Coverage
Restaurant Delivery Insurance: The Gap in Your Auto Coverage
The moment a shift lead runs an order out in their own car, a coverage gap opens. Here’s how to close it.
By Restaurant Insurance Authority Editorial Team · Reviewed by J. Robert Smith ·
Delivery looks simple until there’s a crash. Then everyone discovers whose insurance pays — and often, nobody’s does. This is one of the most common uncovered exposures in food service.
If your restaurant delivers — in your own vehicles, employees’ cars, or via third-party apps — general liability and personal auto policies leave gaps. You need commercial auto for owned vehicles and hired-and-non-owned auto (HNOA) for employees driving their own cars on the job. A personal policy can deny a crash claim during a delivery.
The delivery gap nobody plans for
Personal auto policies exclude business use. When an employee crashes while delivering an order in their own car, their insurer can deny the claim — and the injured party looks to the restaurant. Your general liability won’t respond to an auto claim either. That’s the gap.
Which coverage you actually need
- [Commercial auto](/commercial-auto-insurance/) — for delivery vehicles the restaurant owns. Expect roughly $170–$180 a month per vehicle, more for larger or for-hire vehicles.
- Hired-and-non-owned auto (HNOA) — for employees using their own cars for deliveries and catering runs. It protects the business, not the employee’s car.
- Umbrella — extra limits above auto, useful once you have drivers on the road daily.
What about DoorDash or Uber Eats?
Third-party platforms carry coverage for their own drivers during a trip — but that does nothing for your restaurant’s liability or for employees making in-house deliveries. If you run any of your own delivery, you still need your own commercial auto and HNOA.
Before you start delivering
- Add commercial auto for any vehicle the restaurant owns or leases.
- Add HNOA if employees ever use personal cars for work.
- Check driver motor-vehicle records and set a simple driving policy.
- Consider an umbrella once delivery is a daily part of operations.
Delivering already, or about to? Get a quote and a licensed agent will close the auto gap before a crash finds it.
Frequently asked
- Do I need commercial auto insurance for food delivery?
- Yes, if the restaurant owns the delivery vehicles. Personal auto policies exclude business use and can deny a claim from a crash during a delivery. For employees using their own cars, add hired-and-non-owned auto (HNOA), which protects the business from liability when a worker drives their personal vehicle on the job.
- What is hired and non-owned auto insurance?
- Hired-and-non-owned auto (HNOA) covers your business’s liability when employees drive vehicles the business doesn’t own — their own cars or rentals — for work like deliveries and catering runs. It does not repair the employee’s car; it shields the restaurant from lawsuits after an at-fault crash on the job.
- Does DoorDash or Uber Eats insurance cover my restaurant?
- Only the platform’s own driver, and only during a trip. Third-party delivery services carry coverage for their drivers, but it does not protect your restaurant’s liability or your employees making in-house deliveries. If you run your own delivery, you still need commercial auto and hired-and-non-owned auto of your own.
Sources
- Insureon: Commercial Auto Insuranceindustryretrieved 2026-09-11
- Insureon: Restaurant Insurance Costsindustryretrieved 2026-09-11
Close the delivery gap
Owned vehicles need commercial auto; employees’ cars need HNOA. A licensed agent can add both before a delivery crash puts the business on the hook.
Talk to an agent who insures food & beverage every day
A licensed commercial-lines agent who specializes in restaurants and bars will review your coverage, close the gaps that catch owners, and show you what a program actually costs — before anything is bound.