Business insurance insights
Does commercial auto liability insurance cover my own vehicle damage?
Own-vehicle damage coverage turns on collision or comprehensive coverage in Maine's regulator guide, and California's guide notes that a Business Auto Policy can assign coverage vehicle by vehicle.
Physical damage to your own business vehicles is tied to collision or comprehensive coverage, not to liability coverage alone. The Maine Bureau of Insurance says commercial auto insurance also covers physical damage to business vehicles if you have collision or comprehensive coverage. The California Department of Insurance says that under a Business Auto Policy, coverage can differ by vehicle.
What the Maine Bureau of Insurance says
The Maine Bureau of Insurance's commercial auto guide describes commercial automobile insurance as protection from financial loss from injury, death and property damage resulting from your or your employees' negligence. That is the liability side.
For your own vehicles, the same Maine guide adds a condition: the insurance also covers physical damage to your business vehicles when you have collision or comprehensive coverage. The guide also says commercial auto policies may cover rented and other vehicles you do not own. It uses the word "may," so the policy wording is the place to check.
A useful step is to look in the policy or proposal for whether collision or comprehensive coverage was selected for each vehicle, rather than assuming liability coverage includes it.
What the California Department of Insurance says
The California Department of Insurance's commercial insurance guide says commercial automobile coverage can protect a company from liability stemming from autos used in the business or from any damage to the covered automobile.
The same guide describes the Business Auto Policy (BAP) as flexible. It says a BAP can provide coverage for business, personal, non-owned or hired autos based on the coverage purchased and applied to each scheduled auto, and that autos can be scheduled separately with corresponding coverages. In the guide's words, "Coverage can differ by vehicle." It adds that a symbol or symbols designate the coverage assigned to a scheduled auto, using covered auto symbols in a numerical system (1-13). With more than one vehicle, review each one separately.
Optional worksheet: confirm each vehicle's damage coverage
This grid is an optional PolicyBenchmark preparation suggestion for reviewing a policy or comparing proposals. It is not a legal requirement or an insurer obligation. Fill in what the documents show and leave a cell blank when you need to ask.
| Vehicle | Collision, comprehensive, both, or neither shown | Does a deductible apply? | Question for the agent or insurer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle 1 | |||
| Vehicle 2 | |||
| Vehicle 3 |
A blank in the second column is a prompt to ask, not an assumption that the vehicle is covered or uncovered.
Questions to confirm with your insurer
- Which of my vehicles have collision coverage, and which have comprehensive coverage?
- Does any vehicle have liability coverage only?
- Does a deductible apply to each vehicle's physical damage coverage?
- Which coverage applies to rented or other vehicles I do not own, and what conditions apply?
- If my policy is a Business Auto Policy, which covered auto symbol or symbols apply to each scheduled vehicle?
Next steps
The commercial auto insurance overview covers the broader coverage line. The Maine business insurance guide and the California business insurance guide are the state pages for the two regulators cited above. The free business insurance quiz turns your own answers into an editable checklist with an on-device print/PDF option.
Have a question about your own situation? Send it to PolicyBenchmark.
About this article
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- PolicyBenchmark Editorial Team
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This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute insurance advice. Always consult with a licensed insurance professional before making coverage decisions.