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What's covered by commercial auto insurance

Commercial auto insurance covers injuries that you or your employees may cause to other people and their property while driving. A typical commercial auto policy may include:
  • Auto liability, which protects you and your company by paying for bodily injury or property damages you may become legally liable for as a result of a covered automobile accident
  • Medical payments, which pays medical expenses, up to your coverage limit, for you, your employees and your passengers arising from motor vehicle accidents – regardless of who is at fault
  • Comprehensive coverage, which can help pay for damage to your vehicle from something other than another vehicle like vandalism, theft, weather events and accidents involving animals (subject to deductible)
  • Collision coverage, which pays for damage to your vehicle from another vehicle whether you hit another vehicle or object, another vehicle hits you, or your vehicle rolls over – regardless of who is at fault (subject to deductible)
  • Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which pays for medical expenses, loss of income and other damages owed to you, your employees (expenses that are not covered by workers’ compensation) or your passengers when an accident is caused by an uninsured or underinsured motorist
A commercial auto policy also can include coverage for cars you borrow or rent, as well as coverage for employees who use their cars for your business.

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A written guarantee on repairs

When you choose a repair shop from the On Your Side Auto Repair Network®, all repairs come with a written guarantee for as long as you own or lease the vehicle.

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The On Your Side Auto Repair Network includes only shops that are pre-screened and pre-qualified for the highest level of service.

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Commercial auto insurance FAQs

  • Any vehicle your business owns, borrows, leases or rents
  • Any vehicle your employees drive for both business and personal use, whether the vehicle is owned by the business or the employee
The types of vehicles we insure include:
  • Cars
  • Cargo vans
  • Work vans
  • Box trucks
  • Pickup trucks
  • Utility trucks
You may need a commercial auto policy if:
  • You’re using your vehicle to transport goods
  • You need higher limits of liability because of the nature of your work
  • Employees operate the vehicle
  • The vehicle is registered to the business
Examples of businesses that may benefit from having commercial auto insurance include:

We don’t insure semi-trucks or tractor trailers.

Some of the factors that influence the cost of business auto insurance include:
  • Vehicle make, model and year
  • Cost when new
  • Gross vehicle weight, especially if the vehicle is a truck
  • Driving records for all drivers
  • What the vehicle is being used for or how it is being used (for example, travel to and from the office, to visit clients or job sites throughout the day, or delivering supplies to various customers)
  • Claims history
  • Coverage options, including limits and deductibles
  • Number of commercial vehicles being insured

You need commercial auto insurance if you have vehicles that the business owns. You will also need commercial auto insurance for any vehicles an employees owns, leases or rents, if they use those vehicles while conducting business.

As a business, you probably don’t want to put your business at risk by being underinsured, such as opting for minimum auto liability coverage. Nationwide recommends at least $500,000 in liability coverage per vehicle.

Commercial auto insurance is a vehicle insurance policy which covers any injuries and damages that are caused by or to you or your employees, while in the scope of business, to covered vehicles, up to your policy limits.

Nationwide is #1 in Customer Satisfaction with Small Commercial Insurance, serving over half a million small businesses like yours across the nation.1

Related topics & resources

About commercial auto liability
Mixing business & personal
Terms you need to know
Getting the best quote
More small business resources

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Product, coverage, discounts, insurance terms, definitions, and other descriptions are intended for informational purposes only and do not in any way replace or modify the definitions and information contained in your individual insurance contracts, policies, and/or declaration pages from Nationwide-affiliated underwriting companies, which are controlling. Such products, coverages, terms, and discounts may vary by state and exclusions may apply.