What Is Full Coverage Car Insurance?
/A lot people use the term full coverage when describing the amount of car insurance they desire. I have found that full coverage can mean different things to different people. Let’s review what full coverage car insurance looks like.Quick caveat: Every situation is different and as an insured, you assume some financial risk with the use of deductibles and different policy limits, but with that said, here are the main coverage’s to consider for full coverage:
Liability
This is what the State of Washington requires you to have. If you cause an accident and people are hurt, you could be held legally responsible for medical costs for everyone involved. The state minimums are 25,000 per person/$50,000 per occurrence with $10,000 property damage.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist
Washington State requires that drivers have insurance, but not everyone obeys the law. If a driver with minimum or no insurance runs into you, you could be left paying the bill. Uninsured motorist fills in that gap.
Medical Payments/PIP
This coverage can help pay for some of your medical costs or funeral expenses if you or anyone in your vehicle is injured in an accident. This coverage also applies if you are a pedestrian struck by a car.
Collision
Collision coverage pays for damage to your car if you collide with another car or something else such as a tree or building. Typically, a deductible paid by the insured applies. The lower your deductible is, the more expensive your premium, and vice versa.
Comprehensive
Comprehensive coverage generally pays for damage to your car cause by something other than a collision, such as theft, storm damage or a rock chip to a windshield. Hitting an animal like a deer is also covered by Comprehensive.
Rental Car
Rental car coverage is triggered by a collision accident. We often are asked if rental car kicks in when someone’s car breaks down, but unfortunately it is not.
Towing
Towing is an important but often over-looked coverage. It is very inexpensive to add to your policy, and it covers not only towing, but refueling, jump-stars, tire changes and lockouts. So to summarize, it is important to review your car insurance policy at least annually to make sure you have all the coverage’s you thought you had. The last thing you want is to hit a deer and find out that it is not covered because you declined comprehensive.
To learn more about full coverage car insurance or to get a quote please call Matt Elwood at 360-452-9200 or visit his Allstate Agency Website at www.allstate.com/mattelwood
Knowledge is power
Sign up for Matt's monthly insurance newsletter and he will share with you how to better protect your family, save more money and achieve financial security.
