Commercial Auto insurance

Yes — insurance for commercial vehicles is required in almost every state if you have vehicles you drive for business.

Most states require that your business-owned vehicles are insured for some types of accidents with commercial auto coverage. The most common state requirements for business vehicle insurance are liability insurance for injuries and property damage.

Some states also require uninsured/underinsured motorists coverage and medical payments coverage (also known as personal injury protection).

The type(s) of vehicles your business is using, how they’re being used and who is using them determines what kind of insurance you need.

In addition, some clients might require you to have a certificate of insurance (proof of insurance, or a COI) before they’ll agree to work with you.

Even if you already have a personal auto insurance policy, it probably won’t cover accidents that happen while you’re driving for business.

In some instances, a small business might ask employees to drive their own car or a rented car for a job. Hired and non-owned auto insurance is an add-on to affordable commercial auto coverage that could help pay for damages.

Yes. If you use your personal vehicle for your day-to-day driving and for business purposes, it can often be insured with a commercial auto policy.

For example, if you own a van that you use for personal transportation as well as your job as a painter, it could be covered under your commercial auto policy when it’s used for work.

Yes. If your work car, van or truck is covered by commercial auto insurance it can be protected for personal use as well as when you use it for work.

For example, if you use your registered business vehicle to get to job sites and you sometimes use it on the weekends to haul your fishing gear, commercial car insurance could also cover your fishing trips.

A commercial auto policy will cover the vehicle used to transport items, but not the items themselves.

For example, if you have a pickup truck that you use to transport tools, the policy would cover the truck but not the tools.

If you’re concerned about your gear going missing on a job site or in transport to work, consider tools and equipment insurance, also called inland marine insurance, for construction trades or cleaning and janitorial services. If you travel with tools or work equipment in your vehicle to a client’s site, this coverage could help replace or repair damaged or stolen equipment.

Yes, you can buy a commercial auto policy by itself.

However, we recommend general liability insurance along with your commercial auto coverage to help protect your business from some liability costs around medical expenses, damage to other people’s property, legal costs and more.

Commercial auto insurance is almost always more expensive than personal car insurance.

Personal auto policies typically offer protection against collisions, personal injuries and medical payments. They don’t usually cover the riskier situations covered by commercial auto insurance, such as property damage and injuries to employees.

Commercial auto typically has higher liability limits, which usually end up costing more than what you would pay for your personal vehicle.

No, but we partner with trusted insurance carriers to provide this coverage. Get a quote from our partner.