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What Is Comprehensive Liability Insurance?
The term “comprehensive general liability insurance” is an outdated term. It was a way to refer to general liability insurance. This insurance helps protect your business from liability arising from normal business operations.Your insurance company typically doesn’t use the term “comprehensive” anymore. The term could have broader interpretations. However, this isn’t true for general liability insurance. That’s because it doesn’t cover all types of general liability claims.
Definition of Comprehensive General Liability Insurance
Comprehensive general liability insurance is an outdated term for general liability insurance. Another common name for general liability coverage is commercial general liability (CGL) insurance. It helps protect your business from claims that it caused:- Bodily injuries
- Property damage
- Personal injury, such as libel or slander
Still feeling unsure of the comprehensive general liability insurance meaning? Or wondering what injuries or property damage it helps cover? Read through our general liability insurance definition page.
What Does Comprehensive General Liability Insurance Cover?
Many small business owners get comprehensive general liability insurance coverage. It's an essential coverage that helps protect a business from common claims. The coverage can help protect against certain liability claims, like:- Third-party bodily injury where you’re sued because someone got hurt on your property, like a customer slipping on your floor.
- Third-party property damage if you wreck someone else’s property while doing work for them.
- Personal injury, like libel or slander. This is also known as reputational harm.
What Is Not Covered by a CGL Policy?
Your commercial general liability insurance coverage won’t help cover every liability claim. Here are some scenarios that general liability insurance won’t cover and an explanation of what kind of insurance you’d need:
- A customer sues your business because your employee gave them bad financial advice. Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance, can help protect you from claims that you made a mistake in the professional services given.
- Hackers break into your business’ computer systems and steal personally identifiable information. To help respond to this incident, you’d need data breach insurance, which some insurers call cyber liability insurance.
- Your employee causes a car accident while driving the company van. Commercial auto insurance can help pays costs related to the accident.
- The neighboring restaurant’s kitchen fire spreads to your business. It causes you to shut down for weeks during repairs. Business income insurance can help pay for your lost income during this time.
- Your employee gets a work-related injury or illness and needs medical attention. Workers’ compensation insurance can help pay for their treatment and other benefits.
- Someone breaks into your business and damages your computers and furniture. Commercial property insurance helps protect your building, tools and inventory that you use to operate. Coverage applies whether you own or rent the property.
To learn more about what type of insurance you need, get a quote today.
How Much Does CGL Cost?
Our customers pay an average of $1,057 a year, or about $88 a month, for general liability insurance.1 Remember, commercial general liability insurance cost varies. That’s because every business is unique.
Insurance companies use different factors when determining insurance cost. This can include:
- Industry risk
- Company size
- Location
- Claims history
- Coverage limits
- Deductibles
Get a CGL Insurance Quote
We're an experienced insurance company backed by more than 200 years of experience. You can count on us to help you find the right business insurance at an affordable price. Our specialists are here to help you get the coverage you need. Whether you have questions about general liability insurance or need help with a claim, we've got your back. To learn more, get a free general liability insurance quote online from us today.
Last Updated: November 2, 2022
1 Premium amounts presented are based on monthly premium paid by The Hartford’s Small Business customers between 1/1/21 and 12/31/21 for 12-month policies. Premium is derived from a number of factors specific to your business and may vary.
Additional disclosures below.