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The car insurance coverage you need to have varies depending on state laws, whether your vehicle is paid off, being financed or leased, the type of use of your vehicles, and your specific needs. Each state has its own mandatory minimum amount of coverage required in order to satisfy their laws. The coverage required varies from state to state since each establishes their own regulations. There are generally two types of states, a “no-fault state”, and a “tort” state; * No-fault states do not place a blame on the driver who caused an automobile accident. Each party must seek indemnity for medical injuries or damage to their vehicle from their own insurance company, regardless of who was at fault.
* Tort states do determine a driver who is at fault and their coverage must pay for the medical and property damages caused to other parties as a result of the accident. Most states are tort states and require only a specified minimum amount of liability coverage; however, some may also require other coverage such as “Uninsured Motorist” or “Medical Payments” in addition to liability protection. No fault states usually require a coverage known as Personal Injury Protection (PIP), sometimes referred to as No Fault Insurance, which provides medical coverage to the policyholder regardless of fault in the event of an automobile accident.
Click on the state in which you reside for specific details on car insurance coverage requirements:
Alabama Arizona California Colorado Florida
Georgia Illinois Kentucky Maine Maryland
Michigan Missouri Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey
New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania South Carolina
Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington Wisconsin In addition to state laws, there may be certain circumstances which may require you to have more than just the mandatory state minimums. If you are financing your vehicle, your financial institution may require you purchase Comprehensive and Collision coverage which protects the vehicle against damages in the event of an accident, theft, fire, vandalism etc. This coverage protects the finance company’s collateral (the vehicle) so that in the event of non-payment, they may repossess the vehicle in the even of non-payment of loan installments. In addition, your financial institution may not accept deductibles in excess of a specified amount. Take a look at your purchase contract for details. If you’re leasing a vehicle, coverage requirements may be at its highest. Since companies leasing out the vehicle technically still own it, they may require high limits of liability coverage so that they won’t be left on the hook for damages caused to others. In addition, Comprehensive and Collision coverage may also be required with a maximum allowable deductible (usually $500). Leased vehicle liability requirements range in the area of $100,000 of medical injury coverage per person, $300,000 as a total for multiple persons, and $50,000 for property damage per occasion. Check with your lease agreement for details. In addition to just the “requirements”, you may want to ask yourself what you would want covered in case of an accident. Most people don’t realize the true value of an auto insurance policy until they are involved in a loss. Be aware that whatever your policy does not cover, you must pay at your own expense.
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