Licensed in FL · GA · NC · TX · Mon–Fri 9–6
EN ES
Get a Quote
Personal Insurance
Business Insurance
Resources
Obamacare Get a Quote

Dealers · Repair Shops · Car Washes · Valet

Garage Insurance for Dealers & Shops

One A-rated garage program for 16 dealer classes and 21 non-dealer garages, from used car lots and boat dealers to mobile mechanics, with liability limits up to $5 million.

Start your garage insurance quote

A licensed agent matches your class to the program and quotes each coverage line you need.

Free quote. No obligation.

A Florida dealer lot with cars, a boat on its trailer, an RV, motorcycles and golf carts outside the showroom, a salesperson with a clipboard talking with a customer, flat vector garage insurance illustration

What is garage insurance for car dealers and repair shops?

Garage insurance is a commercial package for businesses that sell, repair, park or store vehicles. Our program, backed by a carrier rated "A" by A.M. Best, combines three parts: garage liability up to $5,000,000 for injuries and damage your operation causes; garage keepers coverage for customer vehicles in your care, up to $5,000,000 per location and $300,000 per auto; and dealers physical damage on units you hold for sale, at the same limits. It fits 16 dealer classes and 21 non-dealer operations in Florida, Georgia and Texas, with North Carolina added for non-dealers.

Dealer Insurance Coverage for 16 Dealer Classes

Every dealer class below writes on one program: liability for the lot, physical damage on the units you hold for sale and garage keepers for customer vehicles left for service. That covers used car dealer insurance, boat dealer insurance and equipment dealer insurance under the same roof.

Boat Dealer Insurance

Boat dealers keep inventory on trailers, racks and the water, and a storm can reach all of it at once. The program quotes dealers physical damage on owned and consigned units held for sale, liability for the dealership and garage keepers for customer boats left for service.

Used Car Dealer Insurance

Used car lots write on the same program as new-car stores. In Florida the dealer license itself requires garage liability and a $25,000 surety bond; our garage liability insurance page sets out the license rules line by line.

Garage Insurance for 21 Non-Dealer Businesses

Shops that never sell a vehicle still hold the customer's keys. These 21 classes write the same liability and garage keepers coverage, without the inventory line.

Mobile Mechanic Insurance

Mobile auto repair service is a listed class. A mechanic working from a van needs liability for the work done in a customer's driveway and garage keepers for the car while it is in their care. Our auto repair shop insurance page compares a mobile setup with a shop that has bays.

Car Wash and Auto Detailing Insurance

Car washes and detailers move a steady line of customer cars through their hands. Garage keepers pays when one is damaged in the wash bay or during a detail, and liability answers for a customer who slips on a wet lot.

Valet, Parking and Auto Storage

Valet services, parking lots and garages, auto storage and impound yards hold vehicles for hours or for months. Garage keepers limits are set per location and per auto, so the busiest night on your lot sets the number you need.

Garage Liability, Garage Keepers and Dealer Physical Damage

Garage liability

up to $5,000,000

Owned, hired and non-owned autos, premises, products and work performed.

See garage liability insurance →

Garage keepers

up to $5,000,000 per location and $300,000 per auto

Customer vehicles in your care, custody or control.

Dealers physical damage

up to $5,000,000 per location and $300,000 per auto

Owned and consigned autos held for sale.

Garage Keepers Insurance: Legal Liability, Excess or Primary

Garage keepers insurance covers customer vehicles while your business has them. The program writes it three ways, and the choice decides who pays first when a car is damaged on your watch.

Legal liability

Pays only when your business is legally responsible, such as a technician backing a customer's car into a post.

Direct excess

Pays regardless of fault, after the customer's own auto policy responds.

Direct primary

Pays regardless of fault, first, without waiting on the customer's insurer.

Direct primary keeps the claim between you and your carrier, which protects the customer relationship. Legal liability usually costs less and leaves more room for disputes.

Add-On Coverages and Dealer Errors and Omissions

Acts, Errors and Omissions, up to $50,000

Dealers sign titles, disclose financing terms and certify mileage on every deal. Title E&O, Truth in Lending E&O, federal odometer E&O and agent's E&O pay claims that start with a paperwork mistake.

Garage Insurance in Florida and Three More States

Our agents write this program in the states where they hold a license.

Dealers

Florida, Georgia and Texas

Non-dealers

Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas

Florida dealers also face license rules for garage liability insurance, explained on our garage liability page.

What You Need for a Garage Insurance Quote

Who places garage insurance for dealers and repair shops in Florida?

American US Insurance, an independent agency in Kendall, Miami, places this A-rated garage program for dealers and non-dealer garages across Florida, Georgia and Texas, and for non-dealers in North Carolina. We match your class to the program, quote liability, garage keepers and dealer physical damage together, and add the dealer bond and commercial auto when your license or your fleet calls for them. One licensed agent handles the application, the certificates your landlord or floor-plan lender asks for, and each renewal.

Additional Business Insurance Options

Commercial Auto Guides for Florida Dealers

Get a Garage Insurance Quote for Your Dealership or Shop

Tell us your class, your locations and what you keep on the lot. A licensed agent quotes liability, garage keepers and physical damage on one program, with no obligation.

  • No obligation, no pressure
  • Renewal and claims help after you buy
  • A licensed agent compares carriers

Request My Garage Insurance Quote

Common Questions

Garage Insurance Questions, Answered

What is garage insurance and which businesses need it?

Garage insurance packages liability, garage keepers and, for dealers, physical damage on inventory into one policy. Any business that sells, repairs, services, parks or stores vehicles needs it, because a general liability policy excludes the autos those businesses handle every day. Our program writes 16 dealer classes and 21 non-dealer classes, from new and used car dealers to car washes, detailers and valet services.

What is garage keepers insurance and what does it cover?

Garage keepers insurance pays for damage to customer vehicles while they are in your care, custody or control: a car scratched in a bay, stolen from your lot overnight or burned in a shop fire. Our program writes it on legal liability, direct excess or direct primary terms, up to $5,000,000 per location and $300,000 per auto.

What insurance does a car dealer need in Florida?

A Florida dealer license requires garage liability of $25,000 combined single limit plus $10,000 personal injury protection (§ 320.27(3), Florida Statutes) and a $25,000 surety bond or letter of credit (§ 320.27(10)(a)). Beyond the license, most dealers add dealers physical damage on inventory, garage keepers for a service department and property coverage on the building. Our garage liability insurance page covers the license rules in detail.

Does boat dealer insurance cover the boats on my lot?

Boat dealers are one of the 16 dealer classes on our garage program, so the lot is quoted with dealers physical damage on owned and consigned units held for sale, plus liability for the dealership. A licensed agent confirms with the carrier how your boats, motors and trailers are scheduled before you bind, so every unit on the lot has a value on the policy.

Do mobile mechanics need garage insurance or general liability?

Mobile auto repair service is a listed class on our garage program. A general liability policy leaves out the customer's car once you are working on it and any vehicle you drive for the job, which is the core of a mobile mechanic's risk. Garage liability plus garage keepers closes both gaps. The auto repair shop insurance page lays out shop and mobile coverage side by side.

Does a car wash or detailing shop need garage keepers insurance?

Yes. A general liability policy excludes property in your care, custody or control, and a customer's car in the wash bay or the detail stall is exactly that. Garage keepers pays when one is damaged, scratched or stolen while you have it. Car washes and detailers are both listed classes on our program.

Can American US Insurance quote dealers and non-dealer garages on one program?

Yes. Our garage program writes both, so a dealership with a service department or a body shop that sells a few cars quotes on one policy instead of two. A licensed agent places liability, garage keepers and dealer physical damage together and adds the endorsements your lender or landlord requires.

Which states does the American US Insurance garage program cover?

We write garage insurance for dealers in Florida, Georgia and Texas, and for non-dealer garages in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. Those are the states where our agents are licensed and the program is available. Call (800) 868-9170 or send the form, and the agent who quotes you stays on the account.
Get A Free Quote →
800-868-9170