Car insurance is not very exciting. Depending on which state
you live in, it could be a smaller or larger piece of your budget
than your neighbors across state lines.
How much insurance should you buy? Any insurance agent worthy
of their salt will tell you that you should buy as much as you
can afford. While this is a good rule of thumb, it is about as
useful as a stockbroker's tip to buy low and sell high. It might
be sound logic but it does not get you any closer to an educated
decision. A few filters need consideration in order to make that
educated decision. First, what is the state required minimum
coverage where you live? Second, what does the minimum cover?
Third, what other coverage is available and can you afford it?
Fourthly, what are you protecting?
You can use our easy
Insurance Coverage Calculator
or get an
auto insurance quote
to see the recommended coverage levels.
What is the minimum for your state?
You can get up to date
state minimum requirements by following this link
and selecting your state
.
The first two figures refer to Bodily Injury Liability Limits.
For example, 20/40 means coverage up to $20,000 for each person
injured in an accident, up to a maximum of $40,000 forth entire
accident, and then you could have 20/40/10 with $10,000 worth of
coverage for property damage.
What do the minimums cover?
Now that you know what your state requires, what are you
actually covered for once you purchase the minimum? Using the
coverage definitions that follow, find the types of coverage
required and see what your state says is the accepted
minimum.
Coverage Definitions
Bodily Injury Liability covers other people's bodily injuries
or death for which you are responsible. It also provides for a
legal defense if another party in the accident files a lawsuit
against you. Claims for bodily injury may be for such things as
medical bills, loss of income or pain and suffering. In the event
of a serious accident, you want enough insurance to cover a
judgment against you in a lawsuit, without jeopardizing your
personal assets. Bodily injury liability covers injury to people,
not your vehicle. Therefore, it's good idea to have the same
level of coverage for all of your cars. Bodily Injury Liability
does NOT cover you or other people on your policy. Coverage is
limited to the terms and conditions contained in the policy.
Comprehensive covers your vehicle, and sometimes other
vehicles you maybe driving for losses resulting from incidents
other than collision. For example, comprehensive insurance covers
damage to your car if it is stolen; or damaged by flood, fire, or
animals. Pays to fix your vehicle less the deductible you choose.
To keep your premiums low, select as high a deductible as you
feel comfortable paying out of pocket. Coverage is limited to the
terms and conditions contained in the policy.
Collision covers damage to your car when your car hits, or is
hit by, another vehicle, or other object. Pays to fix your
vehicle less the deductible you choose. To keep your premiums
low, select as large a deductible as you feel comfortable paying
out of pocket. For older cars, consider dropping this coverage,
since coverage is normally limited to the cash value of your car.
Coverage is limited to the terms and conditions contained in the
policy.
Medical Payments covers medical expenses to you and your
passengers injured in an accident. There may also be coverage if
as a pedestrian a vehicle injures you. Does NOT matter who is at
fault. Coverage is limited to the terms and conditions contained
in the policy.
Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury covers bodily injuries to you
and your passengers when the other person has no insurance or not
enough insurance in a crash that is not your fault. In some
states, there is also uninsured motorist coverage for damage to
your vehicle. Given the large number of uninsured motorists, this
is very important coverage to have, even in states with no-fault
insurance. Coverage is limited to the terms and conditions
contained in the policy
Personal Injury Protection covers within the specified limits,
the medical, hospital and funeral expenses of the insured, others
in his vehicles and pedestrians struck by him. The basic coverage
for the insured's own injuries on first-party basis, without
regard to fault. It is only available in certain states.
Property Damage Liability covers you if your car damages
someone else's property. Usually it is their car, but it could be
a fence, a house or any other property damaged in an accident. It
also provides you with legal defense if another party files a
lawsuit against you. It is a good idea to purchase enough of this
insurance to cover the amount of damage your car might do to
another vehicle or object. Coverage is limited to the terms and
conditions contained in the policy.
Rental Car Reimbursement covers renting a car if your car
isn't drivable or while your car is being repaired because of a
covered accident.
What else is available and can you afford it?
Did you come across a coverage and think, "I need that but it
isn't required by state law" when you were reviewing the coverage
definitions? Chances are you did. Can your budget afford the
additional expense of these protections? Alternatively, maybe
more to the point can you afford NOT to have these additional
protections? At CarInsurance.com it is easy to get multiple
quotes all with a click of your mouse. Moreover, during the
quoting process, it is simple to add or remove coverage to see
how additional coverage will affect your budget.
You can learn more about
Insurance Coverages
by following this link.
What are you protecting?
What assets need to be protected from being plucked away if
you cause injury or damage? A) Your car itself. If this is a
significant asset, or at least the bank you owe money to thinks
so, then you will need comprehensive and collision. B) Your net
worth. Do you have an enormous net worth to protect. If so,
either take it out of your name and put it into a trust or buy
all the insurance you can. If you have little or nothing to
protect, then you can get by with less and still be financially
responsible.
However, after you determine how much protection to get,
always ask how much more it is for the next level higher. Very
often, you can get significantly more coverage for very little
cost.
Car insurance is not flashy. There is no "wow" factor and the
opposite gender is not going to be impressed by the size of your
policy. Nevertheless, not having enough can be the difference
between financial stability and financial ruin. For what its
worth, CarInsurance.com finds financial stability incredibly
appealing.