Motor Trade Insurance
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Specialist cover for motor trade businesses, full time or part time
Whether you are full or part time in the motor trade, we offer insurance policies that are tailored to the unique needs of motor trade businesses. Our policies are designed to provide comprehensive coverage for the risks you face in your industry.
At Gallagher, our specialists arrange everything from a stand-alone road risk policy through to a full garage combined package, and we can adjust that cover as your business changes. Talk to us about your business and we will tell you what you need.
Request a callbackWhat is motor trade insurance?
Motor trade insurance is the umbrella term for a group of covers that protect people and businesses working with vehicles they do not personally own.
A standard private car policy covers one named vehicle, used for social, domestic and pleasure purposes by named drivers. If your business buys, sells, services, repairs, valets, recovers or road tests vehicles that belong to your customers or that you hold as stock, a private policy will not respond to a claim on those vehicles.
A motor trade policy covers you and your staff to drive and work on those vehicles. Depending on how your business operates, it can be extended to cover your premises, your stock, your tools and equipment, your employees and your liability to members of the public.
At Gallagher, we provide motor trade insurance for:
- Vehicle sales
- Vehicle repairs and servicing
- Panel beaters
- Windscreen, tyre and exhaust fitters
- Auto electricians
- Assessors and motor engineers
- Valeting and detailing specialists
- Recovery and breakdown services
If your business is not listed here, it is still worth a conversation. Motor trade risks vary widely from one operation to the next and we place cover across a broad range of trades.
Key Available Benefits
- Cover for an unlimited amount of vehicles
- Additional drivers for social, domestic & pleasure, and business use
- Motorcycle cover
- Windscreen cover (on request)
- Stock in trust cover
- Motor trade road risk cover
- Demonstration cover
- Internal risks can be covered separately, including public liability and employers’ liability
- Flexible payment options
- *Benefits available will depend on your business, your claims history and the insurer your policy is placed with. Your advisor will confirm what applies to you.
How to get a motor trade insurance quote
- Tell us about your business. What you do, where you do it, who drives, and what you keep on site.
- We review the market. We approach the specialist motor trade insurers we hold agencies with and compare what comes back.
- You get a recommendation. Not just a price, but an explanation of what is covered, what is not, and what we would suggest you add.
What to have ready
- Your trade or occupation, and whether you work full time or part time
- How long you have been trading
- Years of no claims bonus
- Details of any drivers to be included on the policy
- Premises details and approximate stock values, if you have a premises
- Any claims in the last five years
- Your renewal date, current insurer and current premium
Flexible payment options
Cash flow in the motor trade is rarely even across the year. Premiums can be paid in full or spread across the policy term through an instalment arrangement, so the cost of your cover fits the way your business trades. Your advisor will talk you through the options available on your policy and confirm any charges that apply.
Road risk or garage combined: which do you need?
Most motor traders fall into one of two groups. Which one you are in depends on whether you work from a fixed premises and what you keep there.
| Road risk only | Garage combined | |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Driving vehicles you own, hold as stock, or have in your care for service, repair or testing. | Everything in a road risk policy, plus your premises, stock, contents, tools, liability and business interruption. |
| Typically suits | Mobile mechanics, part-time traders, traders buying and selling without a premises, and vehicle delivery or collection work. | Garages, dealerships, body shops, tyre and windscreen centres, and any trader with a yard, workshop or forecourt. |
| Common add-ons | Additional drivers, demonstration cover, motorcycle cover. | Employers’ liability, public and products liability, stock in trust, windscreen cover, seasonal stock increases. |
Why motor traders choose Gallagher
The global strength of Gallagher gives you access to more insurance markets
We provide cost-effective, client-centric and expertise-driven risk management solutionstions
You are assigned a dedicated, qualified business advisor with local knowledge to look after your insurance needs
In the unfortunate event of a claim, our in-house Claims Team works on your behalf
Since 1927, Gallagher has led with integrity, ethics and purpose, the building blocks of The Gallagher Way
Frequently Asked Questions
If your business drives or works on vehicles that belong to someone else, you need a motor trade policy rather than a private one. That covers vehicle sales, repairs and servicing, panel beating, windscreen, tyre and exhaust fitting, auto electrics, assessing, valeting and detailing, and recovery and breakdown work. Any vehicle used in a public place must be insured, and a private policy will not extend to customer or stock vehicles.
Yes. Whether you are full or part time in the motor trade, cover is available. Insurers will want to see that you are a genuine motor trader with a real financial involvement in the business, such as tools, equipment, premises or vehicle stock, but it makes no difference whether the trade is your only source of income.
To be eligible, you need to be able to demonstrate that you actively work in the motor trade and have a financial stake in it. Insurers will typically ask what you do, how long you have been doing it, what proportion of your income comes from the trade, and what evidence you can provide, such as invoices, a VAT number or trade supplier accounts. If you are not sure whether you qualify, talk to one of our advisors before you apply.
There is no standard price. Premiums are rated individually on the trade you are in, how long you have been trading, your claims and driving history, the number and type of drivers on the policy, whether you work from a premises, the value of stock you hold, and the level of cover you choose. A part-time trader on a road risk policy and a dealership on a full garage combined package are quoted on completely different bases. The only way to get a meaningful figure is a quote based on your own business.
Road risk covers you to drive vehicles you own, hold as stock, or have in your custody for service, repair or testing. Garage combined includes that road risk element and adds cover for your premises, stock, contents, liability and business interruption. Traders without a fixed premises often only need road risk. Anyone with a workshop, yard or forecourt usually needs garage combined.
Vehicles in your custody, care or control for service, repair, testing or storage can be covered against damage, fire, theft and other insured events. This is usually arranged through stock in trust cover. Limits, excesses and conditions apply, including requirements around how and where vehicles are kept overnight, so it is worth going through this in detail when the policy is set up.