Auto Repair Shop Insurance
Insurance for Auto Repair, Service & Body Shops
Coverage built around the risks of working on other people’s vehicles — customers’ cars in your bays, road tests, and repairs that go back out on the road.
Garage Liability • Garagekeepers • Property • Workers’ Compensation • Commercial Auto
Why Repair Shops Are Different
Your shop’s risks don’t fit a generic business policy.
A repair shop takes custody of customers’ vehicles, puts its work on the road, and runs heavy equipment every day. Those exposures shape which coverages you need and how they’re written.
Customers' vehicles in your shop
A car damaged on the lift, in the bay, or on your lot overnight isn't yours — and standard property coverage doesn't treat it as if it were.
Work that fails after the car leaves
A brake job or a wheel installation that causes an accident weeks later can lead to a claim against the shop that did the work.
Road tests
Driving a customer's vehicle to diagnose a problem or confirm a repair is part of the job, and it's an exposure that needs to be addressed on your policy.
Customers on the premises
People waiting, dropping off, or walking through the shop area create slip-and-fall and injury exposure.
Tools and equipment
Scan tools, lifts, and specialty equipment are expensive to replace after a fire, theft, or break-in.
Employee injuries
Lifting, working under vehicles, and handling parts and fluids make shop work physically demanding.
Coverage
Coverage for auto repair and body shops
Availability, eligibility, terms, and limits vary by insurance company and depend on your operations.
Garage Liability
Liability coverage built for businesses that service vehicles. Depending on the policy, it can respond to injuries and property damage arising from your premises, your operations, and work you've completed.
Garage Liability insuranceGeneral Liability
The standard commercial liability policy: injuries and damage to others, including after the work is done — and the gaps a repair shop has to fill around it.
General Liability insuranceGaragekeepers
Coverage for damage to customers' vehicles while they're in your care, custody, or control — in a service bay, on a lift, or parked overnight.
Garagekeepers insuranceProperty & Equipment
Your building if you own it, plus diagnostic equipment, parts, and other business property — and business income if a covered loss shuts you down.
Property & Equipment insuranceTools & Equipment
Inland marine coverage that follows your tools and portable equipment — in the shop, in a service vehicle, or at a customer’s site.
Tools & Equipment insuranceWorkers' Compensation
Coverage for employee injuries on the job. Most states require it once you have employees; the rules differ by state.
Workers' Compensation insuranceCommercial Auto
Coverage for vehicles your business owns or uses, such as a service truck or a parts-delivery vehicle.
Commercial Auto insuranceUmbrella
Additional liability limits above your general liability, auto, and employers liability — for the claim that exceeds them.
Umbrella insurance
Who It’s For
Automotive repair and service businesses
Independent shops that service and repair passenger vehicles and light trucks, from general mechanical repair and specialty service to auto body and collision work. Eligibility depends on your operations, so an insurance professional may ask about what your shop does.
How It Works
Requesting a quote
- 1
Request a quote
A quick online form: your business name, how to reach you, your state, and the coverage you're interested in.
- 2
We review it
We review your information to identify available insurance options for your operation.
- 3
A licensed professional follows up
An insurance professional contacts you to discuss options and any additional details needed.
Guides
Before you buy
Practical answers to the questions shop owners ask most. See all guides.
- How much does auto repair shop insurance cost?What moves the price of each coverage, and practical ways to keep premiums in check.
- Auto repair shop insurance requirementsWhat the law usually requires, what contracts ask for, and how to choose limits.
- Are customers’ cars covered during road tests?Which policy responds to each part of a road-test accident — and the gaps to close.
- Does insurance pay when a repair goes wrong?Why redoing your own work usually isn’t covered, and when resulting damage may be.
Common questions
What insurance does an auto repair shop need?
Most shops need liability coverage for their premises, operations, and completed work; garagekeepers coverage for customers’ vehicles in their care; property coverage for their building, tools, and equipment; workers’ compensation once they have employees; and auto coverage for vehicles they own and the driving they do. Your lease and customer contracts may add specific requirements — see our guide to auto repair shop insurance requirements.
Is garage liability the same as general liability?
No. General liability is a standard commercial policy that generally excludes auto-related claims. Garage liability refers to liability coverage built around garage operations, sometimes including auto liability. Many shops use a general liability policy together with commercial auto and garagekeepers coverage instead.
Are customers’ cars covered while they’re in my shop?
Not by your liability or property coverage, generally. Damage to customers’ vehicles in your care is covered by garagekeepers insurance, which has its own limit and options.
Can I just buy a business owner’s policy?
Many insurance companies restrict or exclude auto repair from their business owner’s policy (BOP) programs, and a BOP doesn’t include garagekeepers or auto liability. Some shops can use one as part of their coverage, but it rarely covers a repair shop on its own.
Get a Quote
Tell us about your shop.
Tell us how to reach you and which coverages you’re interested in, and we’ll start reviewing insurance options for your business.