Car Insurance
Auto insurance is the one policy most people are legally required to carry and the one they understand least. Here is what each part actually does, and where the state minimum stops protecting you.
- Liability, collision, comprehensive, and UM/UIM compared side by side
- We tell you where the state minimum runs out
- SR-22 filing handled if your state requires one
Request a car insurance quote
Tell us what you need covered. A licensed agent follows up with options, usually the same business day.
What a car insurance policy actually does
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Bodily injury liability
Pays what you become legally responsible for when you injure someone else. This is the limit that matters most, and the one people set too low: a serious injury claim can exceed a minimum limit several times over.
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Property damage liability
Covers damage you cause to someone else's vehicle or property. Modern vehicles are expensive to repair, which is why minimum property-damage limits are often exhausted by a single at-fault collision.
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Collision
Repairs or replaces your own vehicle after an impact, regardless of fault, minus your deductible. Usually required while you have a loan or lease.
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Comprehensive
Covers your vehicle for things that are not collisions: theft, fire, hail, flood, vandalism, and the deer that steps out at dusk.
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Uninsured and underinsured motorist
Pays for your injuries when the driver at fault has no coverage or not enough of it. In many states this is the most valuable coverage on the policy relative to what it costs.
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Medical payments / PIP
Covers medical costs for you and your passengers regardless of fault. Whether it is optional or mandatory depends entirely on your state.
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Using the car for business
Delivery, rideshare, and hauling for pay are excluded from a personal auto policy. Those need a commercial or rideshare endorsement.
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Ordinary wear and mechanical failure
A policy covers sudden accidental loss, not a transmission that finally gave out or brakes that wore down.
Where auto quotes actually differ
Two quotes for the same driver can differ by hundreds of dollars a year, and the reason is rarely the headline liability number. It is in the details underneath it.
- How the carrier treats a gap in prior coverage
- Whether uninsured motorist limits match your liability limits or sit below them
- Whether rental reimbursement and towing are included or sold separately
- How the carrier values your vehicle at total loss, and whether new-car replacement applies
- Whether the deductible applies per claim or per vehicle
Car Insurance questions
Is the state minimum enough coverage?
Legally, yes. That is what makes it the minimum. Practically, often not. Minimum liability limits in many states were set decades ago and have not kept pace with medical or repair costs. If a claim exceeds your limit, you are personally responsible for the difference, and your assets are what satisfy it.
What deductible should I pick?
The highest one you could pay tomorrow without difficulty. Raising a deductible from $500 to $1,000 lowers the premium, but only helps if the extra $500 is money you actually have available when you need to repair the car.
Does a ticket or accident raise my rate?
Usually, and usually for three to five years depending on the state and the carrier. How much varies enormously between carriers, which is exactly why comparing after an incident is worth more than comparing before one.
Do I need collision on an older car?
Run the numbers rather than the rule of thumb. If the car is worth $3,000 and collision costs $400 a year with a $1,000 deductible, the most the coverage can ever pay you is $2,000. Decide whether that is worth $400 a year to you.
Related coverage
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SR-22 Insurance
An SR-22 is a certificate your insurer files with the state, not a policy. We handle the filing alongside the coverage it has to attach to.
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Motorcycle Insurance
Coverage that accounts for how a bike is actually ridden and stored, including custom parts your auto policy would not touch.
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Classic Car Insurance
Agreed-value coverage so a restored car is insured for what it is worth, not what a depreciation table says.
Not sure what you need?
Tell a licensed agent what you're insuring and what you're worried about. We'll walk through the options and what each one actually costs.