Amazing expirience! The agent is very professional and friendly. Definitely recommend!!
Garage Liability Insurance in Florida
Coverage built around how your business operates. Call or text 813-302-7151.
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Rguzman@coveredbyguzman.com
7 months ago
Excellent service and very professional staff. They made the process easy, answered all my questions, and helped me find the right coverage. Highly recommended!
3 months ago
I’ve worked with Ray for years and he’s always reliable and has been able to help my clients in need! I can always count on him to provide the best insurance advice and service
7 months ago
Great service, and always looking out for my commercial insurance. Thank you Ray
3 months ago
Great insurance agent to work with. Ray is the best!
3 months ago
Reviews reflect individual customer opinions and experiences. They do not guarantee specific coverage, pricing, service timing, or claim outcomes.
Most Florida businesses that repair, sell, park or tow cars need garage liability. It is the liability coverage for claims from other people who are hurt, or whose property is damaged, because of your auto business.
Garage businesses are not all alike. A brake shop, a used-car dealer with test drives, a mobile mechanic and a parking lot each carry different risks. So our first question is what you really do: who drives customer cars, whether cars stay on your lot, what vehicles you own, and what limits a license or contract asks for. Then we build the policy around those answers.
What is garage liability insurance?
Garage liability is liability insurance made for businesses that sell, service, repair, park or tow cars. Each insurance company writes its own version, so the details change from one policy to the next.
The risks differ by business. A mechanic has customers walking near lifts and repairs that could fail later. A dealer has test drives. A detailer has customer cars on the lot. A tow yard has stored cars and trucks on the road. The policy should be written around those facts.
What does garage liability insurance cover?
It covers claims from other people for injuries or property damage caused by your garage work, within the policy’s limits and exclusions. For example, a customer trips over an air hose in your bay, or a wheel you installed comes off and hits another car.
It does not cover every loss tied to a customer’s car. Damage to the customer’s own car while you have it usually needs garagekeepers (coverage for customers’ cars while they are in your care). Your own trucks need commercial auto. Injured employees fall under workers’ compensation. Your tools, parts and building need property coverage.
Example with made-up round numbers: Say a customer slips on an oil spot in your shop, breaks a wrist and claims $15,000 for medical bills and lost wages. That is the kind of claim garage liability is for. Now say that same day an employee backs into another customer’s car inside the shop, and the repair costs $4,000. That damage usually goes to garagekeepers, not to garage liability.
See also: Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance
Garage liability vs. general liability
General liability is the standard liability policy for most businesses. Standard general liability forms leave out most claims that come from driving autos, and a garage business handles autos every day, so it should be written as an auto business.
Buying general liability alone rarely handles a garage’s risks. We look at the work you do, customer cars, your own vehicles, who drives, work that could fail after the car leaves (called completed operations), and your property and workers’ comp needs.
See also: General Liability Insurance for Florida Businesses · Commercial Insurance for Florida Business Owners
Garage liability vs. garagekeepers coverage
People mix these up all the time. Garage liability is for harm your business causes to other people and their property. Garagekeepers is for the customer’s car itself while it is in your care.
A car is in your care any time you have it for a repair, test drive, detail or valet, even if it never stays overnight. Garagekeepers comes in different forms. Some pay only when you are legally at fault, and others pay no matter who was at fault.
See also: Garagekeepers Insurance
Who needs a garage policy in Florida?
Auto dealers, repair shops, body shops, tire shops, mobile mechanics, detailers, car washes, tow yards, valet and parking lots, window-tint shops, car-audio installers and golf-cart dealers usually need one. So does any business that handles customer cars on a regular basis.
Florida has two rules worth knowing. Car dealers must show the state a garage liability policy, or a general liability policy plus a business auto policy, with at least $25,000 combined single-limit liability for bodily injury and property damage and $10,000 of personal injury protection. Franchise dealers must use a garage liability policy (Florida Statutes s. 320.27). Repair shops must register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services before doing business, except a one-person operation with no employees and no established place of business (Florida Statutes s. 559.904).
Tell us everything you do. If your shop does brakes, tires, towing, mobile work and performance mods, list all of it. A full description may bring more questions, but it is far safer than learning after a claim that the insurer never knew about part of your business.
What affects the cost of garage liability insurance
In real quotes our agency has run for Florida businesses, garage liability has run $900 to $9,500 a year (about $75 to $800 a month). The full ranges are in our price guide.
The biggest price drivers are the work you do, gross sales, payroll and number of employees, who drives customer cars, test drives, the limits you choose, years in business and past claims. A dealer with daily test drives is a very different risk from a two-bay brake shop.
Drivers matter a lot. If you or your staff move or test-drive customer cars, the insurer will usually ask for license numbers and driving records. Your past insurance and claims also shape which companies will quote you.
See also: Commercial Insurance Cost in Florida
How to get a garage liability quote
Have these ready: business name and location, years in business, the exact services you offer, gross sales, payroll and employee count, drivers, vehicles the business owns, how customer cars are handled, current insurance, past claims, and the limits a license or contract requires.
If you need a dealer or transporter plate, a certificate or a special endorsement, tell us at the start. It is much easier to build the quote right the first time than to fix it after the policy starts.
See also: Certificates of Insurance and Contract Requirements · Florida Transporter and Dealer Plates
Related coverage and pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need both general liability and garage liability?
Sometimes the garage policy is the better structure for the auto-related operation, while other businesses may also need separate general liability for non-auto exposures. The answer depends on what the business actually does and how the carrier structures the policy.
Does garage liability include general liability?
Partly. A garage policy usually includes the premises and operations liability a shop needs, but it is not the same form as a general liability policy. We go over the covered operations and exclusions with you.
Does garage liability cover damage to customer vehicles?
No, not by itself. Damage to customers’ cars in your care needs garagekeepers. We look at how you handle customer cars before we suggest a limit.
Do auto repair shops need garage liability insurance?
Yes, in most cases. Repair work creates auto-related liability that a basic business policy may not handle. The right setup depends on your services and how you handle customer cars.
Does garage liability cover liability off premises?
It can, when the activity is listed on the policy. Tell the insurer up front about mobile work, pickup and delivery, test drives and roadside service so the policy is written for them.
What insurance do I need for a garage?
Most garages need garage liability, garagekeepers, commercial auto for the vehicles they own, property or tools coverage, and workers’ compensation. Dealers and tow operators may need more.
How much does garage liability insurance cost?
Usually $900 to $9,500 a year (about $75 to $800 a month) in real quotes our agency has run for Florida businesses. Your services, sales, payroll, drivers, limits and claims history decide where you land. See the price guide for the full ranges.
About the Author
Raymundo Guzman
I’m Raymundo Guzman, an independent insurance agent and the owner of Covered by Guzman. I help business owners across Tampa Bay and central Florida find commercial auto, general liability, workers’ compensation, and related business coverage that matches how they actually operate, comparing options across the carriers available to me rather than selling one company’s product.
Independent Insurance Agent · License #W512374 | NPN #18906048 · 813-302-7151
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Tell us what you do, the vehicles and equipment involved and the limits your contracts require. Call or text 813-302-7151.
