AUTO REPAIR GARAGE INSURANCE
Auto Repair Garage Insurance is available for auto repair shop business owners consisting of one or more locations through programs underwritten by AM Best “A” or better rated carriers. We can provide auto repair garage business insurance on a Business Owner Policy package policy form and also more traditional CPP garage liability policy. The BOP form is designed to provide comprehensive insurance for most auto repair businesses.
We know that auto repair garage insurance must cover the unique exposures to loss that car repair shop businesses are exposed to. For example, some auto repair garage businesses also sell cars and we have the capability of providing coverage to both businesses when required. In these cases, we may need to more carefully consider the overall operations a little bit differently but, in most cases, we can provide coverage to almost any form of auto repair business. That includes car wash businesses. In many cases we are able to provide auto wash insurance protection for the business under our Business Owner Insurance program. When reasonable underwriting and management requirements can be met, our flexible package of coverage can provide business owners some of the best auto repair garage insurance available in the marketplace.
The versatile Commercial Package Policy or the Business Owners Policy have been designed as a package of property, liability, and ancillary coverage that auto repair shop businesses need and the policies can be comprehensive or basic. Auto related businesses can be provided coverage on BOP-like programs or typical Garage Liability CPP policy forms.
A general outline of the most common available coverage options for our Auto Repair Garage insurance programs are shown below as standard or optional coverage:
Liability on an Auto Repair Garage 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
- Garage Keepers Liability Insurance (Primary or Legal Liability)
Regardless of business type, liability insurance protects against the tort of negligence that arise from business operations and it is no different for auto shop 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 any auto related business operation. 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-related business insurance policy, we will pay for the benefit of a legal defense against the claims of injury or damage. We will also pay the amounts that become due to another because a finding of your negligence. This occurs 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 we use a Business Owner Policy (BOP) to insure an auto repair garage business. If you own the building, we must include the building. We must include the business personal property, stock and fixtures. That is because auto repair garage insurance BOP policy is a package policy that requires both liability and property coverage be included to maximize discounts. The BOP policy is cost effective and builds in large package credits for more inclusive policy construction. 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 multiple locations. It can also manage a variety of situations for building, business personal property, computer and cyber-crime needs, signs, off premises property, loss of business income, and break down of critical building mechanical systems that may alter your ability to operate.
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 repair businesses 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 way 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 repair businesses or when occasional work is conducted away from the premises.
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 an underlying auto repair business insurance policy provide the additional coverage for financial protection. Carriers writing the underlying BOP will often write umbrella liability for Auto Repair Garage businesses.
Crime and Fidelity
- Employee Theft
- Crime Inside
- Crime Outside
- Employee Dishonesty
The loss of money through theft, robbery or burglary, or the dishonesty of an employee are losses that can cripple a small business of any kind. Tailoring coverage for your needs against crime and fidelity coverage can be done within the Business Owner Policy or CPP to create the ideal auto repair garage insurance policy of protection. We can also keep this type coverage outside of the auto repair garage insurance policy in some instances.
Business Auto
(See business Auto Section for Details)
When your car repair business operates business vehicles it is important to insure the vehicles with liability protection just like the premises and operations. Auto repair garage 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. 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 over four decades of experience working with business owners. I also have a unique and special connection to the auto repair businesses since my father operated a gas station and auto repair shop for almost 50 years. I love writing auto repair garage insurance and respect the knowledge and hard work required to be 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. And because of COVID and social distancing, I can meet with you on SKYPE so we can all stay safe.
