Running a garage repair shop requires trust and responsibility. As garage owners, you’re not just fixing vehicles, you’re safeguarding your customers’ prized possessions. Garage repair shop insurance, also known as garage insurance, helps protect your business from financial losses due to accidents, injuries, or property damage.
What is Garage Liability Insurance?
Garage liability insurance is a specific type of coverage designed for businesses like auto repair shops. It goes beyond standard property damage and bodily injury protection, covering situations where a customer’s vehicle gets damaged while it’s under your care. Garage liability coverage can include:
- Accidents: If a mechanic accidentally scratches a car door during repairs, this insurance would cover the repairs.
- Theft or vandalism: If someone breaks in and steals a customer’s car from your shop, this insurance would help cover the loss.
- Natural disasters: If a bad storm damages a customer’s car parked at your shop, this insurance would kick in to pay for repairs.
Remember: Garage keepers liability insurance is separate from general liability insurance, which protects your business from slip-and-fall accidents or other customer injuries on your premises.
What Additional Coverage Can Be Added to Garage Liability Insurance?
While garage liability insurance covers the core risk of damage to customer vehicles, you can customize your protection further by adding optional specialty coverages:
- Pollution Liability: Covers costs associated with cleaning up spills and preventing environmental damage from hazardous materials.
- Towing and Storage: Reimburses expenses for towing and storing vehicles until they can be retrieved.
- Loss of Business Income: Provides financial assistance if your shop is forced to close temporarily.
- Tools and Equipment Coverage: Protects your specialized tools and equipment from damage or theft.
- Cyber Liability: Helps with costs associated with data breaches or cyber extortion attempts.
Who Needs Garage Liability Insurance?
Garage liability insurance is essential for businesses that store, repair, or transport customer vehicles, including:
- Auto Repair Shops, Oil Change Shops, and Body Shops
- Tire Dealerships
- Tow Truck Operators and Towing Companies
- Auto Detailing Services
- Valet Parking Services
- Emissions Testing Stations and Auto Glass Installers
If your business derives income from working with customer vehicles, garage liability insurance is a smart financial decision.
How Much Does Garage Liability Insurance Cost?
The cost of garage keepers liability insurance varies depending on several factors, including:
- Location of your shop
- Size and value of your typical repairs
- Your claims history
- The amount of coverage you choose
Investing in comprehensive garage liability insurance is crucial for protecting your business and building trust with your customers. Don’t leave your hard-earned business vulnerable to potential risks. Contact us today to discuss your specific needs and get a customized quote for garage liability insurance that fits your business perfectly.
What is garagekeepers liability insurance?
Garagekeepers liability insurance helps protect your customers’ vehicles under your care, custody, and control if they are damaged due to negligence.
What types of specialty coverage can be added?
Depending on the operations of your repair shop you may want to consider coverage options such as body shop, repair shop, muffler shop, transmission repair, and tow truck insurance.
Protection from claims of faulty repairs.
You should also consider professional liability coverage that protects you against claims for damage to a car caused by mistakes and/or omissions by your staff. In extreme circumstances, this could include not just the cost of fixing the flawed repairs, but also costs that arise from a crash that’s blamed on the faulty repair.
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Commercial General Liability / Garage Liability
Risk Factor
Your repair shop may be susceptible to many risks, such as claims due to bodily injury, property damage, personal injury, and more. For example, if a customer accidentally trips and falls while on the premises of your repair shop, you can become exposed to a potential lawsuit and held financially responsible for any injuries that result from the accident.
Solution
Commercial general liability insurance is an absolute necessity for every repair shop. This type of protection provides broad coverage for premises, operations, completed operations and advertising, and personal injury. It will also pay to defend any covered lawsuit or action regardless of its merit. Coverage can be purchased as a separate policy and can be tailored to your specific needs.
Commercial Property Insurance
Risk Factor
When a gas tank explosion causes an uncontrollable fire, your commercial property and everything within it can suffer a significant loss. This can have a detrimental effect on your repair shop business.
Solution
Commercial property insurance can help protect the property your business owns or leases, including things like equipment, inventory, furniture, and fixtures. Whether you own your building or lease your workspace, commercial property insurance can be purchased separately or can be combined with other necessary coverage to protect your business’ physical assets.
Property of Others - Garagekeepers
Risk Factor
The nature of your business means you’re responsible for valuable cars, trucks, and other automobiles. As a repair shop owner, you’re trusted to safeguard vehicles belonging to others. This responsibility brings with it potential liability of being held financially responsible for property damage caused to these vehicles while in your care, custody, and control.
Solution
You should purchase physical damage coverage, referred to as garagekeepers coverage, designed to help you protect your customers’ property and your business in the event that accidents, injuries, or property damage occurs. This protection covers the costs that arise from unfortunate and unforeseeable events, not bad workmanship, faulty parts, or warranties.
Inland Marine and Equipment Floater
Risk Factor
You’re constantly moving your tools from one area of your repair shop to another, exposing your business to potential loss due to damage or theft. And without your specialized tools and equipment, your repair job may come to a screeching halt.
Solution
You can purchase special equipment insurance designed to protect your tools and equipment on the move. The policy will cover equipment for a variety of losses, including fire, explosion, vandalism, theft, collision with other equipment or objects, and overturning.
Workers' Compensation
Risk Factor
If one of your employees receives an injury or becomes ill due to a work-related occurrence, you are required by law to have the proper coverage in place.
Solution
Workers' compensation protects your employees should a job-related injury or sickness occur during the course of employment. This coverage is required by law and may vary by area, so be sure that you understand your obligations for all physical locations where your business operates in and all physical locations where you hire your employees.
Business Auto Insurance
Risk Factor
As a repair shop owner, you have many exposures associated with your business vehicles–owned or leased. With a fleet of cars, trucks, vans, or other types of vehicles used in the course of business, a single accident can potentially put your business in financial jeopardy.
Solution
Business auto insurance provides coverage for vehicles owned or leased by a repair shop and provides coverage for bodily injury, property damage, and other exposures, and could include comprehensive and collision coverage as well.
Commercial Umbrella / Excess Insurance
Risk Factor
Losses and lawsuits are quite common in the repair shop business, and settlements can be substantial. If your business is found to be responsible for damage or injury, you could be facing a large liability loss that exceeds the basic limits of your standard policy.
Solution
You should consider purchasing a commercial umbrella insurance policy which provides higher limits, typically between $2,000,000 and $10,000,000, and often broadened coverages. Coverage is extended over various policies, including general liability insurance, business auto, and directors and officers liability insurance.
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