Between managing inventory, maintaining workplace safety and delivering superior customer service, running your business can be demanding. You need solutions that can keep up with your growing business needs, freeing you to focus on your customers’ needs.
All businesses, regardless of industry, face risks that should be covered by insurance. The most common and comprehensive type of policy business owners invest in is general liability insurance (or CGL). If your business is sued, you could end up facing fees totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more).
Some of the risks CGL insurance covers are Bodily injury, Property damage, Medical payments, Legal defence and judgment, Personal and advertising injury. Having a sufficient CGL policy in place to help compensate for these damages is the only way to prevent this type of event from devastating your business.
Commercial property Coverage
The value of your commercial property is substantial. If an unexpected disaster occurs, such as a major storm or fire, and that disaster destroys some or all of your automobiles, it may be enough to put you out of business.
As the owner of a car dealership, you should carry commercial property insurance with limits high enough to account for the high value of your inventory.
Workers’ Compensation Coverage
Carrying workers’ comp insurance is an important part of being an employer, and most states legally require it.
Not only does carrying this insurance keep you in legal compliance, but it also ensures that your employees can get the medical care they need for any job-related injuries. Your workers’ comp policy will cover both medical care and lost wages if employees are unable to work due to their injuries.
Commercial umbrella
Commercial umbrella insurance sits on top of a general liability insurance policy, picking up where the limits of the general liability policy left off.
In a situation where your general liability policy limits are exceeded, such as if you lose a major lawsuit, you can depend on the umbrella policy to take over and pay the damages until the limits of the umbrella policy are reached.
Business interruption Coverage
If a major event causes your business to shut down for a period of time like after a tornado or other major disaster, you may probably end up with nothing.
A business interruption insurance would help to cover your business expenses and potential lost income during the downtime.
Nearly every state in the country requires motor vehicle dealers to carry dealer insurance. Many states will require you to show proof that you have a dealer insurance policy before you are issued a dealer license. You will probably be required to obtain what is called a “Dealer Garage Insurance Policy”. A dealer garage insurance policy will protect you as you drive your vehicles back and forth from the auctions. It will also protect your customers while they are test driving your vehicles and will protect you if someone breaks their leg on your lot. It is called a garage policy since it protects your “garage” and all surrounding areas. You may have a policy on another business that you own but you must have a dealer garage insurance policy that covers customers driving your demos.
Some states only require you to hold a basic liability dealer garage insurance policy and some states will require that you carry a certain minimum amount of comprehensive coverage. Be sure to check with your state dealer license bureau to make sure you are carrying your state minimum requirements.
We’ll work with you to learn about your business and help you identify the coverages that make sense for your situation. To begin, we encourage auto dealers to consider the following coverages:
Business insurance for auto and truck dealerships is designed to protect your business, employees and inventory. The cost for commercial auto dealer insurance will depend upon the size of your dealership and the state you are located in, the specific risks you are exposed to and the coverage amounts and deductibles you choose. Often, by bundling different auto dealer insurance coverage types, you can save on costs.
We can help review your risks and provide auto dealer insurance program costs for coverage that would best protect your business. Talk to us today to know more.
It might be time to switch insurers whenever the service that your existing insurer provides doesn’t meet your needs. For example, if you have a poor claims experience or an unexplained rate increase, it might be time to consider other options
If you cancel a previous policy before a new policy is effective, you could run into some serious financial problems.
Contact us today to help you with multiple options to choose from.