How Long Can Tradespeople Afford to Be Off the Tools?
Rhino's survey data reveals nearly 3 in 4 tradespeople couldn't afford more than three months off through injury or illness.
Tradespeople are a notoriously honest bunch. Ask a plumber what he thinks of a new product and you'll get a straight answer. Ask him to fill in a survey and you may do well to get a grunt. We get it, surveys aren't particularly interesting, but they are useful. So when 1,194 tradespeople took the time to tell us what they actually thought of Rhino in our 2026 customer survey, we paid close attention.
Here's what they said.
One of the biggest gripes tradespeople have about insurance is the time it takes. Endless forms, call centre hold music, questions that seem designed to confuse rather than help. Getting covered can feel like a job in itself.
So we asked: how easy was it to get a quote from Rhino?
81% said very easy. A further 16% said easy. That's 97 in every 100 tradespeople finding the process straightforward, with fewer than 1% saying it was difficult in any way.
For people who run their own schedules and don't have time to spend an afternoon on hold, that's the result that matters most. Getting insured shouldn't feel like a second job.
This is an important one. Knowing you have insurance is one thing. Understanding what you're actually covered for is something else entirely.
Thinking you're covered for something you're not can lead to problems for you, as well as an uncomfortable conversion with us. Essentially, being underinsured i.e. not insured for something that goes wrong, will likely lead to you footing the bill, and it can be a real problem.
Too many policies are written in language that only a solicitor could love, leaving tradespeople unsure what they've actually bought until they need to make a claim.
We asked our customers how easy it was to understand the cover when buying through Rhino.
64% said very easy. Another 27% said easy. Combined, more than 9 in 10 tradespeople said understanding their cover was straightforward. Not a single respondent said it was difficult or very difficult.
There's a question that matters more than most people ask about insurance: if something went wrong tomorrow, would you know how to make a claim?
We put it directly to our customers. 82% said yes, they would know what to do.
That reflects the work that goes into making the claims process as clear as the cover itself. Even so, nearly 1 in 5 said they weren't sure — which tells us there's more to do. If that's you, our claims page walks you through it step by step, and our team is on hand if you'd rather talk it through.
This is the one we're proudest of.
Tradespeople don't recommend things lightly. Word of mouth is everything. They win work through reputation, they choose suppliers based on what their mates tell them, and they call out anything that falls short. Word travels fast in the trades, and it tends to be accurate.
So when we asked how likely our customers were to recommend Rhino to a fellow tradesperson, we weren't expecting quite this: 80% said very likely, and 18% said likely. That's 98 out of every 100 customers willing to put their name behind Rhino. Fewer than 1% said they were unlikely to recommend us.
We don't take that lightly.
The survey also gave us a clearer picture of what drives tradespeople to get covered. Peace of mind came out on top by some distance, with 78% citing it as their main reason for having insurance.
Over a third (37%) said peace of mind for their customers was a factor too, and 30% said their work requires cover for site access or contracts. One in five said insurance helps them win work.
That last one is worth sitting with. In a sector where trust is everything and most jobs come through word of mouth, being properly insured tells customers something about how you run your business. It's not just protection. It's part of your reputation.
The trades run on trust. A recommendation from a tradesperson carries real weight. It's not given lightly, and it's not easily forgotten.
The fact that 98% of Rhino customers would recommend us to a colleague, plus the thousands of five-star reviews, is a real feather in the Rhino cap.
If you're interested in getting a quote with Rhino, give the team a call on 0116 243 7904.
Rhino's survey data reveals nearly 3 in 4 tradespeople couldn't afford more than three months off through injury or illness.
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