A panel beater combines high-value customer vehicles, dismantled parts, hot work, flammable paint products and road testing. A normal office or retail policy rarely addresses that combination properly.
The right programme is usually modular: insure the premises and equipment, then add customer-vehicle, road-risk, liability, workmanship and income exposures.
Core covers to consider
Customer vehicles need internal cover while at the premises and external or road-risk cover when collected, delivered or tested. Buildings, contents, tools, spray booths and frame-straightening equipment need correct replacement values.
- Motor traders internal and external risks
- Buildings, contents, machinery breakdown and electronic equipment
- Public, products and defective-workmanship liability
- Business interruption with a realistic indemnity period
- Money, fidelity, cyber and employer-related covers where relevant
The spray booth changes the fire risk
Insurers will examine booth certification, extraction, electrical installation, housekeeping and storage of flammables. Welding and grinding should be separated from paint mixing and spraying, with hot-work controls and serviced extinguishers.
Load-shedding arrangements matter too: generators, inverters and battery systems must be installed and maintained correctly.
Insurer and manufacturer work
If most revenue comes from a few insurer repair networks or manufacturer approvals, a serious fire can interrupt those relationships. The business-interruption calculation should allow for approval delays, equipment lead times and customer recovery—not only building repairs.
A fire begins near a mixing room and smoke damages six customer vehicles. Property cover deals with the booth and tools; internal risks deals with the vehicles; business interruption funds insured lost gross profit while repairs and approvals are completed. One generic “business insurance” limit would not necessarily cover all three interests.
Questions an insurer will ask
- What is the maximum total and highest individual customer-vehicle value?
- Are vehicles stored outside or at overflow premises?
- Is the spray booth certified and how are flammables stored?
- Who conducts road tests and collections?
- What percentage of turnover depends on each repair network?
General information only. RMI requirements, fees and processes can change; confirm current requirements directly with RMI. Insurance cover depends on the insurer’s schedule, wording, limits, excesses and conditions.