About $92 a month
Commercial auto in Vermont
MoneyGeek modeled average for minimum coverage in Vermont, October 2026
Vermont · state requirements
Commercial auto insurance in Vermont
For Vermont businesses running vans, pickups, trucks and fleets: the limits state law sets, the uninsured motorist rule, what happens without coverage and what policies cost.
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Get commercial auto quotes in Vermont
What similar businesses pay
- Commercial auto in Vermont
- About $92 a month
- Commercial auto, national
- About $163 a month
- Higher limits with physical damage
- About $353 a month
Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.
Cost
What commercial auto insurance in Vermont costs
About $163 a month
Commercial auto, national
MoneyGeek national minimum-coverage benchmark, October 2026
About $353 a month
Higher limits with physical damage
MoneyGeek national average for 100/300/100 with collision and comprehensive, October 2026
About $349 a month
Transportation businesses
MoneyGeek national average for transportation and logistics, October 2026
Vermont is one of the cheaper states for business auto cover. MoneyGeek’s October 2026 modeled premiums put minimum coverage in Vermont at about $92 a month, or $1,098 a year, the third lowest of the states it ranks and well under its $163 national benchmark; state averages run from $79 in Pennsylvania to $312 in Michigan. Those figures price only the required limits. Nationally, MoneyGeek’s high tier of 100/300/100 with collision and comprehensive averages $353 a month, and transportation businesses average $349. Most Vermont operations buy well above the minimum, so expect your quote to land between the state figure and those higher tiers, depending on vehicles, limits, drivers and claims.
What moves your price
- Vehicle type: MoneyGeek’s national averages run from $110 a month for a sedan to $189 for a van
- The liability limits you choose, since UM/UIM follows them above 50/100 unless you direct otherwise
- What the business does: transportation sits at the top of MoneyGeek’s industry averages
- Where vehicles are garaged and how often they run into other states or Canada
- Each driver’s record, including points on a Vermont license
- Your claims history and whether coverage has ever lapsed
Vermont
What’s different in Vermont
25/50/10 is the floor, and $10,000 goes fast
Under 23 V.S.A. § 800, every registered vehicle needs liability of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for injuries, and $10,000 for property damage. A work truck that totals a newer pickup or hits a storefront can pass $10,000 quickly, and anything above your limit becomes a claim against the business.
Uninsured motorist cover starts at double the liability floor
23 V.S.A. § 941 requires UM/UIM on every policy for a vehicle registered or principally garaged in Vermont: at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per crash for injuries, plus up to $10,000 for property damage subject to a $150 deductible. If your liability limits are higher, UM/UIM must match them unless you direct otherwise.
The owner answers for an uninsured vehicle, not just the driver
Section 800 bars an owner from operating or permitting the operation of a vehicle without the required insurance. A violation is a traffic violation with a civil penalty of up to $500, so letting an employee take out a vehicle that has dropped off the policy exposes the business as well as the driver.
No card at a stop: seven business days to fix it
Every driver must carry proof of insurance, on paper or on a phone. Under 23 V.S.A. § 800(c) and (d), a driver cited without it is not convicted if they send the agency proof of coverage in force at the time of the stop within seven business days; otherwise the penalty is up to $100.
An uninsured crash can cost a driver’s license
After a crash causing injury or $3,000 or more in damage, the DMV can demand proof of financial responsibility. A driver who cannot show insurance in force is suspended 20 days after notice under 23 V.S.A. §§ 801 and 802, and the DMV says reinstatement means proof of that insurance or an SR-22 for one year.
More than 50% at fault means no recovery
Under 12 V.S.A. § 1036, an injured party recovers only if their negligence was not greater than the defendants’, and the award shrinks by their share. When several parties are liable, each pays in proportion to its own fault, so how fault is assigned shapes what your insurer pays.
Coverage
Coverage Vermont businesses need
Commercial auto liability
Pays for injuries and property damage your vehicles cause to others, at no less than 25/50/10. Customers and general contractors often require higher limits on your certificate.
How commercial auto works →Uninsured and underinsured motorist
Required at 50/100 or your higher liability limits. It pays your drivers and passengers when the at-fault driver has no insurance, too little or drives off.
How commercial auto works →Physical damage
Collision and comprehensive for your own vehicles. Not required by state law, but lenders and lessors usually require it on financed vehicles.
How commercial auto works →Hired and non-owned auto
Covers the business when employees run errands in their own cars or you rent a vehicle. Their personal policies may not respond to business use.
How commercial auto works →Rideshare coverage
Drivers on a ride app need 50/100/25 while logged on and $1 million during a ride under 23 V.S.A. § 750; personal policies often exclude that time.
How commercial auto works →Umbrella or excess
Adds limits above auto liability when a contract asks for $1 million or more, or when one serious crash could exceed your primary limit.
How umbrella / excess works →Rules
Vermont requirements
Vermont’s financial responsibility law sets the same 25/50/10 floor for every registered vehicle and adds mandatory uninsured motorist cover at higher limits. Federal rules add more for interstate for-hire trucks, and ride app drivers have their own floors.
| Requirement | Applies to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum liability | Owners and operators of every registered vehicle | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash for injury and $10,000 property damage, under 23 V.S.A. § 800(a). |
| Uninsured and underinsured motorist | Policies on vehicles registered or principally garaged in Vermont | At least $50,000/$100,000 for injury and up to $10,000 property damage ($150 deductible); matches higher liability limits unless you direct otherwise, under 23 V.S.A. § 941. |
| Driving or allowing an uninsured vehicle | Owners and operators | Civil penalty of up to $500, treated as a traffic violation, under 23 V.S.A. § 800(b). |
| Proof in the vehicle | Every driver | Paper or electronic proof; up to $100 unless valid proof reaches the agency within seven business days, under 23 V.S.A. § 800(c)–(d). |
| Proof after a crash | Drivers in crashes with injury or $3,000 or more in damage | Show insurance in force or file proof; suspension 20 days after DMV notice, under 23 V.S.A. §§ 801–802. The DMV asks for an SR-22 for one year. |
| SR-22 filings | Drivers required to file proof | Filed by an insurer authorized in Vermont and cancellable only on 15 days’ notice to the DMV, under 23 V.S.A. § 804. |
| Self-insurance | Owners choosing to self-insure | Certificate requires at least $115,000 in unencumbered net worth, under 23 V.S.A. § 801(c). |
| Federal minimum liability | For-hire interstate property carriers with vehicles of 10,001 lb or more | $750,000 for general freight under 49 CFR 387.9. |
| USDOT number | Interstate operations | The Vermont DMV says one is generally required for vehicles over 10,000 lb, 9 to 15 passengers for pay, 16 or more passengers or hazardous materials. |
| Ride app drivers | Transportation network company drivers | 50/100/25 while logged on; $1 million liability, $1 million UM/UIM and $5,000 MedPay during a ride, under 23 V.S.A. § 750. |
Compare commercial auto options in Vermont.
One application, quotes from several insurers, reviewed by a licensed agent. Start with your email and finish later if you need to.
Pay less
How to lower the cost
- Check every driver’s record before hiring and each year: the Vermont DMV suspends a license at 10 points within two years.
- Keep coverage continuous and every vehicle on the schedule; an uninsured crash can mean an SR-22 for a year, per the DMV.
- Ask for quotes with UM/UIM at your full liability limits and at the 50/100 floor, and weigh the saving against your drivers’ protection.
- Raise collision and comprehensive deductibles on older vehicles you could repair or replace yourself.
- Use hired and non-owned auto rather than adding vehicles if staff only drive their own cars occasionally.
- Compare several quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.
Before you start
What underwriters ask for
- Vehicle schedule with VINs, years, values and any lienholder
- Vermont garaging address for each vehicle
- Driver list with license numbers, dates of birth and years of experience
- What the vehicles do and how far they travel, including trips to New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts or Canada
- USDOT number, if you run interstate
- Current declarations page showing liability and UM/UIM limits
- Loss runs from your current and prior insurers
- Limits your customers or contracts require on certificates
Common questions
Commercial auto insurance in Vermont: questions
Is Vermont a no-fault state?
No. Vermont requires liability and uninsured motorist cover but not personal injury protection, so the at-fault driver’s liability insurance pays. Fault is shared under 12 V.S.A. § 1036, and a party more than 50% at fault recovers nothing.
Does a Vermont policy cover my drivers in Canada?
23 V.S.A. § 941(b) requires every Vermont auto liability policy to cover bodily injury liability in Vermont and elsewhere in the United States and Canada. Check your policy for any other territory limits before regular cross-border runs.
Can my drivers show proof of insurance on a phone?
Yes. 23 V.S.A. § 800(c) allows proof on a portable electronic device, and showing it does not by itself let the officer access anything else on the phone.
Is the business fined if an employee drives an uninsured company vehicle?
It can be. Section 800 applies to an owner who permits operation of an uninsured vehicle as well as to the driver, with a civil penalty of up to $500.
Can a Vermont business self-insure its vehicles?
Yes, with a certificate from the DMV commissioner, who must be satisfied the owner has at least $115,000 in unencumbered net worth under 23 V.S.A. § 801(c). Failing to pay a final judgment is grounds to cancel it.
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Sources (9)
- Vermont General Assembly: 23 V.S.A. § 800, maintenance of financial responsibility (2026)
- Vermont General Assembly: Title 23, chapter 11, financial responsibility and insurance (2026)
- Vermont General Assembly: 23 V.S.A. § 941, uninsured and underinsured motorists (2026)
- Vermont General Assembly: Title 23, chapter 10, transportation network companies
- FindLaw: 12 V.S.A. § 1036, comparative negligence
- Vermont DMV: license suspensions and reinstatement
- Vermont DMV: commercial vehicles FAQs, who needs a USDOT number
- MoneyGeek: commercial auto insurance cost by state (updated October 2026)
- MoneyGeek: Vermont commercial auto insurance requirements (updated September 2026)
Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated November 2026.