Insuring a Commercial Vehicle For Personal Use

Finding the right type of car insurance can be confusing, but we’re here to help. Knowing the difference between commercial and personal auto insurance will help you understand the type of coverage you need. It’s important to make sure that you and your vehicles are protected, especially if you own any commercial vehicles or use a personal vehicle for work. Many small business owners need el seguro comercial para automóviles in addition to their personal car insurance policy.

Does My Personal Auto Insurance Cover Business Use?

Most personal auto insurance policies do not cover any property damage or bodily injury caused by an auto accident that happens while you’re driving your personal vehicle for work. Personal auto insurance covers only those vehicles that are being driven for personal use purposes, like running household errands or commuting to and from work. You’ll need commercial auto insurance to protect any vehicles you or your employees use for job duties.

Commercial Auto Insurance vs. Personal Auto Insurance

• Who owns the vehicle: If you own, lease or rent a car or truck for your business, it’s best to have a commercial vehicle insurance policy. A commercial auto policy can also protect you if you have any employees who drive their own vehicles for business purposes. A personal auto policy is most helpful for protecting you and your immediate family members when driving cars for personal use.
• Who drives the vehicle: All of your business employees with valid drivers’ licenses would be covered under your commercial auto insurance policy as additional insureds as long as they’re driving a covered company vehicle. If one of your family members drives your company-owned vehicle and are not employed by your business, they will not be covered by your commercial auto policy if they get into an accident.
• How the vehicle is used: If your personal vehicle is registered as a company vehicle, you can receive coverage for work-related driving tasks, like visiting job sites or delivering goods.
• Type of vehicles covered: Commercial auto insurance can protect a more extensive variety of vehicles used for business purposes, like cars, vans, pickup trucks, box trucks and service utility vehicles. On the other hand, personal auto coverage typically provides protection for cars, vans or pickup trucks you use for all non-business driving.
• Amount of liability coverage: Commercial vehicle insurance typically has more comprehensive liability coverages. This is because an accident involving your company cars, trucks, vans or other vehicles could put your business assets at risk.
• Policy limits: A commercial auto policy usually offers higher liability limits than a personal auto policy. Coverage limits within a personal auto insurance policy tend to be lower because they only cover you and your immediate family members.

Do I Need Both Commercial and Personal Auto Insurance?

In most cases, you will need both commercial and personal auto insurance. That’s because most personal car insurance policies do not cover incidents related to the business use of a vehicle. If you use your commercial vehicle for personal use, you will need personal car insurance to stay protected. Some sole proprietors may only need personal auto insurance depending on the situation. It’s best to check with your insurance company to find out what type of insurance is right for your business.

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