Solutions Specialty Insurance Brokers
Customized insurance programs for auto body and repair shops designed around customer vehicles, repair operations, employees, equipment, property and business liability risks.
Every repair shop carries two kinds of risk at once: the risk to your own business, and the risk to the vehicles your customers trust you with. Auto body shop insurance brings together the coverages needed for both, so a single fire, theft, or accident does not put your business at risk.
Consider what a normal week can bring. A fire overnight destroys several customer vehicles along with your tools, office equipment, and parts inventory. A car is stolen from your lot. A burglary leaves customer vehicles vandalized. An employee road testing a customer’s car causes an accident and injures a pedestrian. A hydraulic lift fails and seriously injures a technician. Each of these is a real exposure for auto body and repair shops, and each calls for a different type of coverage.
Core coverages available:
Auto body business insurance is built for shops that handle collision repair, dent and frame work, painting, and refinishing. These operations combine high-value customer vehicles, expensive equipment, flammable materials, and physically demanding work. A properly structured policy protects the customer vehicles in your care, your building and paint booths, your tools and equipment, and the employees who do the work.
Auto repair shop insurance covers mechanical and service operations, from general repair to specialty work. We consider all auto body and auto repair shops, including those operating as part of:
Whether you run one bay or several shops across California, your auto repair business insurance should match how you actually operate. We structure programs for single-location owners and for multi-location businesses that need consistent protection at every site.
Not sure which coverages apply to your shop? Speak with an Auto Repair Insurance Specialist or call 323-771-0777.
Garage liability insurance protects your shop against third-party claims of bodily injury and property damage arising from your premises and operations. For most independent repair and body shops, garage liability is built from commercial general liability (CGL) for premises and operations risks, plus business auto coverage for the auto-related exposures a standard CGL policy excludes, such as road testing customer vehicles or running parts pickups.
Garage liability coverage responds to claims connected to your day-to-day work, such as:
Shops with steady customer foot traffic, test drives, or towing and pickup services have higher auto repair liability exposure and need garage liability for body shop and repair operations.
Garage liability covers the harm your operations cause to other people and their property. It does not cover damage to the customer vehicle you are working on. That exposure is handled by Garagekeepers insurance, which is why most repair shops carry both.
In California, if your technician is driving a customer’s vehicle during a road test or delivery and causes an accident, state law makes your shop’s auto liability coverage primary, with the customer’s own policy responding only as excess (Cal. Ins. Code §11580.9). That makes adequate auto liability limits essential for any shop that test drives or moves customer vehicles.
When a customer leaves a vehicle with you, your shop takes on a legal responsibility for it. Garagekeepers insurance covers physical damage to customer vehicles while they are in your possession, whether they are inside a bay, parked on your lot overnight, or waiting for parts.
Garagekeepers coverage can respond to customer vehicle damage caused by:
Which of these events are covered depends on the Garagekeepers form and causes of loss you select. For collision and body shops holding several high-value vehicles at a time, a single overnight fire or theft can mean losses in the tens of thousands. Garagekeepers limits should reflect the maximum value of vehicles you store at any one time.
Your responsibility for customer vehicles is known as a care, custody and control exposure. Standard liability policies typically exclude property in your care, which leaves a gap that Garagekeepers is designed to fill. Coverage is generally written in one of these forms:
We help you choose the form and limits that fit your shop’s volume and customer expectations.
Auto repair and body work is physically demanding. Technicians work under raised vehicles, operate power tools and lifts, handle heavy parts, and are exposed to paint fumes, solvents, and other chemicals. Workers’ compensation insurance protects both your employees and your business when on-the-job injuries happen.
Workers’ compensation for auto body shops typically covers:
Common claims in repair shops include lift and jack failures, burns, cuts from tools and sheet metal, back injuries from lifting, and respiratory issues from paint and chemical exposure.
California requires every employer with one or more employees to carry workers’ compensation insurance, including part-time workers. Operating without it can lead to a state stop order that halts the use of employee labor, penalties of $1,500 per employee, and personal liability for injury costs. Premiums are based largely on payroll and job classification, so accurate class codes for technicians, painters, and office staff help keep your auto repair employee insurance costs in line.
Collision repair shops carry some of the highest exposures in the automotive service industry. Paint booths, welding equipment, frame machines, and flammable materials raise fire risk, while higher-value vehicles and longer repair times increase your care, custody and control exposure.
A complete collision repair insurance program usually combines:
Body shop equipment insurance is often overlooked until something goes wrong. Paint booths, frame straighteners, diagnostic systems, lifts, compressors, and specialty repair shop tools represent a major investment. Commercial property coverage for contents and equipment helps you replace them after fire, theft, or other covered losses, and business interruption insurance helps cover payroll and ongoing expenses while you rebuild.
Many insurers hesitate to cover new businesses or shops without prior coverage. Our programs are designed to work with both new owners and long-established operators.
Opening a new shop? New ventures are welcome, and no prior insurance coverage is required. New auto repair shop insurance can be structured to meet lease requirements, lender conditions, and customer expectations from your first day of operation, then adjusted as your payroll, revenue, and services grow.
Established shops with a solid track record may qualify for preferred pricing and discounts. We review your current coverage, limits, and loss history to identify gaps, eliminate unnecessary costs, and make sure your program still fits how your business operates today.
Growing to more than one location adds complexity: different buildings, different staff, and different vehicle counts at each site. Multi-location operations are welcome in our programs.
Multi-location auto body shop insurance brings every site under a coordinated program, which helps:
Each location has its own building, equipment, tools, and inventory. We schedule auto body shop property insurance by location so values are accurate at every site, and business income coverage reflects the revenue each location contributes to the business.
There is no flat price for auto body shop insurance. Carriers price each shop based on its specific operations and risk profile, which is why working with a broker who can compare several “A” rated carriers matters.
The main auto body shop insurance rating factors include:
Our clients also have access to loss prevention and control services, which can help reduce claims and improve auto body shop insurance underwriting results over time.
You don’t need to figure it out alone. Our team will review your operations, identify your exposures, and recommend the right coverage options from our “A” rated AM Best carriers.
Auto body shop insurance is a package of commercial coverages built for businesses that repair, paint, or service vehicles. A typical program combines garage liability, Garagekeepers coverage for customer vehicles, commercial property for your building, tools and equipment, business income, and workers’ compensation, all tailored to your operations and locations.
Garage liability insurance protects an auto repair shop against third-party bodily injury and property damage claims from its premises and operations. For most independent shops, it combines commercial general liability with business auto coverage for road testing and other auto use. It does not cover damage to the customer’s own vehicle, which requires Garagekeepers coverage.
Yes. Garagekeepers insurance covers damage to customer vehicles while they are in your shop’s care, custody and control, including fire, theft, vandalism, collision, and weather damage, depending on the coverage selected. Depending on the form, it pays either only when your shop is legally liable or regardless of fault.
In California, any business with one or more employees must carry workers’ compensation insurance. For auto body and repair shops, it covers medical care and lost wages when employees are hurt by lifts, power tools, heavy lifting, or paint and chemical exposure, and it helps protect the business from employee injury lawsuits.
Auto body shop insurance cost depends on the type of work performed, payroll and number of employees, annual revenue, the value of customer vehicles on site, building and equipment values, number of locations, years in business, and claims history. Strong safety and security measures can also help improve your rates.
Yes. Solutions Specialty Insurance Brokers places coverage for collision repair and auto body shops of every size, from single-location startups to multi-location operations. We work with several “A” rated AM Best carriers, welcome new ventures and shops with no prior insurance, and offer discounts for preferred established businesses.
To quote auto body shop insurance, carriers typically need your business address and locations, years in business, a description of services, annual revenue, payroll by job type, number of employees, building and equipment values, the maximum number and value of customer vehicles on site, and recent loss runs if available.
California shop owners can request a free auto body shop insurance quote online through our quote form or by calling Solutions Specialty Insurance Brokers at 323-771-0777. We serve shops across California from our Maywood office in Los Angeles County and our Corona office in Riverside County (by appointment).
Solutions Specialty Insurance Brokers is an auto body shop insurance broker in California serving auto body, collision, and repair shops across the state.
Get a Free Auto Body Shop QuoteCall (323) 771-0777
Maywood: 4445 Slauson Ave, Maywood, CA 90270 | Corona (by appointment): 4160 Temescal Canyon Rd Ste 401, Corona, CA 92883
Mon–Fri 9:30am–5:30pm | Sat 10:00am–3:00pm | Sun closed