Motor Trade Insurance
Motor trade businesses handle customer vehicles, stock vehicles, road risks, tools, premises, parts, repairs, servicing, sales, recovery, valeting, diagnostics, and specialist vehicle work. If something goes wrong, a claim could affect your finances, reputation, and ability to keep trading.
Quote Monkey can help motor trade businesses request a specialist broker referral for cover such as road risks, combined motor trade insurance, public liability, products liability, professional indemnity, employers' liability, tools, stock, premises, and business interruption.
Referral enquiries may be reviewed by a specialist insurance broker, subject to underwriting criteria, insurer acceptance, terms and conditions.
Specialist Referral Support for Motor Trade Businesses
Motor trade insurance can be complex because businesses often need protection for vehicles on the road, customer vehicles in their care, stock vehicles, premises, tools, employees, customers, vehicle parts, workmanship, and liability claims.
Whether you operate from trade premises, work from home, run a mobile service, buy and sell vehicles, repair vehicles, recover vehicles, or provide specialist automotive services, a specialist broker may be able to review your business and help identify suitable cover options.
Common Insurance Sections for Motor Traders
Road Risks Insurance
Road risks insurance may cover vehicles connected to your motor trade business while being driven on public roads. Depending on the policy, this may include customer vehicles, stock vehicles, vehicles being collected or delivered, test drives, trade plates, and vehicles used for business purposes.
Combined Motor Trade Insurance
Combined motor trade insurance may bring several areas of cover together, including road risks, premises, stock, tools, machinery, business interruption, public liability, products liability, and employers' liability.
Public Liability Insurance
Public liability insurance may help protect your business if a customer, visitor, supplier, or member of the public is injured or their property is damaged because of your business activities.
Products Liability Insurance
Products liability insurance may help protect your business if a vehicle part, accessory, product, or component you supply, fit, sell, or install causes injury or property damage. This can be important for parts suppliers, garages, fitters, customisation shops, and vehicle accessory businesses.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Professional indemnity insurance may help protect your business if a customer claims they suffered financial loss because of professional advice, consultancy, diagnostics, inspection reports, valuations, design work, vehicle sourcing advice, or specialist technical recommendations.
Employers' Liability Insurance
If you employ mechanics, sales staff, drivers, valeters, apprentices, admin staff, casual workers, or temporary helpers, employers' liability insurance may be legally required. It can help protect your business if someone working under your direction is injured or becomes ill because of their work.
Who May Need Motor Trade Insurance?
Motor trade insurance may be suitable for a wide range of automotive businesses, including:
Car dealers and vehicle sales businesses
Used car traders and part-time motor traders
Vehicle repair garages and servicing businesses
Mobile mechanics and diagnostic technicians
Body repair shops and vehicle sprayers
MOT testing centres
Vehicle recovery and towing businesses
Car valeters and detailers
Tyre fitters, alloy wheel repairers, and windscreen specialists
Vehicle breakers, parts suppliers, and accessory retailers
Classic car restorers and customisation shops
Motorcycle traders and commercial vehicle dealers
Road Risk and Vehicle Cover Considerations
Road risk cover can vary by insurer and may be available on a third-party only, third-party fire and theft, or comprehensive basis. A broker may ask who drives the vehicles, driver ages, claims history, trade experience, vehicle types, vehicle values, premises arrangements, and whether the business is full-time or part-time.
It is important that the policy accurately reflects the work carried out, the vehicles handled, and how vehicles are used. Undisclosed activities or vehicle types may affect whether a claim is accepted.
Premises, Tools, Stock and Business Interruption
Motor trade businesses often rely on tools, lifts, diagnostic machines, spray booths, stock vehicles, parts, machinery, office equipment, and premises. Depending on the policy, cover may be available for buildings, contents, stock, tools, plant, machinery, customer vehicles on site, and business interruption following an insured event.
Businesses with workshops, forecourts, yards, storage areas, or showrooms may need broader protection than road risks alone. A specialist broker can review whether a combined motor trade policy may be more suitable.
Products and PI Risk Information
A specialist broker may ask whether you sell, supply, fit, install, modify, refurbish, repair, or recommend vehicle parts, accessories, tyres, wheels, audio systems, security systems, body kits, tuning parts, or replacement components.
Products liability may be relevant where a supplied or fitted product causes injury or damage. Professional indemnity may be relevant where you provide paid advice, inspections, valuations, diagnostics, engineering recommendations, reports, vehicle sourcing, or other specialist services where a client could allege financial loss.
Information a Specialist Broker May Ask For
To review a motor trade insurance referral, a broker may ask for:
Business activities and motor trade experience
Whether the business is full-time or part-time
Trading address, premises type, and security details
Driver names, ages, licences, and claims history
Vehicle types, maximum values, and annual turnover
Whether customer vehicles, stock vehicles, or own vehicles are handled
Tools, machinery, stock, and premises values
Whether employees, apprentices, or casual workers are used
Whether parts, products, advice, inspections, or reports are supplied
What May Not Be Covered
Cover will depend on the insurer, policy wording, declared activities, vehicle types, driver details, exclusions, and conditions. Common restricted or excluded areas may include:
Undeclared business activities or vehicle use
Drivers not named, accepted, or meeting policy criteria
Vehicles above agreed values or outside accepted categories
Personal use where not included
Racing, rallying, competition, or track use unless specifically agreed
Faulty workmanship itself, unless a specific extension applies
Damage to your own tools, stock, or premises unless the relevant cover is included
Professional advice claims unless professional indemnity cover is arranged
Employee injury claims unless employers' liability cover is in place
Always check the full policy wording, schedule, exclusions, endorsements, and conditions before relying on cover.
Request a Specialist Broker Referral
If you need motor trade insurance reviewed by a specialist broker, you can submit details of your business, vehicles, drivers, premises, stock, tools, employees, and required cover.
Referral enquiries may be reviewed by a specialist insurance broker, subject to underwriting criteria, insurer acceptance, terms and conditions.