How Much Car Insurance Do I Need?

If you drive a car, you must demonstrate “financial responsibility,” which means you may pay for damages if you or another person operating your vehicle causes an accident.

Every state has a financial responsibility mandate of some kind, and the majority of drivers fulfill this obligation by purchasing auto insurance. Usually, it’s the simplest and least expensive option. Your state could require you to post a bond that can cost up to $50,000 to prove your financial responsibility if you don’t want auto insurance.

The next obvious question is: How much automobile insurance do I need? once you’ve ruled out the possibility of paying your state tens of thousands of dollars.

  • Having liability auto insurance is typically a necessity, although each state has different coverage standards.
  • You could be required to have extra types of insurance, such as uninsured motorist coverage, personal injury protection, or medical costs coverage, depending on where you live.
  • Auto insurance with collision and comprehensive coverage is frequently required of drivers who borrow or lease their vehicles.

To discover the finest coverage at the lowest cost, compare auto insurance quotes.

How Much Car Insurance Do You Really Need?

You must purchase the bare minimum amount of automobile insurance mandated by your state. State requirements, however, are grossly insufficient and do not cover the costs of repairing your own vehicle. You’ll need to purchase more than the bare minimum if you want better coverage.

There are various coverage options available. You can create a solid policy that meets your individual insurance needs if you have a basic understanding of the most common types of auto insurance.

Is Car Insurance Required?

In 49 of the 50 states, having liability insurance is required. In which states is automobile insurance not required? The lone state, New Hampshire, does not need insurance, but it does demand that you demonstrate that you can satisfy the state’s basic standards for financial responsibility in the event of an accident.

The legal requirements for liability insurance vary from state to state, with some needing uninsured motorist coverage or personal injury protection while others merely require liability insurance for physical harm and property damage. Despite the variations in the standards, they all serve the same fundamental objective: to shield individuals from suffering financial loss as a result of another driver’s carelessness on the road. To ensure that you continue to adhere to your state’s obligations, it is crucial to keep up with its rules and regulations.

How Much Car Insurance Coverage Do You Need?

The questions of how much auto insurance you require and how much is necessary are very dissimilar. Before deciding how much to purchase for auto insurance, it’s critical to understand how it functions.

State regulations are frequently significantly less than what is required to safeguard your finances in the case of an accident. For most drivers, 100/300/100, or $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident in bodily injury liability, and $100,000 per accident in property damage liability, are the optimum liability coverage. If you create a considerable amount of damage in an accident when you were at fault, you want to be completely protected.

Additionally, you should purchase the maximum amounts of personal injury protection (PIP), uninsured motorist protection, and other coverages mandated by state law. Keeping in mind that you will be held liable for all harm you cause in an accident, you should carry at least 100/300/100 in liability insurance to safeguard your assets and future income.

Although comprehensive and collision insurance are not mandated by law, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have them. Your lender may require comprehensive collision coverage if you have a loan on your car. Choosing between liability-only insurance and comprehensive coverage can result in annual savings of several hundred dollars. Your lender can also want additional coverage, like gap coverage or windshield coverage, to ensure that their investment is protected.

These coverages are also a smart choice if you can’t pay for an extensive repair out-of-pocket or can’t afford to replace your automobile if it is totaled. Your car can sustain damage in a variety of ways, including

Thus, it is wise to ensure you are protected from any possible loss.

The prices for the three different coverage levels—state-minimum comprehensive and collision with a $1,000 deductible, state-minimum liability-only coverage, and 100/300/100 comprehensive and collision with a $1,000 deductible—are shown in the table below. The car insurance calculator on MoneyGeek can also provide a more accurate estimate based on your age, vehicle, and driving record.

Liability insurance

If you cause an accident and are at fault, liability insurance will pay for any injuries and property damage caused by others. If you are sued due to an accident, it also covers your defense in court as well as any settlements or awards.

Liability auto insurance combines two distinct types of protection:

  • When you cause an accident, bodily injury liability compensates for any injuries to other drivers, their passengers, and any injured pedestrians.
  • When you cause an accident, your property damage liability coverage covers damage to the other person’s property, including their vehicle.

Some instances of what liability insurance covers are as follows:

  • At a stoplight, you hit the rear of another vehicle, causing damage.
  • You run over your neighbor’s fence.
  • The other driver gets hurt in an automobile accident that you caused.
  • Except for New Hampshire and Virginia, almost every state has a minimum liability insurance requirement (although both states have some liability requirements under certain conditions).
  • For instance, in California, you must carry liability insurance with a minimum of $15,000 for single-person bodily injury, $30,000 for multiple-person bodily injury in a single auto accident, and $5,000 for property damage (written as 15/30/5).

But here’s the issue: These sums are insufficient if you cause a catastrophic auto accident. $5,000 worth of property damage won’t go you very far if you total someone else’s car. Medical costs for a car accident with several injuries that you caused might easily go beyond $30,000. Any sum in excess of your coverage limits is your responsibility.

What kind of liability coverage should I purchase?

Purchasing enough liability insurance to cover the amount you would lose in a lawsuit against you in the event that you cause a car accident is a decent general rule of thumb. A coverage with 250/500/100 would be a far better option in California than the required minimum.

Consider purchasing an umbrella insurance policy to provide additional liability coverage beyond your standard auto and house insurance plans. An umbrella policy is a reasonably priced way to add an extra $1 million (or more) in liability protection.

Insurance for uninsured drivers

If someone hits you and has neither enough nor enough liability insurance, your medical bills will be covered by an uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) insurance. Some states mandate uninsured motorist coverage, while others make it optional. You usually have the opportunity to decline the coverage in writing in states where UM is optional.

If UM is offered in your state, having it is a wise choice. UM coverage covers:

  • Health-related costs for both you and your passengers
  • lost wages if an auto accident injury prevents you from working
  • funeral costs
  • Distress and suffering
  • auto damage (depending on your state)

How much coverage against uninsured drivers should I purchase? Typically, you must buy UM in an amount equal to your liability insurance. For instance, you’ll need to get the same amount of UM insurance if your policy is 250/500/100.

comprehensive and collision insurance

Collision and comprehensive insurance are required if you want coverage for auto repair costs. They cover a variety of issues, including car accidents, car theft, vandalism, collisions with animals, falling items, fires, floods, and hail damage. They are frequently marketed combined.

Your lender or leasing company will probably demand you to carry both of them if you have a car loan or lease.

How much comprehensive collision insurance should I purchase? Both types of coverage will pay for the costs of replacing or repairing your car if it is harmed by an issue that is covered by the policy. The amount you’ll have to pay out of pocket if you file an insurance claim can be increased if you want to save expenditures. As an illustration, a $1,000 deductible will yield somewhat lower rates than a $500 deductible.

Personal injury protection

Regardless of who caused the car collision, personal injury protection (PIP) pays for your and your passenger’s medical expenses. It also covers other costs including missed wages, burial costs, and substitute services like cleaning or child care that you can’t do due to injuries.

PIP is a mandatory component of the “no-fault vehicle insurance” regulations in some jurisdictions, but it is also an optional coverage type in others.

How much PIP insurance should I buy?

State-by-state variations in PIP regulations exist. For instance, PIP options for Florida auto insurance range from basic to extended:

  • Basic pay is 60% of lost wages, 80% of medical expenses, and 20% of replacement services.
  • Extended pays all medical expenses in full, as well as 80% of missed salaries and replacement services.
  • If PIP is optional in your state, you can decide not to accept it if you already have reliable health insurance coverage. However, PIP provides benefits that your health insurance won’t offer, such as payment for services and missed wages.

Medical payments

A common abbreviation for medical payments coverage is “MedPay.” Similar to PIP, it covers your and your passengers’ medical fees and other costs regardless of who caused the car accident. In some states, MedPay is mandated. For instance, in Pennsylvania, Maine, and New Hampshire, you must purchase MedPay in order to purchase auto insurance.

How much MedPay do I need to purchase? When MedPay is offered in a state, it’s often sold in tiny packages with coverage amounts between $1,000 and $5,000.

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