Gas Station Insurance

Gas Station Insurance

Gas station and gas bar owners face a broad range of risks. Get a comprehensive insurance policy and protect your assets.

Zensurance - Gas Station Business Owner

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Gas Station Business Owner

Insurance for gas stations

Gas stations have kept Canadian motorists moving since the first gas station in Canada opened in June 1907 in Vancouver. According to the Canadian Fuels Association, there are 11,934 retail gasoline stations in Canada today, or 3.1 per 10,000 Canadians, and there are 96 distinct brands of gasoline.

Nowadays, almost all gas stations feature self-serve pumps. Fuels are highly flammable, and the risks associated with allowing drivers to pump the petrol they need into their vehicles poses a danger to life and property. Gas station owners need to safeguard themselves against the potential hazards they face with a customized gas station insurance policy.

Gas station insurance is a tailored policy consisting of several coverages that collectively provide service station business owners with extensive protection. From the risk of third-party bodily injury to environmental-related damage to crime, a customized gas station insurance policy from Zensurance can provide you with the financial support you need when things go awry.

A comprehensive gas station business insurance policy typically includes the following coverages:

  • Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance: Also called slip-and-fall insurance, CGL protects you from third-party bodily injury and property damage claims resulting from your gas station’s daily activities. If a customer visiting your service station should be injured in a fall, for example, CGL is designed to cover their medical fees. CGL may also include product liability insurance, which covers you for any product that you manufacture, distribute, or sell, including food.
  • Commercial Property Insurance: It’s vital to protect your gas station, its attached structures (like a garage or shed), and your inventory and merchandise. Commercial property insurance provides that protection for damage or loss because of fire, flood, extreme weather, theft, or vandalism. Commercial property insurance usually includes business interruption coverage that pays for your operating costs if you are forced to close following an insurable loss.
  • Pollution Insurance: A must-have for every gas station, pollution liability insurance covers you for environmental liabilities be they sudden or gradual. Whether due to gas leaks from a storage tank or fuel spillage from your pumps, remediating a contaminated site can be massively expensive.
  • Cyber Insurance: Small businesses, including gas stations, are primary targets for cybercriminals. Accepting electronic payments from credit and debit cards either at the pump or in-store on your point-of-sale (POS) system exposes you to the risk of cybercrime. Cyber insurance covers you for cyber-related incidents such as data breaches and cyber-attacks and provides funds for helping you recover from such an event.
  • Equipment Breakdown Insurance: Your service station houses a lot of expensive, specialized equipment. Equipment breakdown insurance is designed to reimburse you if that equipment falters because of mechanical or electrical malfunctions. Sometimes called boiler and machinery insurance, it applies to your station’s HVAC system, refrigerators, pressure vessels, and office equipment including computers and point-of-sale (POS) systems.
  • Commercial Crime Insurance: Unfortunately, internal theft is not uncommon in the gas station retail industry. Commercial crime insurance protects your business from internal theft, fraud, forgery, and employee dishonesty. It also protects your financial assets that are in transit beyond your premises via an armoured car service or through a delivery person.
  • Commercial Auto Insurance: If your filling station has one or more company vehicles, that calls for a commercial auto policy to protect them from collisions, damage from severe weather, vandalism, theft, and third-party accident claims. A personal, private-passenger car insurance policy is not designed to cover damages to or accidents involving business vehicles.

There may be additional coverages your service station requires, such as commercial umbrella insurance. Fill out an online application to get a free quote, and let a licensed Zensurance broker advise you on what coverages you may need to be adequately protected.

Insurance companies weigh several factors when determining the cost of your policy, including:

  • Your service station’s location
  • If you also have a convenience or food store on site
  • How many employees you have
  • If your gas station operates 24/7 or has restricted hours
  • Your years of experience as a gas station owner
  • The type of equipment and the number of pumps at your gas bar
  • What type of fuels you sell
  • If there are electric vehicle charging units on your property
  • What your annual and projected revenue is
  • Your insurance claim history

Getting insured is quick and easy!

Complete our 5-minute online application for a free gas station business insurance quote.

Common claims scenarios

customer filling car with gas

Problem: While a customer is fuelling their vehicle, the gas pump malfunctions and spurts gasoline onto the ground and the customer’s vehicle. A fire ignites causing damage to the customer’s car and one of your gas pumps.

Outcome: Your commercial general liability insurance may pay for damages to the customer’s vehicle, and your commercial property insurance may cover the cost to repair or replace the pump.

outside view of gas station

Problem: One of your station’s underground fuel storage tanks has developed a leak and gasoline saturated and contaminated the soil around it.

Outcome: Your pollution liability insurance may pay to replace the contaminated soil and cover any civic fines you receive, and your equipment breakdown insurance may cover the cost to repair the damaged underground fuel tank.

Problem: A customer enters your station’s convenience store to buy a snack but is injured when a tall stack of boxed inventory topples onto them.

Outcome: Your commercial general liability insurance may pay for the injured customer’s medical fees.

Frequently asked questions

How are gas station insurance claims handled?

As your insurance brokerage, Zensurance does not decide the outcome of any claim you submit. Like the price of your annual policy, it is your insurance company that determines the outcome of claims. When you file a claim, Zensurance serves as the intermediary between you and your insurer. We ensure your claim is handled expeditiously, and if you wish to contest the decision your insurer makes, we help facilitate a review.

My gas station has an automated car wash on site. Do I need additional coverage for it?

It depends. You may require additional coverage for your car wash, or your commercial property coverage limit may need to be increased to account for it. Be sure to mention to your licensed Zensurance broker if you have a car wash and they can advise you on what your policy requirements are.

If a motorist fills their tank with fuel but drives away without paying for it, will my policy cover the loss?

Yes. The commercial property portion of your gas station insurance policy pays for damage or loss related to theft and vandalism. It also covers you for damages resulting from fire, flood, and extreme weather.

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Ready to start? Let’s get a quote!

Get pumped about protecting your gas station with a comprehensive gas station insurance policy from Zensurance. 

Fill out an online application to get a free quote. We’ll shop our partner network of more than 50 insurers to get the coverage you need at the lowest cost.