Auto Detailer General Liability Insurance

General Liability For Auto Detailers

General liability, often called CGL, responds to third-party bodily injury and property damage claims tied to your operations. Most detailers are written on the ISO form CG 00 01 or a carrier version of it.

Key protections included:

• Bodily injury. A customer slips on a wet shop floor or trips over your hose and extension cord.
• Property damage. Degreaser stains a client's paver driveway, or overspray lands on a neighbor's car.
• Completed operations. A claim that arises after the job, such as a fire blamed on a product residue left under the hood.
• Personal and advertising injury. Your social posts use another detailer's before-and-after photos.
• Medical payments. A small no-fault limit for a visitor's minor injury bills.
• Legal defense. Generally paid in addition to limits on the standard form.

What's Not Covered Under This Coverage

These are the exclusions detailers run into most. Wording varies by carrier and endorsement.

• Customer vehicles in your care. The care, custody, or control exclusion typically removes damage to cars you're working on. Garagekeepers is built for it.
• Your own work. The your-work exclusions may limit claims over a coating that fails or a correction a customer dislikes.
• Driving customer cars. Moving a car around the lot or on the road falls under auto exclusions, not GL.
• Employee injuries. These go to workers' comp.
• Your equipment. Polishers, extractors, and pressure washers need tools and equipment coverage or an inland marine floater.
• Your vehicles. A detailing van or trailer needs commercial auto.
• Pollution. Chemical runoff into storm drains may fall under the pollution exclusion. See our pollution liability guide.
• Your shop and supplies. Damage to your building or inventory needs commercial property.

Did you know? GL may pay when your pressure washer damages a client's garage door, but it typically won't pay to fix the car parked inside it.

How Much Is General Liability For Auto Detailers

General liability for auto detailers is priced by underwriting, and there's no single rate. A quote reflects how and where you work.

What typically moves the price:

• Revenue or payroll
• Shop-based versus mobile work
• Services offered (paint correction and ceramic coatings may rate differently than basic washes)
• Dealership and fleet contracts
• Limits, deductible, and claims history
• State and territory

Premium is often adjusted by a premium audit after the policy year. Our plain-English guide to general liability covers the rating basics.

Common mistakes auto detailers make: assuming GL covers the customer's car, skipping garagekeepers, running a detailing van on personal auto, and not reporting mobile work to the carrier.

Endorsements Auto Detailers Commonly Need For Contract Compliance

These are commonly requested by dealerships, fleets, and landlords. Form numbers are ISO references, and carriers may use their own versions. More in our guide to general liability endorsements.

1. Additional insured (CG 20 10 or CG 20 26). Extends your coverage to the dealership or property owner for claims from your work.
2. Primary and non-contributory (CG 20 01). Your policy pays first, without asking theirs to share.
3. Waiver of subrogation (CG 24 04). Your carrier gives up its right to recover from the named party.
4. Garagekeepers (CA 99 37). Adds coverage for customer vehicles in your care on a business auto policy.
5. Hired and non-owned auto. Covers liability when employees drive their own cars or rentals for work.