Provider: AAMI
Questions & Form Fields to Get a Quote: 24
Further Questions & Form Fields to Purchase: 6
Total: 30
Provider: NRMA
Questions & Form Fields to Get a Quote: 18
Further Questions & Form Fields to Purchase: 15
Total: 33
Tested on 28 May 2026. Questions and form fields counted reflect the buying journey for the test scenario described above. Journey length may differ for other trade types, cover levels, or customer profiles. Question/ field counts are subject to change as providers update their online platforms.
Note on BizCover: BizCover is a comparison platform rather than a direct insurer, and presents quotes from multiple underwriters. It has been included here because it is a common route to purchase for tradies insurance. Its count reflects the BizCover buying journey specifically.
What the Data Shows
Across the providers we tested:
- The average number of questions/ fields to purchase tradies insurance online was 25.
- VIZ Insurance required 16 questions/ fields, compared to 19-33 across other providers tested.
These results suggest that for this test scenario, VIZ Insurance required the shortest online purchase journey among the providers tested.
This comparison is intended to help you understand the landscape of buying options. It is not a substitute for reading each provider's PDS or Policy Wording and understanding what their policy actually covers for your type of work.
The data reflects what we hear from customers. Of our 40 most recent Trustpilot reviews, 20 specifically mention the ease or simplicity of the process.
View our Trustpilot reviews here.
Why Buying Journey Length Matters
Getting to a binding quote in fewer steps isn't an accident — it's the result of deliberate product design. We worked closely with our underwriter, Ivory, to challenge every question in the buying journey: does this information actually change the price, and if so, by how much? The goal was to collect only what's genuinely needed to assess the risk accurately, and remove everything else. For most tradies, that means a smaller bunch of straightforward questions. It also means we could build a flow designed around how tradies actually think about their work — not how underwriters traditionally document it.
When you're a tradie, time spent filling in forms is time not spent on the job. A shorter buying journey means:
- Less time off the tools
- Lower chance of giving up mid-quote and going uninsured
- Faster ability to get covered when you've just picked up a new client and need proof of cover quickly
In a sector where many tradespeople are uninsured or underinsured — often because the process felt too hard — reducing friction in the buying journey has real safety consequences, not just commercial ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many steps does it take to buy tradies insurance online?
It varies by provider. In our 28/05/2026 test, the number of questions and fields required to complete a purchase (excluding the payment screen) for a carpenter, purchasing $10m Public & Products Liability, ranged from 16 questions/ fields with VIZ Insurance to 33 with NRMA, using the same business profile.
How was this comparison conducted?
We used a single consistent test scenario — Carpenter, $10 million Public and Products Liability cover, $500 excess, $150,000 turnover, NSW, no claims history — and recorded every question and field from the "Get a Quote" starting point to the point of purchase (excluding the payment form). The test was conducted on 28/05/2026.
This comparison measures only the online purchase journey length for the test scenario described. It does not compare policy coverage, definitions, exclusions, claims handling, or suitability of cover. Policies differ materially between insurers.
A Note on Our Methodology
We are committed to presenting this comparison accurately and fairly. To that end:
- All tests were conducted on the same date: 28/05/2026
- For consistency, each individual input field, dropdown, checkbox group, or disclosure response required to progress to purchase was counted as a separate question/field.
- The same scenario was used for every provider: Carpenter, $10M million Public and Products Liability, $500 excess, NSW, $150,000 turnover, no prior claims
- We have disclosed which providers were excluded and why
- We have noted where BizCover's model differs from a direct insurer
- We have not compared policy wordings, exclusions, or insuring clauses — each provider's policy differs in these respects and readers should review each PDS before purchasing
- We update this page when we re-test
If you believe any data on this page is inaccurate, please contact us at hello@vizinsurance.com.au