Liability
- Damage to third parties
- Employers' liability
- Care, custody and control as an extension
Garage insurance for dealerships
For a dealership the largest risk lies not in the workshop but on the forecourt: the trading stock stands there unattended at night and goes out on the road on a trade plate during the day.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
For a dealer, motor trade insurance (garageverzekering) revolves around two sections that other automotive businesses barely need. The first is stock cover: new and used cars that you own or hold on consignment, usually insured at purchase value and not at the selling price. The second is the cover around the trade plate, used for test drives, collection and delivery runs and demonstration drives.
The difference from a workshop is the concentration of value at one address. A hailstorm, a fire or a theft at night affects not one vehicle but the whole row or the whole site. Insurers therefore impose requirements on fencing, camera surveillance, lighting and the way keys are kept; those requirements are not advice but a condition of payment.
For the wider picture of the sector and how it links to workshop, repair and detailing work, see the page on the automotive sector. Related specialisations are the car trade and the MOT testing station.
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We compare your motor trade insurance across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.
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What does motor trade insurance cover for dealerships?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Assets and continuity
Business contents, goods and lost turnover during downtime.
- Business contents at replacement value as new
- Goods at cost price
- Business interruption or additional costs
Staff
Sickness absence, accidents and the traffic risk.
- Continued pay for 104 weeks
- Group personal accident
- WEGAS for traffic risks
What is covered
| Situation | AVB | BAV | Cyber |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injury to a visitor or customer | Yes | No | No |
| Damage to a client's property | Sometimes | No | No |
| Financial loss caused by an advisory or calculation error | No | Yes | No |
| Downtime after a ransomware attack | No | No | Yes |
| Data breach involving personal data | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Damage to property in your care | No | No | No |
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
What does your premium depend on?
- Maximum stock value at any one time. The peak determines the sum insured, not the average over the year.
- Split between indoors and outdoors. Vehicles on an open forecourt carry more hail, storm and theft risk than showroom stock.
- Site security. Fencing, gate, camera surveillance, lighting and a connection to an alarm receiving centre.
- Key management. A safe, a record of issue and separation of workshop keys from sales keys.
- Number of trade plates and test drives. How often the stock is driven and by whom is weighed separately.
- Claims history for theft and hail. Previous losses on the site determine both acceptance and the excess per event.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
- We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
- You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
- We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Stock is paid at purchase value, not at the selling price
The margin you would have made on a car is not a loss and is not paid. Insurers use the purchase or replacement value at the time of the damage. More important is that the sum insured must cover the peak in your stock, not the annual average. If your site fills up around a launch or at the end of a quarter, you are underinsured at that moment and every claim is reduced proportionately.
Consignment stock and stock finance change who owns what
Cars registered in the name of an importer or a finance company are not your property but are your responsibility for as long as they are with you. Record who insures which part and whether the finance company must be named as an interested party on your policy. If you do not, two insurers can point at each other while the finance company simply comes to you. The same applies to part-exchanges not yet transferred.
Who drives on a test drive and what you are liable for
When a trade plate is used, liability towards third parties is arranged through the compulsory third-party cover under Article 2 WAM. Own damage to your own stock car lies elsewhere: it falls under your stock or care, custody and control cover, usually with its own conditions on who may drive. Check the minimum age, the driving licence requirement and whether a member of staff must go along. For each test drive, keep a copy of the driving licence and a record of the route driven.
Where the dealer policy stops
Theft using the vehicle's own key without signs of forced entry is declined if the key clause has not been complied with. Stock kept outside the site described on the policy, for example on rented overflow premises, is not covered unless notified. Warranty obligations under the sales contract and lost profit are not insured losses. Diminution in value after hail repairs is rarely paid, and intent falls away under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Are test drives on a trade plate covered?
Liability towards third parties runs through the compulsory third-party cover attached to the trade plate. Damage to the test drive car itself falls under your stock or care, custody and control cover, with its own provisions on who may drive. Watch the minimum age, the requirement for a valid driving licence and whether supervision is compulsory. If those are departed from, the own-damage claim can be declined while the third-party claim is still paid.
At what value should I insure my trading stock?
At purchase or replacement value, not at the selling price. The margin not yet realised is not a loss. Set the sum insured at the highest stock level that occurs during the year, because with underinsurance every claim is reduced proportionately, including a small one. If your stock rises and falls sharply, discuss whether a provisional premium policy with adjustment in arrears works in your situation.
Are customers' cars and consignment vehicles insured as well?
Only if the policy says so expressly. Customer vehicles in the workshop fall under the care, custody and control section and not under stock. Cars held on consignment or under stock finance are not your property, but you are responsible for them for as long as they are with you. Have it recorded who insures which part and whether the finance company must be named as an interested party.
What do insurers expect of my key management?
That keys are kept in a safe after closing time, not in the vehicle or in a cabinet in the showroom, and that you record who issues them. If a car is taken without signs of forced entry, the key clause is the first thing the loss adjuster looks at. Keep workshop keys separate from sales keys as well, so that a break-in in one area does not immediately expose the whole site.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare motor trade insuranceThe main page
- Motor trade insuranceCustomer vehicles, test drives, workshop
- Garage insurance for motorcycle dealersCustomers' motorcycles, test rides, theft
- Garage insurance for tyre businessesStorage, fire risk, customer vehicles
- Garage insurance for accident repair centresPaint shop, fire risk, customer vehicles
- Garage insurance for detailing businessesPolishing, valuable cars, care, custody and control
- Garage insurance for tuning businessesModifications, type approval, liability
- Garage insurance for car dealersTrading stock, premises, buying in
Read more
Ready to compare?
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.