What insurance does a car dealer need?
Car dealers typically need Garage Liability, Commercial Auto, Commercial Property, and General Liability at minimum. Garage Liability is the cornerstone policy—it covers bodily injury and property damage arising from dealership operations, including vehicles in your care. Dealers also increasingly need Cyber Liability to protect customer financing data, and may require Workers Compensation and Umbrella coverage depending on their size and state requirements.
What insurance do car dealerships use?
Most car dealerships use a package of coverages including Garage Liability for operations and customer vehicle exposure, a Dealers Open Lot (DOT) or Inventory policy for lot vehicles, Commercial Auto for dealer-plated and loaner vehicles, Commercial Property for the physical premises, and General Liability for third-party incidents. Larger dealer groups often add Cyber Liability, Employment Practices Liability, and Umbrella policies to complete their programs.
What is garage liability insurance and why do dealerships need it?
Garage Liability is a specialized policy designed for automotive businesses. It covers bodily injury and property damage claims that arise from dealership operations—including customer test drives, vehicle service, and on-premises incidents. Unlike standard General Liability, Garage Liability addresses the unique exposures of having customer-owned vehicles in your custody and control, making it essential for any franchised or independent auto dealer.
Does my dealership need commercial auto insurance if vehicles are covered under a dealer plate?
Yes. Dealer plates provide limited operational use coverage but do not replace a full commercial auto policy. A dealership commercial auto policy covers loaner vehicles, service shuttles, test-drive incidents, and employee use of dealership vehicles for business purposes. Without a proper commercial auto policy, your dealership faces significant uninsured exposure on vehicles used in day-to-day operations.
How does Soma place insurance for auto dealerships?
Soma's Risk Management Team starts by analyzing your full dealership operation—inventory size, service capacity, vehicle types, and data handling practices. We then submit to our network of hundreds of specialty carriers, including Chubb, Nationwide, and Markel, to secure competitive quotes across all required coverages. The entire process is handled through a single application, and we deliver quotes fast without weeks of waiting.
Can Soma insure a dealership that has been declined by other carriers?
Yes. Soma specializes in placing coverage that standard markets won't. Dealerships with prior claims, high-value exotic inventory, large service operations, or complex multi-location structures are among the risks we regularly place. Our relationships with specialty and surplus lines carriers give us access to markets that standard brokers simply cannot reach, ensuring even hard-to-insure dealerships get comprehensive coverage.
Do auto dealerships need cyber liability insurance?
Dealerships are a significant cyber risk target because they collect and store sensitive customer financial data during the financing process. A data breach can trigger regulatory fines, legal defense costs, and customer notification expenses that standard property and liability policies do not cover. Cyber Liability insurance is strongly recommended for any dealership processing credit applications, storing PII, or operating digital sales platforms.
How quickly can Soma get my dealership insured?
Soma is built for speed. Once you complete a single application, our Risk Management Team immediately begins placing your coverage across our carrier network. Most dealership programs receive competitive quotes in a fraction of the time traditional brokers take, and we can bind coverage quickly for dealerships that need to get insured fast—whether for a new location, a lender requirement, or a policy renewal deadline.