Legally, every car owner in United States must be covered under some type of auto insurance as stated by the Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV. This protects the owner of the car against damage to himself or his car, as well as protects other people from damages he may inadvertently cause.
Auto Insurance Coverage determines the obligations and the responsibilities of a person who insures a car (a policy holder). This defines what happens what happens in case there is damage to his car, his car is stolen, or he is involved in a car accident (which may or may not be his fault).
Definitions:
Property Coverage: this describes the amount of coverage available to a policy holder whose car was damaged in an accident, or through other means, such as vandalism. It also includes the theft of his car. Obviously this is an option every car owner should want to obtain.
Liability Coverage: this defines the coverage the insurance company provides for the policy holder when he is involved an accident and causes bodily or property damage to someone else. By having this option, the policy holder is protected, as defined by his policy, from the financial costs.
Medical Coverage: this term defines how much money the insurance company would be willing to pay for injuries and necessary hospitalization that were sustained during an accident, as well as the costs of rehabilitation afterward. At times it may also include wages that were lost by the injured person while he is incapacitated.
The following are standard policies:
There are numerous types of auto insurance policies that exist to compensate for damage or loss sustained, and expenses incurred, by the car owner in cases of loss, injury or property damage. Here are several types of such policies:
Third Party: this is the most basic insurance policy available and protects a policy holder in the event he accidentally damages someone or their property. It is also the cheapest car insurance available.
Fire and Theft: this type of policy covers the cost of a car that is either stolen or burnt, but it does not cover any other damages. For example, if involved in a car accident, based on this option alone, the insurance company is not financially responsible.
Collision: if this option is included, the policy holder is not financially responsible for repairing his car when it is involved in a car accident, even in the even he caused it. Pretty good option to have.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or Medical Payments (MedPay): this policy protects the driver and any passengers that were in his car during a car accident, by reimbursing them for medical bills and lost wages. Note that the question who caused the accident is irrelevant for this policy.
Comprehensive: this is the best type of auto insurance and the most expensive one as well. It offers virtually all protections to the policy holder ranging from accidents, medical bills (at least partially), fire damage, theft, and even natural disasters (“acts of god”). It even partially covers the cost of items stolen from a car!
Specialized policies:
The following are specialized policies that only some people may be interested in.
Classic car insurance: covers a car that is older than 25 years. In principle it is equivalent to a standard comprehensive car insurance, however, it may have a limitation on the number of miles the owner can drive per year.
Rental Reimbursement: this policy ensures a policy holder that he’ll always have a car to drive in. If his car is damaged (no matter which way), he is entitled to receive a replacement rental car until it is fixed.
Even if you have the best and most expensive auto insurance policy, it is crucial you are familiar with all the fine print, as you don’t want to have unpleasant surprises when the time comes. For example, when a car is stolen, some insurance plans only cover 80% of the cost of a new car (this aims to prevent fraud by car owners who wish to get rid of their cars).
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