Get Started

Commercial Auto Insurance in New York

New York requires registered vehicles to keep financial security through the registration period; if insurance ends, the owner must maintain another accepted security form or surrender the plates and registration. Passenger-for-hire operators have separate per-vehicle filings, including a $1.5 million CSL for vehicles with eight or more seats, subject to a commuter-van exception. 1,2,3

What Is Commercial Auto?

Commercial auto suits businesses that use vehicles for work and need liability protection; damage to your own vehicles is a separate coverage choice. If employees drive personal or rented cars, check how those trips are handled. Read the national Commercial auto guide.

New York Requirements

RequirementDetails
Passenger-for-hire vehicle (8+ seats)$1.5 million combined single limit; NYC commuter van exception: $500,000 2
Registered motor vehicle securityMaintain financial security continuously; insurance is one permitted method 1

What to Watch for in New York

  • Do Not Cancel Before Plates or Replacement Security

    New York requires continuous financial security during registration. When auto insurance ends, maintain another accepted form or surrender the plates and registration; a parked registered unit is not exempt from the DMV insurance rule. Coordinate cancellation and surrender timing with the fleet administrator. 1,3

  • Seat Count Changes Passenger-for-Hire Limits

    VTL §370 requires $1.5 million CSL for passenger-for-hire vehicles with eight or more seats; NYC-code commuter vans have a $500,000 CSL exception. Units with seven or fewer seats use a different schedule. Confirm legal vehicle capacity and whether the vehicle meets the commuter-van definition before quoting. 2

  • File Each For-Hire Vehicle with DMV

    Passenger-for-hire operators must file approved insurance or bond evidence with the DMV for each vehicle. The statute also requires passenger UM coverage. Ask the insurer to confirm the correct per-vehicle filing and show the UM protection on the policy. 2

  • Keep the Insured and Registrant Names Aligned

    NY DMV says insurance and registration must be in exactly the same name and the insurer must electronically report coverage. Check entity names across the registration, policy schedule and insurer DMV transmission before renewing or transferring plates. 3

Who Regulates Insurance in New York

New York State Department of Financial Services

New York DFS supervises insurance companies and producers, administers insurance law and accepts consumer complaints about property and casualty policies, including commercial insurance. 4,5,6,7

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 3.6% of gross premium, less returned premium; ELANY stamping fee is 0.15% through 2026 and 0.17% for policies incepting on/after Jan. 1, 2027 When New York is the insured’s home state, excess-line tax is 3.6% of gross premium less returned premium. ELANY’s September 20, 2026 bulletin sets a 0.15% stamping fee through December 31, 2026 and 0.17% for policies incepting on or after January 1, 2027; statutory search requirements and guaranty-fund protection depend on the applicable New York excess-line rules. 8,9,10,11

Excess Line Association of New York

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Commercial auto; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in New York. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • CorgiCorgi Insurance Services, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28Corgi’s company producer-license table lists 50 jurisdictions: 49 states and the District of Columbia, including DC license 3003091619. New Mexico does not appear in the table and is not included here; the omission does not establish that Corgi is unlicensed there. The company-reported table has no stated as-of date and does not establish product availability. 14
  • TechInsuranceSpecialty Program Group LLCInsurance producer · checked 2026-09-28TechInsurance’s current licensing page names Specialty Program Group LLC / SPG Insurance Solutions and lists state license numbers, but labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses” rather than identifying a license for the named agency. RI is omitted because this disclosure does not establish agency authority there; this is a search limitation, not an assertion that the company is unlicensed. The remaining state entries are company-reported and are not an insurance product availability map. 16

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in New York

  1. Is this vehicle commercial-registered, passenger-for-hire, or both under New York’s filing rules?
  2. What is its rated seating capacity, and does the NYC commuter-van exception apply?
  3. Who will electronically report the coverage and file the per-vehicle for-hire proof before registration?

Commercial Auto in New York: FAQ

What insurance does New York require for a passenger-for-hire vehicle? 2

New York requires filed liability evidence for each vehicle. A vehicle with eight or more seats generally needs $1.5 million CSL; a qualifying New York City commuter van has a $500,000 exception. 2

Can I cancel insurance on a New York commercial vehicle while it is stored? 1,3

Not while it remains registered unless you maintain another accepted financial-security form. NY DMV says registered vehicles must remain insured even in storage; otherwise surrender the plates and registration first. 1,3

Commercial Auto in Other States

Other Coverage in New York

Sources

  1. N.Y. Vehicle & Traffic Law §312. New York State Senate; Subsection 1(a)–(b): registration proof and continuous financial security; surrender registration/plates if insurance ends unless other security maintained; latest page revision 2014. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. N.Y. Vehicle & Traffic Law §370. New York State Senate; Subsection 1: per-vehicle passenger-for-hire policy/bond, seat schedules, commuter-van CSL exception, UM protection; latest page revision 2024. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. Auto Liability Insurance. New York State Department of Motor Vehicles; Liability Insurance and No Coverage: registered vehicle insurance even in storage, NY-licensed insurer/electronic filing, registration-insured name match, surrender before ending coverage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. New York State Department of Financial Services. New York State Department of Financial Services; Official regulator homepage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Who We Supervise. New York State Department of Financial Services; DFS describes insurance oversight and provides links to company and producer searches. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. Consumer Complaints. New York State Department of Financial Services; Official portal files insurance complaints for health, life and property/casualty insurance. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. New York Insurance Law §2118(d)(1). New York State Senate; Current statutory text: 3.6% of gross premiums less returned premium when New York is the insured’s home state. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. ELANY Bulletin 2026-20: Notice of Change in Stamping Fee. Excess Line Association of New York; September 20, 2026 bulletin: 0.17% applies to policies incepting from Jan. 1, 2027; endorsements on policies incepting Jan. 1, 2023–Dec. 31, 2026 retain 0.15%; excess-line tax remains 3.6%. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. New York Insurance Law §2118. New York State Senate; Excess-line broker duties and filing requirements; §2118(a) due care; exceptions should be applied only where statutory conditions are met. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. New York Insurance Law §2118. New York State Senate; Excess-line statutory duties and policies; source is used for placement context. No state-specific guaranty cap/note included. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  11. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  12. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  13. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  14. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  15. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  16. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

Get Help With Insurance Buying and Renewals.

Get help buying coverage and managing renewals, with less paperwork for your team. Start with a free consultation.

Talk to Spot