How Much Auto Insurance Do I Really Need?

Hey all,

I’m shopping for auto insurance and feeling a bit overwhelmed by the options. How much coverage do I actually need to be safe but not overpay? What levels of liability, collision, and comprehensive should I consider? Any advice or personal experiences would be super helpful!

Thanks in advance!

While shopping for auto insurance, I selected coverage levels based on the value of my car and my comfort with risk. I opted for liability coverage that exceeded the state minimum and chose a reasonable deductible for collision and comprehensive coverage to keep expenses in check while ensuring adequate protection. Comparing various providers helped me find the best balance between coverage and cost.

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100/300/100" of the bare minimum in liability you should get, more if you can afford it as it won’t cost much more at all. That’s 100k per person for injuries for someone you might hit, 300k per accident in case there’s more than one person injured. The last 100 is 100k for property damage. That would cover damages to someone’s car, a fence, a utility pole, guardrail that you might damage. You should carry med pay or ,PIP for any injuries you might suffer. In most states, this coverage is primary over your health insurance. UM and UMPD is good to have in case someone hits you and doesn’t have insurance or high enough liability limits to cover your losses. Not all states have UMPD tho. If you don’t have a loan on the car, it’s a personal financial decision on whether or not to carry comp and collision. If it got damaged or totaled can you easily afford to repair/replace it? If not, purchase those coverages. The higher your deductible the lower your premium but don’t set it so high that you can’t afford to pay out of you need to use the coverage. You can usually keep comp deductible pretty low as it doesn’t affect premiums nearly as much like changing collision deductible does. If you for have access to a loaner car during repairs for a covered loss you should purchase rental coverage. Towing/roadside assistance can be useful but many people opt to buy that from an outside source like AAA.