Auto Dealer Insurance in California
Garage liability, dealers open lot, dealer plates, and workers' comp for new, used, and buy-here-pay-here lots — placed by a licensed California broker.
Commercial policies are quoted by a licensed agent — call or text with your business details, or request a quote online and we’ll follow up fast.
In short
Auto dealer insurance is a specialized garage program that covers a dealership's biggest assets and exposures at once: the inventory sitting on the lot, the test drives and dealer-plate driving your staff and customers do, the customers' trade-ins in your custody, and the employees who keep the lot running. A standard business policy doesn't contemplate a lot full of titled vehicles or the liability of letting a shopper take a car for a spin. Auto World is a licensed California broker (CA DOI #6005606) that places dealer garage liability, dealers open lot, and the supporting coverages that the DMV and your floor-plan lender expect.
What commercial auto insurance covers
Dealers open lot (inventory physical damage)
Covers your for-sale inventory against hail, fire, theft, vandalism, flood, and collision while it sits on the lot — the core asset protection for any dealership, and what your floor-plan lender requires.
Garage liability & dealer plates
Covers bodily injury and property damage from lot operations, demonstrations, and test drives — including liability tied to the dealer plates your staff and customers drive on.
Garagekeepers (customer & trade-in vehicles)
Protects vehicles in your care — trade-ins, customer cars left for service or detail, and units being prepped — against damage and theft on your lot.
Workers' compensation
Required in California once you have any employee — salespeople, lot porters, and recon techs all count, and lot work carries real injury exposure.
Commercial property & equipment
Protects the showroom, office, signage, computers, and recon equipment against fire, theft, and storm.
False pension / E&O for finance & title work
Errors-and-omissions style protection for the paperwork, financing, and title work where a mistake can become a costly claim (available where the carrier offers it).
Who needs it
Used car dealers
Independent lots whose entire balance sheet is inventory exposed to weather, theft, and test-drive liability.
Buy-here-pay-here (BHPH) lots
Dealers who finance their own customers and need inventory, liability, and often coverage tied to the financing relationship.
New-car franchise dealers
Larger operations with service departments that layer garagekeepers and a full garage program on top of open-lot.
Wholesale & auction dealers
Dealers moving inventory between auctions and lots, with vehicles frequently in transit and in custody.
RV, motorcycle & powersports dealers
Same open-lot and garage exposures applied to specialty inventory of varying value.
Small lots & startup dealers
New dealers who need a compliant program to satisfy the DMV bond, the floor-plan lender, and the landlord.
Get a commercial auto quote today
Tell us what you drive and what you haul — we shop multiple California commercial carriers and get you covered, often same day.
Why Auto World for commercial coverage
We build the full dealer garage program — open lot, liability, plates, and garagekeepers — not a generic business policy.
We coordinate coverage with your floor-plan lender's and the DMV's requirements.
Multiple California commercial carriers compared so an independent lot isn't stuck with one quote.
Same-day certificates of insurance for lenders, landlords, and auction access.
Licensed California insurance broker, CA DOI #6005606, with Spanish-speaking agents.
Call or text (619) 363-4466 and a licensed agent qualifies your lot directly — no online dealer quote exists.
Frequently asked questions
What is dealers open lot coverage and do I need it?▾
Does dealer insurance cover test drives and dealer plates?▾
How much does auto dealer insurance cost in California?▾
Do I need workers' comp for my dealership staff?▾
Can you provide certificates of insurance for my lender or landlord?▾
More commercial coverage
Ready to insure your work vehicles?
A licensed California agent will compare commercial carriers and get you a quote. Call or text now — proof of insurance often the same day.