AUTO WASH BUSINESS INSURANCE
Auto Wash Business Insurance is available for car wash business owners of one or more locations through programs underwritten by carriers rated “A” or better by AM Best. We can also provide auto wash business insurance on a Business Owner Policy (BOP) coverage form. The BOP form is designed to provide comprehensive insurance for either self-service or hand wash auto wash businesses. We may also be able to provide coverage to one or more of the variants of the car wash business where the operation is mobile.
We know that auto wash businesses insurance must cover the the unique exposures to loss that car wash businesses are exposed to. For example, some Car Wash Businesses also have other operations in addition to the auto wash business and we may be capable of including these operations under one policy. In these cases we may need to more carefully consider the operations that are being conducted in addition to the car wash business but we are able to provide auto wash insurance protection for the business under our Business Owner Insurance program in most cases. We are able to offer auto wash business insurance when reasonable underwriting and management conditions are met. We also may use the more flexible CPP policy, especially when multiple locations are involved.
The versatile Commercial Package Policy or the Business Owners Policy have been designed as a package of property, liability, and ancillary coverage that car wash businesses need and the policies can be comprehensive or basic. Auto wash business insurance as provided in our business owner policy has been bundled with the most often requested policy provisions into a single policy to provide coverage efficiency and lower cost.
Auto wash business insurance written under either the CPP or BOP policy forms are designed for most car wash business operations. A general outline of the most common available coverage options for our Auto Wash Businesses insurance programs are shown below as standard or optional coverage:
Liability on an Auto Wash Business Insurance Policy
- Bodily Injury and Property Damage, Premises Liability
- Primary Limits up to $2,000,000/$4,000,000
- Personal Injury and Advertising Liability Coverage
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance
- Fellow Employee Coverage
- Host Liquor Liability
- Non-owned Watercraft
- Hired and Non-Owned Auto Liability
- Products and Completed Operations Liability
- Employee Benefits Liability
- Ohio Stop Gap Liability Insurance
- Cyber liability coverage
- Garagekeepers Legal Liability Insurance
Regardless of business type, liability insurance protects against the tort of negligence that arise from business operations and it is no different for auto wash business insurance. The tort of negligence is a breach of duty that is derived from common law principles that have evolved through decades and even centuries of recorded decisions about our relationships with one another. It is no different for car wash business operations. A duty is an obligation we owe to someone else. In essence, we owe each other the duty to protect them from the consequences of our actions and when someone is hurt or suffers harm to either body, property, or reputation, in our culture we boil down our grievances to a monetary settlement in most cases. In the case of the liability coverage provided in our auto wash business insurance policy, we will pay for the benefit of a legal defense against the claims of injury or damage and we will also pay the amounts that become due to another because a finding of your negligence has occurred through legal proceedings or an agreement accomplished through the negotiations of your insurance carrier and the other people involved in the claim. This includes bodily injury and property damage as a result of events on the premises, through acts on and away from the work facilities, injuries caused by products, advertising injury, personal injuries other than bodily injury, hired and non-owned auto liability, and injury or damage caused due to computer intrusion and compromise when chosen.
Property Coverage
- Buildings, Fixtures, Building Improvements including multiple locations
- Business Personal Property including Property Service Equipment
- Building Limit Automatic Increase
- Valuable Papers and Records
- Accounts Receivable Coverage
- Computer Coverage and Cyber Crime
- Outdoor Signs—Attached and Detached
- Building Ordinance or Law Coverage
- Off-Premises Coverage for Business Personal Property, including Property in Transit
- Earthquake Coverage (Some carriers)
- Business Income, including Extra Expense Coverage
- Coverage For Water Back-up
- Equipment Breakdown
Property insurance is required to be included when a car wash business owner policy is used. If you own the building we must include the building. We must include the business personal property, stock and fixtures because the auto wash business insurance policy is a package policy that requires both liability and property coverage be included to maximize discounts. The reason the BOP policy is cost effective is the large package credits that are built into the premium for combining more coverage into one policy. The package of coverage is easy to issue and maintain than an assortment of separate policy forms and coverage. The business owner policy provides a lot of coverage in a tidy package and it is flexible enough to handle several locations and variety of situations for building, business personal property, computer and cyber-crime needs, signs, coverage on or off premises, loss of business income, and break down of critical building mechanical systems that may alter your ability to operate. We love writing auto wash business insurance.
Inland Marine and Special Property
(See IM Section for more Details)
Mobile equipment and property that leaves the premises is best covered with an inland marine endorsement that is designed for equipment that may float to where you actually do your work. Mobile car wash business have special concerns about mobile equipment and tools they use. Certain equipment that is mobile in nature and leaves the business premises will find the broad coverage of the inland marine policy endorsement that are the best method of insuring this type floating and mobile type of property. In those instances where your property leaves your immediate premises your auto wash business insurance is able to be amended to include this unique mobile equipment exposure. This becomes very important to mobile auto wash businesses.
Umbrella Liability
Umbrella liability is an additional limit of coverage that protects for damages that exceed primary policies and sometimes losses that were not covered in the primary policies but were not excluded by the language of the umbrella policy. Umbrellas covering over auto wash business insurance programs provide the additional coverage flexibility. Carriers writing the underlying BOP will often write umbrella liability for Car Wash Businesses.
Crime and Fidelity
- Employee Theft
- Crime Inside
- Crime Outside
The loss of money through theft, robbery or burglary, or the dishonesty of an employee are losses that can cripple a small business so tailoring your needs for crime and fidelity coverage can be done within the Business Owner Policy or CPP to create the ideal auto wash business insurance policy protection.
Business Auto
(See business Auto Section for Details)
When your car wash business operates business vehicles it is important to insure the vehicles with liability protection just like the premises and operations. Auto wash business insurance can be written to include both the vehicles used by owners and managers, but any vehicles you must operate to conduct your business operations. This is usually accomplished with a Garagekeepers legal liability endorsement to your auto wash business insurance. The business auto coverage is dealt with in great detail in the business auto section.
Professional Advice and Agency Service
Quality coverage begins with understanding your needs and the extent of your operation. I have 37 years of experience working with business owners and have a unique and special connection to car wash business owners and their business insurance needs since my father operated a hand car wash as a part of his auto service business for almost 50 years. I love writing auto wash business insurance and their business owners. This agency represents quality carriers that have the ability to provide the coverage your business needs whether or not it is ultimately provided inside of our Business Owner Policy or our more flexible Commercial Package Policy (CPP) option. Call and ask for Terry McCarthy at (513) 779-7920, 9-5 Monday – Friday most days. We are conveniently located at 8114 Paul Manors Dr in West Chester, OH 45069.
