Car Garage Insurance

What Is Car Garage Insurance And What Does It Cover?

These type of policies are created with all of the elements you would need for protecting your MOT garage or service centre. As you will have a specific premises that you run your garage from, you will most likely need a Motor Trade Combined policy. As with other types of Motor Trade insurance, you can decide what level of cover best suits your business, from Third Party Only, Third Party, Fire & Theft, and finally Comprehensive.

It is also highly likely that you will have employees in your business, whether they be mechanics, apprentices or bookkeepers, and so by law you will be required to have Employers’ Liability insurance in place. You can also add things like Public Liability insurance, Product Liability insurance, Tool and Machinery cover, Business Interruption cover, Buildings and Contents cover plus much more.

Car Garage Insurance Explained

There are various levels of cover available on an MOT Garage or Vehicle Service Centre insurance policy, and when deciding which level you should choose, you should consider what kind of impact an incident could have on your business.

Third Party Only will cover third party vehicles for damage or loss – this includes customer vehicles that you are working on, and also vehicles belonging to members of the public that you could come into contact with when test driving client vehicles for diagnosis; Third Party, Fire & Theft will cover the third party property (as above) but will also give you protection for your own vehicles such as recovery trucks, vans or courtesy cars your business has, against fire and theft damage; Comprehensive cover will also protect your own vehicles against any other damage caused to them.

As a garage owner operating your business from a fixed premises, it would be a good idea to look at a Motor Trade Combined policy. This can give you all of the protection of a Road Risk policy (detailed above) but also gives you cover for your place of business, and includes Buildings and Contents cover. If something happens to your premises, at least you know you would be covered and able to continue trading.

No doubt your business relies on a lot of tools and machinery to successfully undertake daily activities. If this is the case then it is recommended that you take out cover for these too. That way you can rest assured that the things you heavily rely on to work will be covered, and therefore replaced, if they get stolen, meaning you should be able to carry on trading. You can also add business interruption cover. This covers your earnings if something were to happen that causes you to have to temporarily close your business.

The chances are that you probably employ other people, and if this is the case, regardless whether they are an MOT tester, a mechanic or even a cleaner, by law you are required to take out Employers’ Liability insurance. This will protect you in the unfortunate circumstances that an employee becomes ill, injured or even suffers death as a result of your business activities.

Similarly, you could include Public Liability insurance which is practically identical other than it protects you against claims made by members of the public. Although not a legal requirement, if you have members of the public on and around your property, it should be something that is considered very carefully as even a slight injury could result in a hefty claim being lodged against you.

Product Liability is also a good additional extra as this covers the actual work you do to a client’s vehicle, and any parts you fit to them, against claims for damage caused by faulty or defective parts or workmanship.

Who May Need Car Garage Insurance?

Anyone that owns and runs an MOT or Car Garage will need this type of policy. It can provide all of the protection you require in one single policy, giving you complete confidence that everything is covered. If you are working on, fixing or testing client vehicles then this is the perfect insurance for you.
If you have any mechanics, bookkeepers or other employees working for you then you will have to take out Employers’ Liability insurance by law. If you work from a fixed business premises you may want to consider a Motor Trade Combined policy so that you can cover your buildings and the property inside, without which you might not be able to operate.

Who could use Car Garage & MOT Garage insurance:

• MOT Centres
• Service Centres
• Part Time
• Full Time
• If you have any Employees
• Tool Cover
• Machinery Cover

Why Is It Important To Have Car Garage Insurance?

First and foremost, if you run an MOT Garage or Service Centre business, to have a minimum level of motor trade insurance is a legal requirement. You are required to have at least the very basic cover, which is Third Party Only.
Also if you employ any members of staff, irrespective of their role, you will have to take out Employers’ Liability insurance too. To add a higher level of cover and any other products would be seen as good business practice. If someone were to make a successful claim against you, you have to consider whether your business would be able to carry on trading. A claim after legal fees can spiral into many thousands of pounds, so compare that with paying a little more for your premium every year and being fully protected.
In addition, look at the contents within your business…Is there a piece of important expensive equipment in your premises that you simply could not do without? What would you do if there was a fire in your garage and that equipment became unusable? It would be an idea to weigh up all of the potential factors that could substantially impact your business and add the relevant cover to your policy.
Certain types of cover can also give your business a positive boost to its image as well as providing the practical insurance coverage, for example, Public Liability cover, which, although not legally required, to have it instils trust in your business and shows anyone who is looking to use your company that they are dealing with a responsible and fully covered business.

Car Garage Insurance Experts

Get a Car Garage insurance policy that covers you to drive your customers’ vehicles to help diagnose faults, for MOT testing or any other trade related use. You can get a Road Risk policy covering your own vehicles, or a Combined policy including buildings and contents protection. We can also arrange cover for Goods in Transit, tools and portable tools, and Public Liability too. Get a quote now!

Features & Benefits Of Our Car Garage Insurance

We can help car servicing and MOT garage owners find the right motor trade insurance policy to cover everything you need. Whether it’s a Road Risk policy to drive customer vehicles, or a Combined policy to protect your buildings and contents too, our expert team will guide you through the process. We can protect the tools and machinery in your garage, plus the portable tools you take out on a callout. We can offer split indemnity to cover your business and personal vehicles, and can offer Public Liability protection too. With policies specifically for vehicle servicing and MOT garages, we’ll find the cover that best suits your business. Our policies can include the following:

• Cover Your Work & Parts Fitted
• Liability Cover For Employers
• Tools & Portable Tools Cover
• Cover For Moving Client Vehicles
• Buildings & Contents Cover
• Split Indemnity Cover
• Public Liability Protection
• No Claims Bonus Protection
• Drivers With Convictions
• Cover For Mobile Mechanics Multiple Drivers Covered
• Goods In Transit Cover

Why Choose Us For Your Car Garage Insurance?

Are you still looking for more reasons to get a Car Garage insurance quote from Think? No problem, here are some additional features and benefits of our Car Garage insurance cover:

• We cover part-time and full time garage owners working from home, on-site, or fixed business premises
• Optional Product Liability insurance available to cover the work you carry out on customer vehicles, and the parts you fit
• Road Risk policies available for mechanics working from home premises
• Combined cover for mechanics wanting buildings and contents cover
• Public Liability and Employers’ Liability available to add to your policy
• Free 24/7/365 Claims Helpline provided by Kingsway
• Flexible payment options available for garage owners