Car Wash Insurance

Car Wash Insurance

Protect your car wash business with a comprehensive insurance policy tailored to address your risks.

Trusted by over 300,000 Canadian small business owners!

Save up to 35% on your insurance

Get the best insurance quote in a few clicks!

Trusted by over 300,000 Canadian small business owners!
Save up to 35% on your insurance
Get the best insurance quote in a few clicks!
Get a Free Quote
Zensurance - Car Wash Insurance

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Car Wash Business Owner

Insurance for car washes

Running a car wash business can be lucrative but it involves making many decisions. From the type of car wash operations (rollover in-bay automatic washes, tunnel conveyor washes, or self-serve coin-operated washes) to equipment, water-reduction systems, and choosing a location, there’s a lot to consider. One of those vital considerations is getting car wash insurance to protect your business from claims of injury or property damages.

Car wash insurance is a policy consisting of several coverages to provide you with extensive protection against the risk of third-party lawsuits, equipment breakdowns, damages from fire or extreme weather, and more. It provides you with financial support for claims or allegations of loss or damage to your customers’ property or your business.

A comprehensive car wash insurance policy typically includes the following coverages:

  • Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance: CGL, or slip-and-fall insurance, covers you for third-party bodily injury or property damage claims because of your car wash business’s daily operations. For example, if a customer slips on the wet concrete floor at your self-serve car wash and is injured by the fall, CGL is designed to pay for the customer’s medical expenses. CGL may also include product liability insurance, or it can be added to your policy.
  • Garage Liability Insurance: You are responsible for your customers’ vehicles when they’re in your care, custody, and control. Therefore, if your car wash operations feature employees hand-washing vehicles inside and out without the customer driving their vehicle, you should consider including garage liability coverage to your policy. It covers you for damages to customer vehicles, theft, and vandalism whether the car is being serviced or parked on your property.
  • Commercial Property Insurance: Commercial property insurance covers your car wash’s buildings, attached physical structures, and business contents from damage or loss resulting from extreme weather, fire, flood, burglary, or vandalism. It also protects your inventory, electronics, office equipment, and furnishings. Commercial property coverage may also include business interruption insurance to cover your operating costs if your car wash is closed for repairs due to an insurable loss.
  • Equipment Breakdown Insurance: Without a doubt your car wash business features a lot of specialized, expensive equipment that are vital to your operations. Protect that equipment from internal damage resulting from mechanical or electronic malfunctions with equipment breakdown insurance. This coverage also protects your business’s office equipment and computing systems.
  • Legal Expense Insurance: Hiring a lawyer or seeking legal advice for business-related matters can get expensive quickly. Legal expense insurance is a much cheaper alternative. It provides you with funds to retain an experienced lawyer for a wide range of reasons, including contract disputes, debt recovery, employee disputes, taxation audits, and more.

Insurance companies weigh several factors before deciding how much your car wash insurance policy premium costs, including:

 

  • Your location
  • How many service bays you have
  • The type of car wash operations (self-serve, tunnel conveyor, full-service, brushless, etc.)
  • How many employees you have
  • What equipment you own
  • Your years of experience
  • Annual and projected revenue
  • Your insurance claim history

Getting insured is quick and easy!

Complete our 5-minute online application for a free car wash business insurance quote.

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Common claims scenarios

Customer Car Damage

Problem: Your automated conveyorized tunnel car wash’s cleaning unit rips the antennae off a customer’s vehicle while being cleaned.

Outcome: Your commercial general liability insurance may pay to repair the customer’s damaged vehicle.

Car Wash Equipment Breakdown

Problem: The mechanical arm in your in-bay touchless automatic car wash malfunctions following a sudden power surge. The damage from the power surge causes the unit to cease functioning.

Outcome: Your equipment breakdown insurance may pay to cover the cost to repair or replace the equipment damaged or destroyed by the power surge.

Problem: A sudden, violent windstorm damages the roof and several windows on your tunnel car wash.

Outcome: Your commercial property insurance may pay to repair or replace the damaged roof and windows.

Frequently asked questions

My conveyorized tunnel car wash uses a lot of different chemicals and detergents to get customers’ vehicles clean. Will my policy cover me for the types of chemicals I need to use?

If the exterior of a customer’s vehicle is damaged by the detergents or chemicals your car wash uses, your commercial general liability coverage is designed to pay for those damages. However, you may need to add pollution liability insurance to your policy to protect yourself from the risk of sudden or gradual environmental damage.

In the wintertime, the combination of frigid temperatures, water, and electricity can wreak havoc on car washing equipment. Will my policy cover me if my equipment ceases to work and needs repair because of frozen components?

If you have equipment breakdown insurance as part of your policy, and your car wash equipment malfunctions because of mechanical or electrical damage or failure, your policy will cover the cost of damages.

I have a lot of employee turnover at my car wash. Will my car wash insurance policy cover me for internal theft of money or inventory?

You need to include commercial crime insurance to your policy to be covered for internal theft, forgery, fraud, and employee dishonesty. Speak to a licensed Zensurance broker if you have concerns about internal theft.

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Don’t let your car wash business get washed out and go down the drain. Get a comprehensive car wash insurance policy from Zensurance.

Fill out an online application in a few clicks to get a free quote. We’ll shop our partner network of over 50 insurance carriers to get you the coverage you need at the best price.

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