Commercial Auto Insurance FAQs

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An agent answers commercial auto insurance frequently asked questionsCommercial auto insurance helps protect you and your employees while driving company vehicles for business. Although requirements will vary by state, commercial auto insurance is a crucial coverage to have if you or your employees drive business-owned vehicles for work. This important coverage can help pay for medical bills and property damage resulting from an auto accident on the job. Below you’ll find answers to the questions small business owners frequently ask about commercial auto insurance.

Coverage and Requirements Questions

If you’re a business owner wondering, “What is commercial auto insurance?” we’re here to help. Commercial auto insurance can help financially protect you and your employees if you’re in an auto accident while driving a business-owned vehicle for work. This type of business insurance can help cover costs like medical expenses and property damage from an auto accident. It also helps protect your company if the other driver sues your business for their medical expenses or property damage caused by the accident.
Commercial auto insurance can help cover property damage or medical expenses related to an auto accident that happens while you or your employees are driving a covered company car for business reasons. A commercial auto insurance policy typically offers the following types of coverage:
 
  • Bodily injury liability coverage
  • Cobertura de responsabilidad por daño a la propiedad
  • Cobertura por colisión
  • Cobertura integral
  • Cobertura de gastos médicos
  • No-Fault or Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
  • Rental car coverage
  • Hired and non-owned auto insurance
Personal auto insurance covers personal vehicles driven for personal reasons, while commercial auto insurance covers company-owned vehicles used for business reasons. Most commercial auto policies don’t offer coverage for accidents that happen while using a company vehicle for personal use. A commercial auto policy usually offers more comprehensive coverages, like higher limits and liability coverages that you don’t typically see with a personal auto policy. In addition, all business employees with valid licenses would receive coverage under a commercial auto policy as additional insureds.
 
If you borrow, test drive, rent or lease a vehicle for business purposes, you can add Drive Other Car (DOC) coverage as an endorsement to your commercial auto policy to extend your coverage.
Insurance requirements will vary by state, but most states will require you to have commercial auto insurance if you drive any company-owned vehicles for business. The amount of coverage you need will often depend on factors like the size of your business vehicle fleet, the age of your vehicle and the types of vehicles.
Tools and materials that were inside your commercial vehicle at the time of an accident typically aren’t covered under your commercial auto insurance policy. You can get coverage for your business’ physical assets, like tools and equipment, with a Business Owner’s Policy (BOP) de The Hartford. 
Commercial auto insurance does not typically include coverage for the following situations:
 
  • Unrelated medical expenses: Medical expenses unrelated to an accident that happened while an employee was driving a company vehicle.
  • Contents inside the vehicle: Contents inside your business vehicle that were damaged in an accident aren’t covered under commercial auto insurance.
  • Accidents in a personal vehicle: Accidents that occur when an employee is driving a personal vehicle for personal reasons. You can get coverage for this with hired and non-owned auto insurance coverage or a personal auto insurance policy.
  • Repairs to a rental vehicle: Damage to a rental vehicle that you or your employees were driving while waiting for your company vehicle to be fixed after an accident. If your business needs this type of coverage, you can add hired and non-owned auto insurance to your policy.

Cost Questions

What you pay for business auto insurance will often depend on the state your business is located in. In 2022, the average annual cost for auto insurance in the United States was $1,588 per vehicle, or about $132 a month per vehicle.1** Our figures are sourced from industry data and don’t determine your commercial auto insurance cost.
Insurance companies consider several factors when determining your commercial auto insurance cost, such as the:
 
  • Type of business you have
  • Type of vehicle your employee drives
  • Driving record of your employees
  • Type of load the company vehicle is carrying
  • Location of your company
  • Amount of liability coverage you choose
  • The deductible you choose
There are a few things you can do to help save money on small business auto insurance, including:
 
  1. Adopting safe driving practices: Lowering your risk for auto accidents on the job helps lower costs. For example, giving your employees extra driving training can help reduce risks.
  2. Investing in safe business vehicles: You can lower your exposure to risk by driving newer, more reliable business vehicles that have better safety features. Also, you should ensure that your vehicles are inspected on a regular basis.
  3. Raising your deductible: If you choose a higher deductible, it may help lower your total cost for commercial auto insurance.  However, this could cost you more out of pocket if you were to get into an accident.
  4. Bundling your policy: You may be able to save money on insurance costs by bundling your commercial auto insurance policy with other types of business insurance.
  5. Maintaining a good driving record: A safe driving record can help reduce your costs for business auto insurance.
  6. Maintaining a good credit history: A higher credit score can show your insurance company that you and your business are financially responsible.
Getting a quote online for commercial auto insurance should only take a few minutes. At The Hartford, we make it easy for you to get a fast and free quote with our partner, Tivly. Get a quote for commercial auto insurance  hoy mismo.
When getting a quote for commercial auto insurance, you’ll want to be prepared with the following information:
 
  • Your business information and industry
  • Number of employees
  • Annual payroll
  • Tools and equipment used for business
  • All vehicles used for business
  • Past claims history
Un certificate of insurance (COI) is issued by your insurance company as proof of insurance coverage. You can request a COI from your insurance company, agent or broker at any time. If you’re a policyholder with The Hartford, you can request one in less than five minutes through your online account. In most cases, you’ll get your certificate instantly.
When comparing different commercial auto insurance quotes, you should look at the following details:
 
  • Montos deducibles
  • Límites de la cobertura
  • Beneficios
  • The reputation of the insurance company
 

Commercial Auto Insurance Quotes

We make it easy for you to get a fast and free quote for commercial auto insurance. We’ve helped over 1.5 million small businesses get the protection they need. Whether you have questions about coverage or are ready to purchase commercial auto insurance, we’re here to help. Help protect your business on the road and get a commercial auto insurance quote today from our partner, Tivly.
 
 
Última actualización: 27 de junio de 2024
 
1 AAA, “Your Driving Costs,” Retrieved on March 28, 2024.
 
** These cost estimates are industry averages used for informational purposes only. Estimates are based on a full coverage policy for a driver under 65 years of age with more than six years of driving experience, no record of accidents and residency in a suburban/urban location.
 
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* Los comentarios de los clientes son recolectados y tabulados por The Hartford y no representan a todos los clientes.