The automotive sector covers workshops, accident repairers, tyre and detailing businesses, car dealers and lease fleets; each with a different emphasis, but with the same fault line: customers' vehicles.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
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
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
What binds the sector is that third-party property sits on your premises every day. Public and employers' liability insurance excludes damage to property in your care, custody and control: the customer's vehicle you repair, wash, test or store therefore falls outside your AVB. That requires a motor trade policy, which does include the vehicle in your hands. In almost every business in the chain this is the first gap we come across.
The emphasis also differs by type of business. In an accident repair business the risk lies in the spray booth, flammable substances and repairs that later prove to fail. In a workshop it lies in the torque on wheel bolts and in the certificate issued at an MOT test. In detailing and car washing it lies in paint damage and scratches. At dealerships it lies in the trade stock and the trade plates.
Separate obligations apply to staff. Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code places the duty of care in the workshop with you: lifts, exhaust fumes, solvents and lifting work. For employees who are on the road, the standard of Article 7:611 DCC applies, which the AVB does not cover because it excludes motor vehicles. We build this into a coherent package up.
What does insurance for the automotive sector cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Third-party liability insurance
Third-party liability insurance is compulsory by law and covers damage you cause to others with your car, not damage to your own car.
Damage to other vehicles
Injury to third parties
Damage to buildings and objects
Damage caused by passengers
Third-party liability + fire and theft
Alongside third-party liability cover, protection against damage to your own car from external causes you cannot prevent.
Fire and storm damage
Theft and burglary
Windscreen breakage and glass damage
Collision with animals
Comprehensive insurance
The most complete cover, including for damage you cause yourself, theft and total loss. We compare Ansvar Idea's comprehensive version with the market.
Hail damage
Damage through your own fault
Vandalism
Unknown party at fault
What is covered
What we do
At Finass
Direct with Ansvar
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Provided it is declared
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Provided it is declared
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether Ansvar is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with Ansvar
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether Ansvar is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The care, custody and control exclusion is the common thread of the sector
Your AVB covers damage to third-party property, except property in your keeping for work, treatment or storage. That is exactly what almost every automotive business does. A car falling off the lift, paint that cures incorrectly, a vehicle catching fire while stored: none of these are AVB claims. A motor trade policy with the right sections fills this, provided the number of vehicles and the maximum value per vehicle are correct.
Work that only fails later
A wheel torqued incorrectly, a brake system that has not been bled or an engine that seizes after a rebuild causes damage weeks after the job. That form of consequential loss falls under the section for damage after completion, and that is not always included as standard. The costs of redoing your own work are also almost never paid. Only the damage arising from it. So record job sheets and the parts used for each vehicle.
The workshop as an employment risk
Article 7:658 DCC reverses the burden of proof: if something goes wrong for an employee under the lift or at the tyre changer, you have to show that you met your duty of care. Record inspections of lifts and compressors, document instructions and keep the maintenance log up to date. Liability for hired-in and agency staff also runs via Article 7:611 and Article 6:170 DCC, so include them as staff as well.
What no policy in the sector pays for
Putting right your own defective work, warranty obligations and fines are never insured. Diminution in value of a customer's vehicle after a correct repair is rarely paid. Theft without signs of forced entry, for example using the key from the key cabinet, may founder on the security clause. Environmental damage from soil contamination requires separate environmental cover, and purely digital downtime without physical damage falls under cyber cover, not under fire or business interruption cover.
What does your premium depend on?
Type of activities in the chain. Servicing, accident repair, spraying, trading or storage each give a different risk class.
Number of customer vehicles in your keeping at any one time. Care, custody and control cover is set to match the maximum number and the value per vehicle.
Annual turnover and payroll. The usual calculation basis for liability and for the staff element.
Fire-hazardous processes. Spray booth, welding bay, battery storage and charging infrastructure weigh heavily in the fire premium.
Security of the premises and the yard. Fencing, cameras, alarm grade and key management determine the burglary and theft risk.
Claims history and excess. Earlier care, custody and control or fire claims feed straight through into acceptance and the rate.
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.
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.
Why is an AVB not enough in the automotive sector?
Because the AVB excludes damage to property in your care, custody and control, and that is precisely the customer's vehicle you are working on. The AVB does cover injury to a visitor and damage to the neighbours' premises, but not the car on your lift or on your forecourt. That requires a motor trade policy with a care, custody and control section matching the number of vehicles you have in your keeping.
My business does several things at once. How is that insured?
The description of the insured activities on the policy schedule is decisive. If, besides servicing, you also trade, hire out or store vehicles, each of those activities must be listed. A loss arising from an activity that has not been declared falls outside the cover, even if that activity has been running for years. So report additions when they start and not at the next renewal.
Are my mechanics insured when they are on the road?
Not under the AVB, because it excludes damage caused with or by motor vehicles. For employees who drive for work, including on a test drive or a collection and delivery run, employees' motor insurance is required. Its basis is the standard of good employment practice in Article 7:611 DCC, which also applies where the employee caused the damage.
What happens if my systems go down?
Without a workshop system, registration lookups and diagnostic equipment, an automotive business comes to a standstill. That downtime is not physical damage and therefore falls outside fire or business interruption cover. Cyber insurance covers the costs of recovery, forensic investigation and the loss of turnover during the outage. Also state whether you process customers' personal data, because a data breach runs via a different section of that same policy.
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.
