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Motor Trade Insurance
Specialist insurance for garages, dealers, repairers, valeters, MOT stations and automotive businesses that need road risks, liability, customer vehicle, premises and stock cover to fit the way they actually trade.
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Motor trade insurance shaped around real vehicle risk
We help UK motor trade businesses compare road risks, premises, liability, tools, stock and customer vehicle cover with insurers that understand automotive operations.
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Insurance for Garages, Dealers and Automotive Businesses
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Our team specialises in commercial insurance across logistics, construction, manufacturing and property sectors. Get specialist cover with business insurance tailored to your industry. Insure24 is FCA authorised and regulated (FRN: 1008511).
Motor trade businesses often need cover for more than one risk at the same time. A garage may need customer vehicle protection, road testing, tools, lifting equipment and employers' liability. A dealer may need vehicle stock, demonstration use, premises and money cover. A valeting or body repair business may need liability wording that reflects the vehicles they work on every day.
The right policy depends on your trade activities, driver profile, vehicle values, premises, stock levels and whether you need a road risks policy, a motor trade combined package or a wider commercial insurance programme.
What Can Motor Trade Insurance Cover?
Motor trade policies can be arranged around the parts of your business that create the most severe claims, from customer vehicles and public road use to workshop equipment, premises and employee injury.
Road Risks
Cover for declared drivers using customer, stock or business vehicles on public roads for motor trade purposes, including test drives, collection and delivery where accepted.
- Named or approved driver options
- Comprehensive, third party fire and theft, or third party only
- Cars, vans and specialist vehicles subject to underwriting
Premises and Stock
Protection for garages, workshops, forecourts, vehicle stock, customer vehicles, contents and business interruption after insured damage.
- Buildings, contents and machinery
- Vehicle stock and demonstration vehicles
- Business interruption and increased cost of working
Liability and Tools
Liability cover helps protect against injury and damage claims, while tools and equipment cover supports workshops reliant on diagnostic kit and specialist machinery.
- Public and products liability
- Employers' liability for staff
- Tools, ramps, compressors and diagnostic equipment
Which Motor Trade Businesses Do We Help?
Use this page as the main motor trade hub, then move into a more specific automotive page if your business has a clearer niche.
Garages, mechanics, MOT stations, body shops, tyre shops and specialist repairers.
Car dealers, used vehicle sales, forecourts, traders and vehicle importers.
Valeters, car washes, recovery operators, collection and delivery businesses.
What Insurers Usually Want to Know
A clearer presentation helps avoid wrong assumptions around road use, custody of customer vehicles, vehicle values and workshop hazards.
Business and Vehicle Use
- Your exact trade activities and whether you repair, sell, service, valet, recover or inspect vehicles.
- The highest value vehicle in your care, custody or control and the total value of vehicles on site.
- Whether vehicles are road tested, delivered, collected, demonstrated or used as courtesy cars.
- Driver ages, convictions, claims history and whether employees or directors need road risks cover.
Premises and Risk Controls
- Premises construction, security, overnight storage, CCTV, alarms and key control.
- Tools, ramps, diagnostic equipment, spray booths, compressors and lifting equipment values.
- Hot works, welding, paint spraying, tyre fitting, battery charging and hazardous storage.
- Employee numbers, wage roll, health and safety controls and any subcontractor use.
Example Motor Trade Claims
Motor trade losses can escalate quickly because one incident may involve a customer vehicle, public road use, workshop machinery, staff and interruption to trading.
Customer vehicle damaged on site
A vehicle left for repair is damaged by fire, theft, vandalism or accidental impact while in the trader's custody.
Road test accident
A declared employee has an accident while road testing a customer's vehicle after repair or diagnosis.
Workshop injury
A member of staff is injured while using lifting equipment, hand tools, tyres, batteries or diagnostic machinery.
Motor Trade Insurance FAQs
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Do I need motor trade insurance if I only work part time?
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Is road risks cover enough for a garage?
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Can motor trade insurance cover vehicle stock?
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What affects motor trade insurance cost?