What covered auto symbols are
On a garage or commercial auto policy, covered auto symbols are the two-digit numbers (21 through 31 on the ISO Garage Coverage Form) that define which vehicles a given coverage applies to. Each coverage on your policy — liability, physical damage, and so on — has one or more symbols next to it in the declarations, and those symbols are what actually determine whether a particular vehicle is a covered “auto.”
For a repair shop, the symbols matter enormously: the difference between a policy that covers customers’ vehicles in your care and one that doesn’t often comes down to whether Symbol 30 is on the policy. Understanding the symbols is how you make sure the coverage actually matches how your shop operates.
The garage coverage form symbols (21–31)
| Symbol | Name | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Any “auto” | The broadest liability symbol — covers any auto the shop uses. |
| 22 | Owned autos only | Only the autos the shop owns, including ones acquired after the policy starts. |
| 23 | Owned private passenger autos only | Only the shop-owned private passenger vehicles. |
| 24 | Owned autos other than private passenger | Shop-owned vehicles that aren’t private passenger type (trucks, etc.). |
| 25 | Owned autos subject to no-fault | Owned autos required to carry no-fault benefits in their state. |
| 26 | Owned autos subject to compulsory UM law | Owned autos that must carry uninsured-motorists coverage by state law. |
| 27 | Specifically described autos | Only the specific autos listed (and scheduled) on the policy. |
| 28 | Hired autos only | Autos the shop leases, hires, rents, or borrows (not from employees). |
| 29 | Non-owned autos used in your garage business | Autos the shop doesn’t own — e.g. employees’ cars — used in the business. |
| 30 | Autos left with you for service, repair, storage or safekeeping | The garage symbol. Any customer’s vehicle left with the shop for service, repair, storage, or safekeeping. |
| 31 | Dealers’ autos (physical damage) | Dealer inventory autos described on the policy — the dealers’ physical damage symbol. |
Based on the ISO Garage Coverage Form (CA 00 05). The symbols actually in force are the ones shown in your policy declarations. This is general information, not a statement of your coverage — coverage is governed solely by the terms of the issued policy.
The symbols that matter most for a repair shop
Symbol 30 — autos left with you for service, repair, storage or safekeeping. This is the one that speaks directly to a service shop. It addresses customers’ vehicles in your care — the same exposure your garagekeepers coverage responds to. If your shop takes in customer cars, this symbol is central.
Symbol 31 — dealers’ autos. The physical-damage symbol for dealer inventory. It applies to licensed dealer operations rather than pure service shops (dealers are handled separately).
Symbols 21–29 — your own and business-use autos. These cover the shop’s own vehicles, hired autos, and non-owned autos used in the business — the same ground as commercial auto coverage.
How the symbols connect to your coverage
Covered auto symbols aren’t a separate coverage you buy — they’re the dial that sets the scope of the coverages you already have. When you quote your shop, the symbols get matched to how you actually operate: whether you hold customer vehicles, run shop trucks, use employees’ cars, or road-test. Getting the symbols right is how the policy ends up fitting the bay. See the full coverage lineup or get a quote to talk through which symbols fit your operation.