What is covered by a basic auto policy?
Your auto policy may include six coverages. Each coverage is priced separately.
- Bodily Injury Liability
This coverage applies to injuries that you, the designated driver or policyholder,
cause to someone else. You and family members listed on the policy are also
covered when driving someone else’s car with their permission.
It’s very important to have enough liability insurance, because if you
are involved in a serious accident, you may be sued for a large sum of money.
Definitely consider buying more than the state-required minimum to protect
assets such as your home and savings.
- Medical Payments or Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
This coverage pays for the treatment of injuries to the driver and passengers
of the policyholder's car. At its broadest, PIP can cover medical payments,
lost wages and the cost of replacing services normally performed by someone
injured in an auto accident. It may also cover funeral costs.
- Property Damage Liability
This coverage pays for damage you (or someone driving the car with your permission)
may cause to someone else's property. Usually, this means damage to someone
else’s car, but it also includes damage to lamp posts, telephone poles,
fences, buildings or other structures your car hit.
- Collision
This coverage pays for damage to your car resulting from a collision with
another car, object or as a result of flipping over. It also covers damage
caused by potholes. Collision coverage is generally sold with a deductible
of $250 to $1,000—the higher your deductible, the lower your premium.
Even if you are at fault for the accident, your collision coverage will reimburse
you for the costs of repairing your car, minus the deductible. If you're not
at fault, your insurance company may try to recover the amount they paid you
from the other driver’s insurance company. If they are successful, you'll
also be reimbursed for the deductible.
- Comprehensive
This coverage reimburses you for loss due to theft or damage caused by something
other than a collision with another car or object, such as fire, falling objects,
missiles, explosion, earthquake, windstorm, hail, flood, vandalism, riot,
or contact with animals such as birds or deer.
Comprehensive insurance is usually sold with a $100 to $300 deductible, though
you may want to opt for a higher deductible as a way of lowering your premium.
Comprehensive insurance will also reimburse you if your windshield is cracked
or shattered. Some companies offer glass coverage with or without a deductible.
- Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
This coverage will reimburse you, a member of your family, or a designated
driver if one of you is hit by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver.
Underinsured motorist coverage comes into play when an at-fault driver has
insufficient insurance to pay for your total loss. This coverage will also
protect you if you are hit as a pedestrian.