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Why Public Liability Insurance Is Crucial for Car Forecourt Traders
As a car forecourt trader, youโre not just selling vehicles; youโre inviting potential buyers onto your premises, where they interact with yourโฆ
Bodyshop insurance is a motor trade policy for businesses that repair vehicle bodywork and paint. It can be road risk only, for moving and road testing customer cars, or road risk with public liability. A combined policy can also protect customer vehicles in your care, your premises, spray booths and equipment, and cover products and employersโ liability.
Paint, solvents and hot work make body shops a higher fire risk than most garages, insurers will ask how you manage it.
Your bodyshop insurance depends on:

Cover that fits the way your body shop works
Cover that fits the way your body shop works
Build a policy around the repairs you carry out, your premises and the vehicles in your care.
Build a policy around the repairs you carry out, your premises and the vehicles in your care.

Customer Vehicles
Protects cars in your care while theyโre stripped, sprayed, stored or moved.

Property & Contents
Cover for your workshop, paint store, spray booth and office contents.

Employersโ Liability
Often a legal requirement if you employ panel beaters, sprayers or apprentices.

Public & Products Liability
Covers injury claims and claims linked to repairs and paintwork you supply.

Business Interruption
Helps replace lost income if a fire or flood stops you repairing.

Stock & Equipment
Cover for paint, panels, tools, lifts and specialist repair equipment.
Which covers does a body shop need?
Which covers does a body shop need?
Road risk is a legal requirement if you drive customer cars, and employersโ liability is often a legal requirement if you have staff. The rest protect the premises, equipment and vehicles a body shop depends on.
Road risk is a legal requirement if you drive customer cars, and employersโ liability is often a legal requirement if you have staff. The rest protect the premises, equipment and vehicles a body shop depends on.
| Type of cover | Legally required? | Why body shops need it |
|---|---|---|
Employersโ liability | Often, if you employ staff | Panel beaters, sprayers and apprentices |
Road risk | Yes, to drive customer cars | Moving and road testing repaired vehicles |
Customer vehicles in your care | Not legally required | Damage or theft while cars are with you |
Public liability | Not legally required | Customers and visitors at your premises |
Products liability | Not legally required | Claims from repairs, paint and parts supplied |
Premises and contents | May be required by your lease | Fire, flood and theft in a high fire-risk trade |
Business interruption | No | Lost income while you canโt repair |
Equipment breakdown | No | Spray booths, ovens and compressors |
Top Tip
Insurers will ask how you store paint and solvents and how you manage hot work. Good housekeeping and a documented fire risk assessment help reduce the risk of fire.
What could go wrong in your body shop?
What could go wrong in your body shop?
The most common body shop claims involve fire in the paint area, damage to customer cars being repaired, faulty repairs, overspray and theft of tools and parts.
The most common body shop claims involve fire in the paint area, damage to customer cars being repaired, faulty repairs, overspray and theft of tools and parts.


This cover is built for businesses repairing and refinishing vehicle bodywork, whether you work for insurers, dealers or the public.
Bodyshop insurance suits:
Real claims body shops make
Real claims body shops make
These are the claims body shops make most often, and the part of the policy that responds to each.
These are the claims body shops make most often, and the part of the policy that responds to each.
Customer car damaged
A repaired car is scratched or dented while being moved around your workshop.
Potential cover
Customer Vehicles
Spray booth fire
A fire starts in the paint area and damages the booth, stock and building.
Potential cover
Premises + Business Interruption
Employee injury
A technician is injured using sanding or lifting equipment.
Potential cover
Employersโ Liability
Paint defect claim
A respray fails months later and the customer claims the cost of putting it right.
Potential cover
Products Liability / Workmanship
Bodyshop insurance has no set price. It depends on your postcode, the repairs you carry out, your premises and fire precautions, the customer vehicles on site, your equipment values, staff numbers, excess and claims history.
Where you trade matters. Postcode is one of the biggest rating factors on a motor trade policy, and it affects more than the price. It can decide whether an insurer will quote at all.
Repairs you carry out
Insurers will ask what repairs you carry out, including any spraying, welding or hot work.
Number of employees
More staff means higher employersโ liability exposure.
Premises and fire risk
Your building, paint store, booth and fire precautions strongly affect the price.
Level of excess
Your excess is what you pay towards each claim, so choose a level you could manage.
Customer vehicles on site
The number and value of cars held overnight changes your sums insured.
Claims history
Insurers will ask about any claims you have made, especially for fire and theft.

How to insure a body shop
How to insure a body shop
Tell us about your repairs, premises and equipment, and weโll compare specialist motor trade insurers for you.
Tell us about your repairs, premises and equipment, and weโll compare specialist motor trade insurers for you.
Tell us about your body shop
Your repairs, refinishing, premises and spray booth setup.
Confirm values and staff
Customer vehicles on site, equipment values and employees.
We compare insurers
We search specialist motor trade insurers for bodyshop cover.
Get covered and repairing
Choose your policy and receive your documents quickly.
Trusted by body shops and accident repair centres across the UK
Trusted by body shops and accident repair centres across the UK
From independent paint shops to busy accident repair centres, our customers trust Insurance Revolution to get the right cover and expert support when it matters.
From independent paint shops to busy accident repair centres, our customers trust Insurance Revolution to get the right cover and expert support when it matters.
Bodyshop guides
Bodyshop guides
Practical advice on cover, fire risk and claims for accident repair centres.
Practical advice on cover, fire risk and claims for accident repair centres.
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Bodyshop insurance FAQs
Bodyshop insurance FAQs
Straight answers for accident repair centres on cover, cost and liability.
Straight answers for accident repair centres on cover, cost and liability.
Bodyshop insurance is a motor trade policy for accident repair centres and body shops. It can be road risk only, for moving repaired cars, or road risk with public liability. A combined policy can also cover customer vehicles in your care, your premises, spray booth and equipment, and products and employersโ liability.