About $203 a month
Commercial auto in Delaware
Insureon average for Delaware customers, limited data, updated March 2026
Delaware · state requirements
Commercial auto insurance in Delaware
For Delaware businesses running cars, vans, pickups or trucks: the liability and PIP the state requires, how the DMV checks it, what a lapse costs and typical prices.
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What similar businesses pay
- Commercial auto in Delaware
- About $203 a month
- Commercial auto, national
- About $245 a month
- Business auto, national
- $207–$276 a month
Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.
Cost
What commercial auto insurance in Delaware costs
About $245 a month
Commercial auto, national
Insureon average for small business customers, updated March 2026
$207–$276 a month
Business auto, national
Progressive Commercial median and average for business auto, 2025
About $926 a month
For-hire transport truck, national
Progressive Commercial average for trucks hauling varied freight, 2025
Insureon puts the average for its Delaware commercial auto customers at about $203 a month, or $2,432 a year, but says the figure rests on limited data, mostly from businesses with fewer than five employees. Its national average is $245 a month, with 40% of customers paying under $200. Progressive Commercial’s 2025 national averages run from $276 a month for business autos to $926 for for-hire transport trucks such as semis. A Delaware business with one or two vans or pickups should expect something near the low end; heavy trucks, for-hire work and higher limits push the price up.
What moves your price
- Liability limits above Delaware’s 25/50/10 floor, often set by customer contracts
- PIP on every vehicle and any PIP options you elect
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist limits
- Vehicle type and use: a van rates far below a for-hire freight truck
- Each driver’s record and your claims history
- Collision and comprehensive deductibles on financed or newer vehicles
Delaware
What’s different in Delaware
25/50/10 leaves $10,000 for the damage you cause
The Delaware DMV sets the floor at $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries and just $10,000 for property damage. A work truck that totals a newer car can pass $10,000 quickly, and the rest is the business’s to pay.
$15,000 in PIP comes with every vehicle
Under 21 Del. C. 2118, each policy must carry personal injury protection of at least $15,000 a person and $30,000 an accident for medical bills, lost earnings and funeral costs up to $5,000, incurred within 2 years. It covers people in your vehicle and pedestrians it hits in Delaware, whoever caused the crash.
Uninsured motorist cover stays on unless you reject it in writing
18 Del. C. 3902 puts uninsured motorist coverage on every policy at no less than the state minimums unless a named insured rejects it on the insurer’s form. Insurers must also offer more, up to $100,000/$300,000, and that added cover includes underinsured motorist protection.
The DMV audits at least 10% of registrations every year
Under 21 Del. C. 2118(q), the DMV checks a random sample of at least 10% of registrations each year. A flagged owner has 30 days to send insurer-certified proof, the FR-19; silence is prima facie evidence the vehicle is uninsured.
A lapse is charged per vehicle until the plates come back
The DMV says plates must be surrendered before insurance is canceled. If an audit shows a gap, the penalty is $100 per vehicle for 1 to 30 days, plus $5 per vehicle per day after that, and $50 to reinstate each registration. Police or the Insurance Fraud Bureau can confiscate plates from a suspended vehicle.
Employees are shielded; the owner is not
Driving uninsured costs $1,500 to $2,000 and a 6-month license suspension for a first offense, and $3,000 to $4,000 for a repeat within 3 years. An employee driving a company vehicle on the job cannot be convicted unless the employee knew or should have known it was uninsured.
Coverage
Coverage Delaware businesses need
Auto liability above the minimum
Pays for injuries and property damage your vehicles cause to others. Delaware requires 25/50/10 from an insurer authorized in the state; contracts usually call for far more.
How commercial auto works →Personal injury protection
Required on every Delaware-registered vehicle. Section 2118(f) bars a PIP exclusion for someone whose injury is also payable under workers’ comp, and the PIP insurer can then recover from the comp insurer.
How commercial auto works →Uninsured and underinsured motorist
Pays your drivers and passengers when the at-fault driver has no insurance, too little or drives off. In Delaware, uninsured motorist property damage carries a $250 deductible unless you agree otherwise in writing.
How commercial auto works →Collision and comprehensive
Covers your own vehicles after a crash, theft, fire or storm. Not required by the state, but lenders and lessors usually insist on it.
How commercial auto works →Hired and non-owned auto
Covers your business when employees drive their own or rented cars for work.
How commercial auto works →Umbrella or excess
Adds limits over your auto liability when a customer asks for more than your primary policy carries.
How umbrella / excess works →Rules
Delaware requirements
Every vehicle registered in Delaware needs liability and PIP from an insurer authorized in the state, kept in force for as long as the registration is active. Interstate trucking and passenger operations also answer to federal FMCSA rules, and contracts often ask for more than either.
| Requirement | Applies to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum liability | Every Delaware-registered vehicle, business or personal | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $10,000 for property damage, per the Delaware DMV and 21 Del. C. 2118(a). |
| Personal injury protection | Every Delaware-registered vehicle | At least $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident for expenses incurred within 2 years; funeral costs capped at $5,000. 21 Del. C. 2118(a)(2). |
| Authorized insurer | All required coverage | Only policies from companies authorized to write the required coverages in Delaware count. 21 Del. C. 2118(c). |
| Uninsured motorist coverage | Policies on vehicles registered or garaged in Delaware | Included at no less than state minimums unless rejected in writing; underinsured cover must be offered up to $100,000/$300,000. 18 Del. C. 3902. |
| Insurance card in the vehicle | Every driver on a Delaware highway | Carry the card, or show it electronically if you and your insurer consent; no card means a summons. 21 Del. C. 2118(o), (p). |
| Continuous coverage and plate surrender | Owners of registered vehicles | Coverage must stay in force while registered, even off the road; surrender plates before canceling, per the DMV. |
| DMV insurance audit | Owners selected for verification | Send an insurer-certified FR-19 within 30 days, or the registration and owners’ licenses are suspended, with $50 reinstatement per registration. 21 Del. C. 2118(q). |
| Out-of-state vehicles | Vehicles registered elsewhere and driven in Delaware | Must carry at least the registering state’s minimum, or Delaware’s if that state sets none. 21 Del. C. 2118(b). |
| Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity | Taxi, limousine and medical transport services operating Delaware to Delaware for a fee | Apply to the Office of Public Carrier Regulation; vehicles are inspected twice a year and drivers need a “Z” endorsement, per DART’s public carrier FAQ. |
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Pay less
How to lower the cost
- Turn in plates before you cancel coverage on a sold or retired vehicle; the DMV charges $100 per vehicle for a 1- to 30-day gap and $5 a day after that.
- Answer DMV audit letters within 30 days by having your insurer or agent send the FR-19, avoiding suspension and $50 reinstatement fees.
- Pull motor vehicle records before hiring drivers and review them every year, as DelDOT already requires of taxi and limo companies for out-of-state drivers.
- Raise collision and comprehensive deductibles on older vehicles you could afford to repair.
- Set liability limits once for the whole fleet based on your contracts, rather than raising them one certificate at a time.
- Compare quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.
Before you start
What underwriters ask for
- Vehicle list with VINs, model years, values, garaging addresses and any lienholder
- Driver list with license numbers, dates of birth and years of experience
- Your current declarations page, with PIP and uninsured motorist selections and any signed rejection
- Loss runs from your current and prior insurers
- What each vehicle is used for and how far it typically travels
- USDOT number if you cross state lines, or your DelDOT certificate if you carry passengers for hire
- Liability limits your customers or contracts require on certificates
Common questions
Commercial auto insurance in Delaware: questions
Is Delaware a no-fault state for commercial vehicles?
Not in the strict sense. Every vehicle must carry PIP that pays regardless of fault, and under 21 Del. C. 2118(h) an injured person cannot claim from the at-fault driver the damages PIP covers. Claims beyond PIP are still decided by fault.
Does PIP pay if my employee is hurt in a company vehicle?
Section 2118(f) says PIP cannot exclude someone just because workers’ comp also pays for the injury. The PIP insurer can then recover from the workers’ comp insurer, so both policies matter.
Who gets fined if my employee drives an uninsured company truck?
Usually the business owner. Delaware law says an employee driving an employer’s vehicle on the job cannot be convicted unless the employee knew or should have known it lacked insurance. A first offense carries a $1,500 to $2,000 fine and a 6-month suspension.
What is a Delaware FR-19?
It is the DMV form your insurer or agent completes to certify that a vehicle has been continuously insured since the audit date. Send it within 30 days of the DMV’s request.
Do I need insurance on a work vehicle I have parked for the season?
Yes, if it is still registered. The DMV says liability insurance must stay in effect while the registration is valid, even off the road; otherwise turn in the plates first.
My trucks are registered in Pennsylvania. What do I need in Delaware?
Under 21 Del. C. 2118(b), an out-of-state vehicle needs at least the minimum insurance its registering state requires. If that state sets no minimum, Delaware’s applies.
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Sources (8)
- Delaware DMV: Vehicle liability insurance FAQs
- Delaware Code title 21, section 2118: insurance requirement and penalties (Justia, 2025)
- Delaware Code title 18, section 3902: uninsured and underinsured vehicle coverage (FindLaw)
- DART First State: Office of Public Carrier Regulation FAQ
- Insureon: commercial auto insurance in Delaware (updated March 2026)
- Insureon: commercial auto insurance cost (updated March 2026)
- Progressive Commercial: commercial auto insurance cost (2025)
- Progressive Commercial: Delaware commercial auto insurance
Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated November 2026.