What is Approved Repairer Bodyshops Insurance?
Approved repairer bodyshops insurance is a type of motor trade insurance that’s designed for businesses that carry out body work on cars and other vehicles. It gives you a way to protect every aspect of your business, including your premises, tools, stock and cash.
It’s very easy to tailor approved repairer bodyshops insurance quotes so you can get cover that’s perfect for the needs of your business.
Read on for more information on the different types of motor trade insurance that are available as well as some excellent ways to keep the cost of your cover to a minimum.
What the experts say…
“Carrying out body work on customer vehicles comes with a certain degree of risk. You want to know that if anything goes wrong, you'll be protected. This is where approved repairer bodyshops insurance comes in. You can get protection for every part of your business, from the vehicles you work on to your premises and even things like liability claims.”
– Ian Beevis, Founder of Clean Green Compare
Main Types Of Approved Repairer Bodyshops Insurance
You can choose from the following types of cover with approved repairer bodyshops insurance:
- Road risks insurance: Lets you legally drive and move customer vehicles on public roads and within private property.
- Public liability: Covers injury or property damage caused to customers or the public—vital for busy venues or events.
- Employers’ liability: Required by law if you have any staff—even part-timers or temporary workers.
- Premises and asset cover: Protects office equipment, radios, signage, or customer vehicles stored overnight.
- Money and keys cover: Insures you for loss or theft of customers’ keys and any cash handled as part of your business.
- Goods in transit: If you transport cars between sites (for example, moving vehicles between hotel and offsite parking).
- Legal expenses: Help with legal costs if there’s a claim or dispute.
- Personal accident and sickness: Provides financial protection if you or staff are injured at work.
You can mix and match these cover options to get the perfect policy for your business.
More Types of Approved Repairer Bodyshops Insurance
Some additional types of approved repairer bodyshops insurance you can get are:
If your business had to shut down for a period of time due to a reason you were covered for in your policy, such as structural damage to your premises, then you’d be compensated for things like income loss and staff wages.
Defective workmanship usually isn’t covered as standard with motor trade insurance but you can have it included as extra. It’s important to note this wouldn’t cover malicious acts of damage.
You can also get cover for your stock, both on-site and in transit.
If there was an accident that wasn’t your fault that resulted in loss or damage, you’d be able to recover your uninsured losses.
Things That Aren't Covered by Approved Repairer Bodyshops Insurance
Approved repairer bodyshops insurance can protect you for a lot of risks but there are certain things that won’t be covered by the majority of insurance providers. These include:
- Personal use of vehicles: – One of the most important exclusions to be aware of is how you’re able to use customer vehicles. All use of vehicles under your care and custody must only be drive for strictly business purposes. Any personal use of customer vehicles by you or employees won’t be covered.
- Malicious or illegal activity: – Any malicious or illegal actions won’t be covered by your insurance either. This includes things like accidents while under the influence of drugs/alcohol or intentional damage to your stock, tools, premises etc.
- Normal wear and tear: – Normal wear and tear to your tools and stock won’t be covered by your insurance in most cases.
- Fraudulent claims: – Any claims that found to be exaggerated or dishonest won’t be paid out.
Always be sure to check the finer details of your policy so you’re informed on what you’re covered for.
What Types Of Businesses Need Approved Repairer Bodyshops Insurance?
Some of the main types of motor trade businesses that can get approved repairer bodyshops insurance include:
- Dedicated approved repair centres: Dedicated approved repair centres are the most obvious business type that are suited for this type of insurance, with most risks associated being covered for.
- Commercial vehicle repair centres: Commercial vehicle repair centres can also benefit from this type of cover and can get specialised policies that include suitable cover options.
- Paint and repair specialists: Paint specialists are often part of a larger bodyshop and can therefore come under an approved repairer bodyshops insurance policy.
These are the main types of motor trade businesses that can benefit from this cover but any that carries out diagnostics, servicing and repairs on vehicles would be suitable.
Get Approved Repairer Bodyshops Insurance Quotes Today
Getting a Approved Repairer Bodyshops Insurance Quote
Follow these steps to get approved repairer bodyshops insurance quotes now:
How Much Does Approved Repairer Bodyshops Insurance Cost?
The cost of an approved repairer bodyshops insurance policy will vary depending on a few key factors, the main ones being:
- The size of your business: The size of your business will certainly have a big impact on how much you pay for insurance. Things like the number of cars you typically deal with, how many employees you have and other risk factors.
- Your premises: Your premises is another thing that insurance providers will take into account. This includes the type of building it is, how large it is and where it’s located.
- The type of cover you get: The level of cover you choose to get will impact cost too. More basic policies that only the cover the necessities will cover less compared to policies including more cover.
- Whether you pay annually or monthly: You can pay either annually or monthly for your insurance. Paying monthly means you pay less upfront but more overall due to interest.
Always be sure to shop around for quotes when looking for approved repairer bodyshops insurance as it could save you a lot of money.
Ways to Save Money On Approved Repairer Bodyshops Insurance
Below are some reliable ways to save money on approved repairer bodyshops insurance:
Following the above tips should help to reduce what you pay for approved repairer bodyshops insurance.
FAQs – Approved Repairer Bodyshops Insurance
Is it necessary to get specialised approved repairer bodyshops insurance?
Yes. Private car insurance doesn’t include any of the types of cover you require to work on customer vehicles or the other risks associated with running an approved repairer bodyshop, so you’ll need to take out special cover.
Can any cars be driven with an approved repairer bodyshops insurance policy?
Any cars that are under your care and custody can be driven, as long as it’s strictly related to business use.
Should I get a combined policy?
If you want the most protection for your business, this is highly recommended since it will cover things like structural damage to your premises, cover for tools and equipment and cover for your stock.*
*The exact details of what’s covered with combined insurance can vary so be sure to check the details of your policy.
Do I need to get liability cover with approved repairer bodyshops insurance?
If you have employees, then you’ll need to get employers’ liability insurance for your business to run legally. Things like public liability and product liability insurance are optional.
