Many people believe car insurance is a simple as black or white, either you have "liability" or "full" coverage. In fact there many important options in between. In becoming informed you will need to know how to research, and what questions to ask.
The three key considerations when purchasing car insurance are price, coverage, and company. The first key consideration when buying car insurance is price. The matter of fact is that you will never find one company that has great rates for everyone. Different companies target different age and risk groups, so while one company has a good price for your friend, they make not have a great price for you.
Usually 10-15 quotes will probably give you a good range of prices to choose from. A good resource you can always rely on is the yellow pages, where the listings are localized to your specific area and everyone who is anyone is there both big and small.
The second key consideration when buying car Insurance is coverage. Coverage varies from company to company but the basic components usually remain constant. The first is liability. Liability pays in the event you hit and injure another person or damage there vehicle. The two parts of Liability coverage are Bodily Injury and Property Damage. Both are expressed in thousands of dollars. The property damage is the second number and indicates how much the company will pay to fix the other person's car or property.
Medical payments pay a flat amount per person for anyone injured in your car regardless of fault. They range from between $500 to $5,000. This amount is not meant to absorb the cost of an injury, but to offset immediate out of pocket expenses such as health insurance deductibles.
The third is uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. This protects you and your passenger in the event you are hit by a driver with no insurance or not enough insurance. The fourth is comprehensive and collision covers damage to your car. Collision pays to fix your car in the event it is damaged in an accident that is your fault. Comprehensive pays in the event of fire, theft, and vandalism or anything collision does not.
A deductible will usually apply and is the amount of money you must first pay and the insurance will pay the rest. Deductibles range from $50 to $5000. The higher the deductible, the lower your cost.
The fifth is towing and rental reimbursement. Towing provides a flat amount of coverage per disablement and rental reimbursement pays a specified amount per day in the event you need to rent a car while yours is being repaired.
The sixth and final coverage is Special Equipment coverage. This covers any special equipment installed or attached to the vehicle not factory or dealer installed. This will usually include rims, stereos and custom accessories. How much or which coverage is right for you? It's a personal decision that no one can make for you.
The third key consideration when buying car insurance is the company and agent. When buying insurance the quality of the company should be taken into consideration. One way to evaluate the quality of a company is to inquire about their "Best" rating. The rating is based on their financial strength, operational performance and ability to meet their obligations.
In conclusion if you spend a little time checking out the three key components of buying car insurance price, coverage and company, you can avoid a lot of headaches later especially in the event of an any accident. With a little information and little more leg work, you can eliminate any confusion from this process and be sure you have the right car insurance for you.
Liability Insurance
Liability insurance is required by most states' laws, although the minimum amount of coverage required varies from state to state. Understanding those limits and what this coverage entails is very necessary in making an auto insurance comparison. Generally this type of coverage will be broken down to look something like: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000. This breakdown stands for: bodily injury liability maximum per person in one accident/ bodily injury liability maximum per accident counting all people involved/ property damage liability maximum.
Using the numbers above for example, if a person is in an accident in which they are found at fault, their insurance will only cover up to those amounts. So if that person is found at fault and the necessary amounts exceed his or her coverage limits, they will likely be held responsible to pay the additional amount out of pocket.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage
There is a type of insurance available to help protect motorists from uninsured or underinsured drivers. This type of coverage varies depending on the state but can offer additional protection to the insured, generally for a nominal fee.
Comprehensive and Collision Coverage
Also known as full coverage, comprehensive and collision insurance insure a persons' car in the event they are at fault during an accident or other types of damage occur to their vehicle. An understanding of this type of coverage is essential in order to make an effective auto insurance comparison, as it can impact pricing greatly.
This coverage will appear in a format similar to $500/$500. This means that in the event something happens to your vehicle that is covered by your comprehensive or collision insurance, you will have to pay $500 per incident out of pocket and the insurance company will cover the rest.
Rental Reimbursement and Roadside Assistance
Understanding optional coverage such as rental reimbursement and roadside assistance (or towing coverage) can make a large difference when making an auto insurance comparison. Rental car reimbursement will cover a certain amount (depending on the coverage selected) per day of rental car charges should your vehicle become unavailable for a certain period of time due to an accident.
Roadside assistance coverage allows the insured to receive a variety of emergency services (depending on the plan) for free or a reduced charge. A person having his or her car towed is one example of this type of coverage.
Medical Coverage
Required and optional medical coverage varies greatly from state to state. Some states require insured to carry no-fault medical which covers them in the event of an accident, regardless of fault. Other states do not have this provision so insured are able to carry a certain amount, depending on their state laws and needs. Understanding medical coverage is essential to make an auto insurance comparison as it can cause rates to vary greatly.
Both Ray La Foy & John Hilaire are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.