Kentucky motor vehicle dealer bonds.
From $100.
Also known as the Kentucky auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
When the Kentucky Motor Vehicle Commission requires a dealer bond, it sets the amount — up to $100,000 under KRS 190.030 — based on your sales and financial position. The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
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How much does a Kentucky motor vehicle dealer bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps to licensed.
Your dealer license is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, the bond amount the Commission set, and an effective date. The only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
E-sign & file with the Commission
Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your Motor Vehicle Commission dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Kentucky licenses motor vehicle dealers through the Motor Vehicle Commission under KRS Chapter 190. The Commission can condition a license on a surety bond, and under KRS 190.030 it may require a bond up to $100,000 when it has cause to question a dealer’s financial responsibility or compliance.
The bond is a consumer-and-public-protection guarantee: it stands behind clear title on the vehicles you sell and your compliance with Kentucky’s motor vehicle sales laws. It’s a three-party arrangement — you (the principal), the surety, and the Commonwealth together with harmed buyers as the protected parties.
The amount is set by the Commission from your prior sales and financial position — dealers who can demonstrate the required liquid assets may avoid a bond, while others are bonded between $15,000 and $100,000. We issue whatever figure the Commission names starting from $100, with one soft credit pull that never touches your score. If the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
E-sign & file with the Commission. Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your Motor Vehicle Commission dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application: approved instantly, or after a quick credit check.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Kentucky bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
The Motor Vehicle Commission is waiting on one document.
From $100, short application, soft pull only, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.