---
title: "What Is Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance?"
description: "Hired and non-owned auto liability can protect your business when employees use personal or rented vehicles for work, but it does not cover damage to those vehicles."
canonical: "https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage/hired-non-owned-auto"
page-type: "coverage-article"
updated-at: "2026-09-16"
coverage-line: "hired-non-owned-auto"
---

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[Human-readable page](https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage/hired-non-owned-auto)

## Agent Guide

**What this page is:** National guide to What Is Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance?: what it covers, common policy questions, and which providers document offering it.

**Use this page when:** Explaining What Is Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance? in general terms. For a specific state's rules, use /coverage/hired-non-owned-auto/{state} instead.

**Questions this page answers:**
- What is What Is Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance??
- What does What Is Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance? cover and not cover?
- Which providers offer What Is Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance??
- What should I ask before buying What Is Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance??

**Key facts:**
- Lists 12 providers with documented What Is Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance? offerings, linked to their profiles.

**Limits (do not over-claim):**
- National overview only: state law, pricing, and availability vary and are not established here.
- Provider listings are documented offerings, not quotes, endorsements, or a guarantee of availability for a given business.
- Informational, not insurance, legal, or tax advice; a policy's actual terms control.

**Provenance:** Cited editorial guide, updated 2026-09-16. See the Sources section for each claim.

**Related pages:**
- [Coverage directory](https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage) — parent hub
- [Business insurance by state](https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage/states) — state-specific requirements
- [What Is Commercial Auto Insurance?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage/commercial-auto) — related coverage
- [What Is General Liability Insurance?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage/general-liability) — related coverage
- [What Is Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage/umbrella-excess) — related coverage
- [Editorial policy](https://thegeneralaverage.com/editorial-policy) — how sources are chosen and reviewed

# What Is Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance?

Hired and non-owned auto liability can protect your business when employees use personal or rented vehicles for work, but it does not cover damage to those vehicles.

## Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance Summary

Hired and non-owned auto (HNOA) liability protects the business when rented cars or employees’ own cars are used for work. It does not pay for damage to those vehicles, and it is not a substitute for commercial auto on vehicles the business owns. [1](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm) [2](https://www.hiscox.com/small-business-insurance/business-owner-insurance/non-owned-auto-liability) [2](https://www.hiscox.com/small-business-insurance/business-owner-insurance/non-owned-auto-liability) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

## What Does Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance Cover?

A collision during a client visit or delivery can expose your business to a liability claim even when the employee owns or rents the car. [1](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm) [2](https://www.hiscox.com/small-business-insurance/business-owner-insurance/non-owned-auto-liability)

If your employees drive rented or personal cars for work, hired and non-owned auto liability can protect your business from covered accident claims. [1](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm) [2](https://www.hiscox.com/small-business-insurance/business-owner-insurance/non-owned-auto-liability)

### Rented and Employee-Owned Vehicles

Separate vehicles rented for business from employees’ personal vehicles used for business errands. [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

### Liability Versus Vehicle Damage

Liability for an accident and damage to the rented or employee-owned vehicle are separate questions; HNOA liability does not itself provide vehicle-damage coverage. [2](https://www.hiscox.com/small-business-insurance/business-owner-insurance/non-owned-auto-liability) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

## Who Needs Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance?

Consider HNOA if employees drive personal or rented cars for work, including errands, client visits and deliveries. [4](https://www.phly.com/cms/assets/1ZkDLtuSvrw6bsOg3VfHEf/Application_-_Hired_and_Non-Owned_Auto_Questionnaire.pdf) [4](https://www.phly.com/cms/assets/1ZkDLtuSvrw6bsOg3VfHEf/Application_-_Hired_and_Non-Owned_Auto_Questionnaire.pdf)

## Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance Coverage Examples

### An Employee Has an Accident on an Errand

An employee collecting office supplies in their own car causes an accident. The other driver sues your company.

HNOA may protect the company's liability. Its terms determine how it works with the employee's personal insurance and whether the employee is insured too. [1](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm) [2](https://www.hiscox.com/small-business-insurance/business-owner-insurance/non-owned-auto-liability) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

### Your Team Damages a Rental Van

Your team rents a van for an event and damages both the van and another vehicle.

HNOA liability may address the damage to the other vehicle. It doesn't itself pay to repair the rental van; that needs vehicle-damage protection. [1](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm) [2](https://www.hiscox.com/small-business-insurance/business-owner-insurance/non-owned-auto-liability) [2](https://www.hiscox.com/small-business-insurance/business-owner-insurance/non-owned-auto-liability) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

## Whose Liability and Which Uses Are Covered?

### The Business and the Driver

Confirm whose liability is insured: protection for the business does not automatically establish protection for the employee driving. [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

### Rental Arrangements and Driving Use

Tell the broker who signs rental agreements and whether vehicles are rented in the business’s or an employee’s name. [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

Describe deliveries, regular driving and occasional errands separately when discussing eligible vehicle use. [4](https://www.phly.com/cms/assets/1ZkDLtuSvrw6bsOg3VfHEf/Application_-_Hired_and_Non-Owned_Auto_Questionnaire.pdf)

## How Do You Compare Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance Coverage and Costs?

### Other Insurance and Limits

HNOA needs to work with the driver's personal insurance or the rental coverage. Ask which policy pays first, where the business's protection begins, and whose liability that answer actually covers — protection for the company doesn't automatically extend to the employee. [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

Compare the liability limit and defense terms, including how the limit applies to multiple claims from one accident. [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

| Comparison point | What to ask |
| --- | --- |
| Other insurance | Which policy responds first: the driver’s personal insurance, the rental coverage, or the business quote? |
| Liability limit | How does the limit apply to one accident, including claims from several people? |
| Defense | Who defends, and do defense expenses reduce the limit? |
| Who is insured | Is the business the insured, the driver, or both? |

[3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

### Property Carried and Owned Vehicles

Ask separately about property being transported and damage to property in your care. [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

When the business buys a vehicle, revisit commercial-auto coverage rather than treating it as a hired or non-owned vehicle. [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

## What Do You Need for Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance Quotes?

### Drivers and Rentals

Prepare the number of employees who drive for work, how often they drive, and the purposes of those trips. [4](https://www.phly.com/cms/assets/1ZkDLtuSvrw6bsOg3VfHEf/Application_-_Hired_and_Non-Owned_Auto_Questionnaire.pdf)

Gather rental vehicle types, rental duration and spending, and information about existing liability insurance. [4](https://www.phly.com/cms/assets/1ZkDLtuSvrw6bsOg3VfHEf/Application_-_Hired_and_Non-Owned_Auto_Questionnaire.pdf)

### Driving and Insurance Controls

Be ready to describe driving-record checks and how the business confirms employees’ personal auto insurance. [4](https://www.phly.com/cms/assets/1ZkDLtuSvrw6bsOg3VfHEf/Application_-_Hired_and_Non-Owned_Auto_Questionnaire.pdf)

| Prepare | Ask the broker |
| --- | --- |
| Employees who drive | How many drive for work, how often and for what purposes? |
| Rentals | Which vehicles do you rent, for how long and at what cost? |
| Existing insurance | Which personal, rental or business policy may respond first? |
| Driver controls | What checks do you use for driving records and personal auto insurance? |

[4](https://www.phly.com/cms/assets/1ZkDLtuSvrw6bsOg3VfHEf/Application_-_Hired_and_Non-Owned_Auto_Questionnaire.pdf) [4](https://www.phly.com/cms/assets/1ZkDLtuSvrw6bsOg3VfHEf/Application_-_Hired_and_Non-Owned_Auto_Questionnaire.pdf) [4](https://www.phly.com/cms/assets/1ZkDLtuSvrw6bsOg3VfHEf/Application_-_Hired_and_Non-Owned_Auto_Questionnaire.pdf)

## Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance: Key Terms in Plain English

### Hired Auto

A vehicle rented for business; explain who signs the rental agreement. [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

### Non-Owned Auto

An employee's personal vehicle used for business. Check the insured people and business uses. [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

## Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance: A Policy Example to Compare

See [Corgi's guide](https://www.corgi.insure/hired-non-owned-auto) for an example of one provider's coverage terms and optional extensions.

## Frequently Asked Questions About Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance

### Does HNOA Pay to Repair the Rental Car?

No. HNOA liability doesn't itself provide vehicle-damage coverage. Arrange protection for the rental vehicle separately. [2](https://www.hiscox.com/small-business-insurance/business-owner-insurance/non-owned-auto-liability) [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

### What Changes When the Business Buys a Vehicle?

A company-owned vehicle isn't hired or non-owned. Revisit commercial auto coverage when the business buys it. [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

### Does HNOA Protect the Employee Who Is Driving?

Protection for your business does not automatically insure the employee’s own liability. Confirm whose liability the HNOA policy covers when an employee uses a personal or rented vehicle for work. [3](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf)

## What Coverage Is Related to Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance?

- [What Is Commercial Auto Insurance?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage/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.
- [What Is General Liability Insurance?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage/general-liability) — General liability can protect your business when a customer or visitor claims you caused injury or damaged their property. It suits businesses serving customers or working on their premises; your own building, tools and stock need property coverage.
- [What Is Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage/umbrella-excess) — Umbrella or excess insurance adds liability limits above the policies named in the quote after a covered claim exhausts their limits. It may fit if a contract sets higher limits; check which primary policies are listed and any gaps between them.

## Which Insurance Providers Offer Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance?

### [AIG](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/aig)

AIG Manufactured Housing Program lists hired and non-owned auto for that program; this does not establish a standalone broad HNOA product.

### [Amelia Risk](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/amelia-risk)

Amelia Risk arranges hired and non-owned auto liability for startups and consumer-product businesses.

### [Beazley](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/beazley)

Beazley offers hired and non-owned auto coverage within its environmental-services package.

### [CNA](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/cna)

coverage within Commercial Auto

### [Corgi](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/corgi)

Corgi lists hired and non-owned auto liability for employees using rented or personal vehicles for company business.

### [Founder Shield](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/foundershield)

Founder Shield lists hired and non-owned auto among its specialized coverage offerings.

### [Foxquilt](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/foxquilt)

Advertised as a Hired & non-owned feature beneath Foxquilt’s Commercial Auto card; no distinct HNOA policy or terms established.

### [Heffernan Insurance Brokers](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/heffernan)

Heffernan arranges hired and non-owned auto liability.

### [HUB International](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/hub-international)

HUB International arranges hired and non-owned auto coverage through its commercial auto brokerage.

### [Kinro](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/kinro)

Kinro lists hired and non-owned auto for liability questions involving personal or rented vehicles used for business.

### [Markel Insurance](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/markel)

Hired/non-owned auto option in small-business casualty; not commercial auto

### [The Hartford](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-providers/the-hartford)

The Hartford offers hired and non-owned auto coverage.

## Sources for Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance

1. [Commercial Insurance Guide](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm). California Department of Insurance; Commercial General Liability; Commercial Automobile; What Should I Expect from a Broker-Agent?; How Are Commercial Policies Rated? Accessed 2026-09-16.
2. [Non-Owned Auto Liability Insurance](https://www.hiscox.com/small-business-insurance/business-owner-insurance/non-owned-auto-liability). Hiscox; What is covered?; Who is covered; What the policy does not cover. Accessed 2026-09-16.
3. [Business Auto Coverage Form](https://nationalgeneral.com/forms_catalog/CA0001_10012013.pdf). ISO; hosted by National General; I.A p.1; II.A pp.2–3; II.B pp.3–4; III pp.4–6; IV.B.5 p.7. Accessed 2026-09-16.
4. [Non-Owned & Hired Auto Questionnaire](https://www.phly.com/cms/assets/1ZkDLtuSvrw6bsOg3VfHEf/Application_-_Hired_and_Non-Owned_Auto_Questionnaire.pdf). Philadelphia Insurance Companies; Page 1: Account Information; Section I questions 1–11; Section II questions 1–7. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated 2026-09-16. Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. [Editorial policy](https://thegeneralaverage.com/editorial-policy). To suggest a correction, [email The General Average](mailto:thegeneralaverage@spot.insure) with the page URL and supporting source.

## Agent and Developer Resources

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