Anchored by the ProgramBusiness marketplace, agents and program managers are connecting with auto dealers insurance companies that deliver broad protection, flexible underwriting, and technology-enabled solutions. Here’s what’s driving the demand — and which programs stand out.
What Is Auto Dealers Insurance? An Overview
Auto dealers insurance, sometimes called “garage insurance” or “dealer open lot,” is a tailored commercial policy designed to protect auto dealerships from the unique risks of selling, servicing, and storing vehicles. A comprehensive auto dealers insurance coverage package typically combines:
- Garage liability: Covers bodily injury or property damage resulting from dealership operations
- Garagekeepers coverage: Protects customers’ vehicles while in the dealer’s care, custody, or control
- Dealers open lot: Covers physical damage to inventory from theft, vandalism, or weather events
- Errors and omissions: Addresses title errors, odometer discrepancies, or misrepresentation claims
- Property and business interruption: Safeguards the facility, signage, and income continuity after a loss
The coverage applies to franchised and independent dealerships, service centers, and even specialty resale or collector-vehicle operations. As the auto retail landscape evolves — with digital services and transactions, EV risks, and unprecedented cyber exposure — brokers are turning to specialized insurance for auto dealers that can adapt quickly to shifting needs.
What To Look For in Auto Dealers Insurance Companies
The best auto dealers insurance providers balance comprehensive protection with underwriting flexibility. When evaluating programs, consider:
- Program specialization: Choose managing general agents (MGAs) and carriers that focus specifically on dealership risks, including service, towing, and storage operations.
- Coverage flexibility: Look for tailored limits across garage, property, and open-lot exposures.
- Claims expertise: Dealership claims often involve multiple parties and property types — speed and clarity are critical.
- Regional appetite: Some markets specialize in certain dealership categories, like coastal or high-volume franchise operations.
- Technology support: Modern programs often include digital portals for quotes, certificates, and claims management.
ProgramBusiness allows brokers to compare coverage options, appetite, and service reputation from leading auto dealers insurance companies nationwide.
6 Top Auto Dealers Insurance Companies To Consider
Below are standout dealership programs listed on ProgramBusiness. Each offers its own strengths, from franchise specialization to garage, towing, and valet solutions.
Amwins Underwriting
Amwins Program Underwriters, part of the Amwins Underwriting division, brings over 30 years of experience serving the auto dealer space through its DealerGuard and Auto Dealer’s Pollution programs. Designed for franchised and independent dealerships, these offerings deliver comprehensive protection for sales, service, and repair operations, with flexible underwriting and strong carrier partnerships.
The DealerGuard program provides Auto Dealer’s Open Lot coverage with a minimum premium of $10,000, supported by an internal claims team and real-time weather event reporting. It’s backed by an A.M. Best A-rated carrier and offers the stability and expertise dealers need to manage evolving risks.
For smaller servicing operations, the Auto Dealer’s Pollution program provides a streamlined, customizable solution for site pollution liability coverage. Available nationwide with a minimum premium of $500 and backed by an A.M. Best A+ rated carrier, it offers accessible environmental protection for garages and repair shops.
Program listing: Amwins Underwriting — Auto Dealers
Jimcor Agencies
Jimcor’s GarageSolved program offers a broad array of solutions for auto dealers and garage operations, providing flexible options for risks of all sizes. The program includes coverage for garage liability, dealers physical damage, garagekeepers, uninsured and underinsured motorist, personal injury protection, medical payments (premises and auto), and broadened coverage enhancements. Additional options include auto dealers E&O, false pretense, and packaging with general liability and property.
Target classes range from retail and wholesale auto dealers to specialty operations such as antique or vintage restorers, body and paint shops, mobile mechanics, heavy vehicle and farm equipment dealers, motorcycle sales and repair, golf cart and RV businesses, and even valet and full-service car wash operations. With access to multiple markets and streamlined online quoting, GarageSolved simplifies placement for brokers while providing tailored protection for a wide variety of automotive risks.
Program listing: Jimcor Agencies — GarageSolved
KBK Insurance Group — A Program of Novacore
For more than 30 years, KBK Insurance Group — a program of Novacore — has been a leading market for hard-to-place garage and towing risks. The program provides comprehensive property and casualty coverage for commercial tow truck operators, garages, auto salvage yards, dismantling and recycling companies, and related businesses.
Key coverages include commercial auto liability, general liability, garagekeepers legal liability, auto physical damage, facility property coverage, workers’ compensation, on-hook/cargo, hired and non-owned auto, and dealer plates. Backed by an A+ rated national carrier, KBK serves as a trusted one-stop shop for complex garage and towing accounts, with no radius limits for towing and quick turnaround times.
Its combination of deep underwriting expertise, competitive coverages, and dedicated service makes it a natural complement to dealership operations that include roadside assistance, towing, or repair divisions.
Program listing: KBK Insurance Group — Commercial Towing & Garage Insurance
Ryan Specialty National Programs
Ryan Specialty’s Franchised Auto Dealers Package program offers guaranteed-cost, admitted-market coverage designed specifically for franchised new car and RV dealerships. The program combines a wide range of protections under one streamlined platform, including garagekeepers coverage, errors and omissions, hired and non-owned auto, equipment breakdown, crime, employment practices liability (EPLI), cyber liability, physical damage, and commercial umbrella coverage.
With no audits, no monthly reporting, and flexible direct-bill or agency-bill installment options, the program provides ease of administration for high-volume dealership accounts. Minimum premiums vary based on risk, and coverage availability may differ by state. Underwritten through RSG Specialty, LLC, a subsidiary of Ryan Specialty, LLC, the program is backed by experienced underwriting teams specializing in complex dealership operations.
Program listing: Ryan Specialty National Programs — Franchised Auto Dealers Package Insurance Program
USG Insurance Services
USG Insurance Services offers a broad garage insurance program designed for both dealers and non-dealers, including repair and service stations, parking garages, towing operations, and valet services. Coverage options include property, dealers open lot, garage liability, garagekeepers legal liability, hired and non-owned auto, special events, and excess or umbrella coverage.
Additional protections such as errors and omissions (including odometer and title E&O), directors and officers, and employment practices liability are also available, allowing agents to tailor coverage to complex automotive risks.
Program listing: USG Insurance Services — Garage Insurance
Victor Insurance Managers Inc.
Victor’s Automotive Dealership program delivers expertly underwritten insurance solutions through A-rated carriers, tailored to the needs of franchised and large independent auto dealers. The program offers broad coverage, including garage/package, dealers open lot, commercial auto, hired and non-owned auto, and pollution liability. Optional enhancements include earthquake and flood protection, with limits available up to $25 million per location.
The program is available in most states (excluding Alabama, Hawaii, western Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming) and features competitive pricing, commissions, and flexible underwriting. A broker appointment is required to access the program.
Program listing: Victor Insurance Managers Inc. — Auto Dealers
Related Coverage: Parking & Valet Insurance
Auto dealers and valet operators share some of the same core exposures — such as vehicle damage, customer liability, and property risks — but their insurance needs differ. Valet and parking programs focus on managing vehicles owned by others rather than inventory, requiring specialized coverage for operations on third-party premises. Below is one program to consider.
Alliant Underwriting Solutions — Parkwise: Parking and Valet Insurance
While not specifically an auto dealers program, Parkwise from Alliant Underwriting Solutions complements dealership and garage operations that include valet or parking services. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience, the program offers specialized coverage for self-park, valet, shuttle, and event parking businesses.
Coverages include general liability, garagekeepers’ legal liability, property, owned auto, workers’ compensation, umbrella, and professional liability, with limits available up to $100 million. Parkwise also provides risk-management resources, contract review, and claims support to help parking operators and related businesses manage complex exposures.
Program listing: Alliant Underwriting Solutions — Parkwise: Parking & Valet Insurance
Market Trends Driving Demand in 2025
Auto dealers face a shifting risk profile in 2025. Among the top market drivers:
- Production and supply-chain instability: Aluminum, semiconductor, and rare-earth shortages have paused output at Ford and Stellantis plants, keeping prices high and dealer inventories tight.
- Rising EV exposures: Electric vehicles introduce unique risks — battery fires, specialized repair costs, and environmental liability — that require updated auto dealers insurance coverage forms.
- Transit theft surge: According to a September 2025 Insurance Business report, auto dealerships are facing a rise in vehicle thefts during transit as criminals exploit gaps in logistics chains. Programs like Amwins’ DealerGuard have reported multiple six-figure claims, prompting carriers to tighten loss-control measures and raise deductibles for repeat thefts.
- Cyber and data privacy risks: Dealerships increasingly rely on digital retail platforms and customer data systems, heightening the need for cyber liability extensions.
- Workforce and liability claims: Service technician shortages are forcing many dealerships to operate with smaller or less experienced service teams. This trend can strain operations and increase the importance of strong safety protocols and employment practices coverage.
- Franchise consolidation: Large dealership groups are acquiring smaller operations and gaining scale, which may influence their insurance needs and bargaining power in coverages and terms. Smaller independents, meanwhile, may look to specialized MGAs for tailored underwriting solutions.
With these trends in play, brokers and MGAs are actively seeking auto dealers insurance providers capable of adjusting limits, adding endorsements, and integrating loss-control tools.
Searching for Auto Dealers Solutions?
Auto dealers insurance continues to be one of the most searched program categories on ProgramBusiness, as agents and carriers look for scalable, specialized options that balance cost control with comprehensive protection. The programs highlighted above showcase diverse strengths — digital efficiency, niche underwriting, and value-added risk management.
To boost visibility and connect with motivated buyers, consider listing your program on ProgramBusiness. Up next in our series: habitational, transportation, and product-recall programs — each shaping the next wave of market momentum in 2025.
FAQ About Auto Dealers Insurance Programs
What auto dealers policy provides coverage for a typical auto dealer?
A standard auto dealers policy — sometimes called a garage policy — combines garage liability, garagekeepers, and dealers open lot coverage to protect against property damage, bodily injury, and loss to vehicle inventory.
Who needs auto dealers insurance?
Franchised and independent auto dealers, service garages, and used-car lots all need this coverage to safeguard inventory, facilities, and customer vehicles.
What does auto dealers insurance cover?
It typically covers owned inventory, customer vehicles, business property, and liability arising from operations such as test drives, repairs, or on-lot accidents.
How much does auto dealers insurance cost?
Premiums vary based on lot size, location, sales volume, and inventory value. Garage liability and open-lot deductibles often drive pricing differences among dealers.
Are there optional coverages to consider?
Yes. Dealers often add false pretense coverage, errors and omissions, cyber liability, or environmental impairment coverage, depending on their operations.
About Program Business
ProgramBusiness is a leading insuretech marketplace connecting agents, brokers, MGAs, and carriers. We enable insurance professionals to list their programs, receive verified feedback from users, and be discovered by buyers across the industry.
Jeff Neilson
Co-founder of Neilson Marketing Services and ProgramBusiness.com, Jeff has 30 years of experience in the insurance industry putting his expertise to work for P/C agencies, MGAs/MGUs, wholesalers, E&S brokers, and program administrators nationwide.