Home Car insurance Coverage Auto insurance: How to make sure you’re not underinsured Auto insurance: How to make sure you’re not underinsured View Carriers Please enter valid zip Compare top carriers in your area Written by: Satta Sarmah-Hightower | Reviewed by: Penny Gusner Penny Gusner Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. | Posted on April 2, 2019 Why you can trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing the timely, accurate and expert information consumers need to make smart insurance decisions. All our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. Our team carefully vets our rate data to ensure we only provide reliable and up-to-date insurance pricing. We follow the highest editorial standards. Our content is based solely on objective research and data gathering. We maintain strict editorial independence to ensure unbiased coverage of the insurance industry. When it comes to shopping for auto insurance, you may be tempted to choose the cheapest coverage — not necessarily the most comprehensive insurance. That’s a mistake that can leave you underinsured. The result can be inadequate coverage and hefty bills later. Insurance helps you prepare for the unexpected. You need to make sure you have enough protection for your situation. For instance, a person with a new, fancy car needs more auto insurance than someone with a 15-year-old vehicle. The same goes for other types of insurance, including home, health, and life insurance. To avoid being underinsured, you need to go beyond state coverage minimums, make sure you have enough coverage, and buy additional insurance if you find your policy is lacking. The good news is that expanding coverage is often affordable. Here are some pieces of advice to make sure you’re not underinsured. State minimums aren’t enough Most states require a minimum of liability insurance of $25,000 per person for bodily injury and $50,000 per incident. That type of coverage protects you if another person is injured in an accident. However, minimum coverage is usually not enough. “Medical bills and costs to repair or replace vehicles have gone up, so if you only have $20,000 for bodily injury but cause a serious accident where the person that you harmed has $100,000 in medical bills, you would be underinsured by quite a bit,” says Penny Gusner, a consumer analyst with Insure.com. Gusner says it’s the same for physical damage liability. “New cars now cost $30,000 on average, so if your liability limits are only $20,000, you are underinsured.” What’s a good auto insurance coverage level? Gusner suggests at least: $100,000 per person $300,000 per accident for bodily injury $100,000 for physical damage The good news is that it’s affordable to increase bodily injury and property coverage. “It doesn’t cost that much to move up your liability limits if you look at the amount of extra protection you receive. It is less than a 10 percent increase in rates, less than $100 annually normally, to up liability limits from state minimums,” Gusner says. Here’s how increasing coverage beyond state minimum will affect your rates: Increasing Liability Limits by State State Liability Only – State Minimum BI/PD Liability Only – 50/100/50 BI/PD $ Difference % Difference Alabama $637 $694 $57 8.9% Alaska $426 $434 $8 1.8% Arizona $600 $696 $96 16.1% Arkansas $616 $678 $62 10.1% California $723 $911 $188 26.0% Colorado $646 $725 $80 12.3% Connecticut $1,097 $1,278 $181 16.5% D.C. $1,054 $1,139 $85 8.0% Delaware $1,520 $1,553 $33 2.2% Florida $1,058 $1,372 $313 29.6% Georgia $743 $804 $61 8.2% Hawaii $386 $422 $36 9.4% Idaho $546 $601 $55 10.0% Illinois $543 $602 $59 10.9% Indiana $633 $691 $59 9.2% Iowa $403 $451 $49 12.1% Kansas $526 $581 $55 10.4% Kentucky $607 $663 $56 9.3% Louisiana $909 $1,143 $234 25.8% Maine $513 $519 $6 1.1% Maryland $958 $1,023 $65 6.7% Massachusetts $866 $996 $130 15.1% Michigan $2,446 $2,145 -$301 -12.3% Minnesota $864 $868 $4 0.5% Mississippi $639 $701 $62 9.7% Missouri $506 $576 $70 13.9% Montana $467 $502 $35 7.5% Nebraska $472 $508 $36 7.5% Nevada $641 $786 $145 22.6% New Hampshire $587 $629 $42 7.1% New Jersey $1,086 $1,462 $376 34.6% New Mexico $612 $652 $39 6.4% New York $891 $973 $83 9.3% North Carolina $385 $426 $42 10.8% North Dakota $512 $527 $15 2.9% Ohio $579 $602 $24 4.1% Oklahoma $712 $805 $93 13.1% Oregon $1,007 $1,072 $65 6.5% Pennsylvania $560 $626 $67 11.9% Rhode Island $1,026 $1,113 $87 8.5% South Carolina $654 $717 $63 9.6% South Dakota $431 $467 $36 8.3% Tennessee $656 $717 $61 9.3% Texas $783 $818 $35 4.5% Utah $629 $685 $56 8.8% Vermont $487 $541 $54 11.1% Virginia $536 $600 $64 12.0% Washington $671 $713 $42 6.3% West Virginia $669 $773 $103 15.4% Wisconsin $577 $652 $75 13.0% Wyoming $410 $429 $19 4.6% National average $713 $780 $67 9.4% Make sure you have enough personal injury protection Personal injury protection covers the cost of your, a passenger’s, and a pedestrian’s treatment after an accident. It also provides replacement income if you’re out of work due to accident-related injury. Your health and disability insurance may offer similar coverage. It’s important to understand the covered benefits before you determine how much personal injury protection you need. Going with low coverage amounts could leave you having to pay for your passenger’s care after an accident. Or you could get sued. Protect your assets At a minimum, you should have enough insurance to protect all your assets should someone sue you after an accident. A good place to start is to determine the total value of all your assets. That includes savings, investments, and property. Once you get that amount, you can figure out what level liability coverage you need. Liability coverage often extends to $1 million. If your assets are more than that, umbrella insurance is a way to protect your assets. Umbrella insurance goes beyond your car. It protects your home and finances, too. A $1 million umbrella policy costs about $150 to $300 a year. Umbrella policies often go to $5 million. The average annual costs of a $5 million umbrella policy are between $375 and $525. QuickTake Non-owner car insurance: How to get car insurance if you don't own a car in 2024 Minimum car insurance requirements by state in 2024 Can I insure a car that isn't in my name? Can you drive with an expired license? Everything you need to know about insuring two cars Does car insurance cover hitting a deer? Do you need the VIN number for the insurance quote? What is full coverage car insurance? What is liability auto insurance? 15 things you didn't know your car and home insurance policies cover How auto theft investigators work - and how to hire your own What is uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage? Car warranties versus auto insurance How Does Gap Insurance Work and Do You Need it? 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As I was backing out of the driveway I hit a parked car that was parked beside the curb in the street causing what looked like mild damage. My vehicle had no damage. Will I have to pay a deductible? Don't let other people drive your car Taking the slow lane by storm: Insurance for low-speed vehicles Car insurance for blind drivers (you heard that right) Would I lie to you about car insurance? Only if it pays off Insuring your tricked-out, souped-up car See more > Don’t skimp on collision coverage Collision coverage protects you if you’re involved in an accident with another vehicle or you hit a stationary object like a tree. Collision covers your car from accident damages, regardless of fault. Gusner says you need to determine if you need this coverage in the first place. “If you have a new car, you absolutely do. If your car is financed or leased, the financing company will require it,” she says. “If your car is more than 10 years old, then you need to determine if the cost of these coverages is worth it. A rule of thumb is if the cost of this coverage — plus the deductible associated with them — are more than the value of your car, drop the coverage.” The average cost of collision coverage is $289. Comprehensive protection, meanwhile, covers your car for non-collision damage. That can include vandalism, theft, and damage from falling trees and branches. The cost of comp and collision depends on your driving record, the vehicle, and where you live. Here’s the average cost of comprehensive and collision coverage by state. Average Comprehensive and Collision Costs by State State Comprehensive Collision Total Alaska $139 $629 $768 Alabama $155 $563 $718 Arkansas $242 $573 $815 Arizona $159 $487 $646 California $151 $997 $1,148 Colorado $239 $511 $750 Connecticut $117 $686 $803 DC $164 $647 $810 Delaware $101 $524 $625 Florida $159 $489 $648 Georgia $158 $543 $701 Hawaii $98 $559 $658 Iowa $246 $391 $636 Idaho $131 $430 $561 Illinois $116 $479 $595 Indiana $146 $513 $659 Kansas $423 $468 $891 Kentucky $286 $573 $859 Louisiana $251 $670 $922 Massachusetts $164 $555 $719 Maryland $135 $580 $715 Maine $80 $408 $488 Michigan $243 $921 $1,164 Minnesota $231 $391 $623 Missouri $298 $473 $771 Mississippi $221 $492 $712 Montana $331 $540 $871 North Carolina $116 $416 $531 North Dakota $333 $431 $764 Nebraska $343 $408 $750 New Hampshire $88 $478 $565 New Jersey $102 $450 $552 New Mexico $203 $456 $659 Nevada $152 $596 $748 New York $145 $700 $844 Ohio $106 $403 $509 Oklahoma $372 $541 $914 Oregon $100 $443 $543 Pennsylvania $146 $618 $764 Rhode Island $120 $728 $847 South Carolina $310 $609 $918 South Dakota $461 $417 $878 Tennessee $142 $505 $647 Texas $228 $529 $757 Utah $106 $417 $523 Virginia $100 $381 $481 Vermont $138 $466 $604 Washington $87 $383 $470 Wisconsin $212 $461 $673 West Virginia $175 $463 $638 Wyoming $346 $653 $1,000 National average $192 $526 $723 Source: Insure.com commissioned Quadrant Information System to field rates for full coverage with a $500 deductible from up to six major insurers for 10 ZIP codes in each state. Protect against uninsured and underinsured drivers You care about being insured properly. Not all drivers show that level of care. That’s why you want to make sure you have enough insurance to protect against those who don’t have enough coverage. There are about 30 million uninsured drivers in the US. That’s nearly 13 percent of all drivers. The percent is more than 20 percent in Florida, Mississippi, New Mexico, Michigan, and Tennessee. If you get into an accident with one of those millions of people, uninsured/underinsured coverage (UM/UIM) can help you. UM/UIM is a part of auto insurance that covers damage and injuries if the other driver doesn’t have any or enough auto insurance. It also helps if you’re a victim of a hit-and-run. Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have uninsured and underinsured coverage requirements. It’s a good idea to get UM/UIM coverage that’s similar to your bodily injury limit. So, if your limit is $500,000, it’s wise to get the same coverage for the uninsured portion. UM/UIM insurance costs about 5 percent of auto insurance premiums. So, if your policy is $1,000, it could cost $50 to add the coverage. That’s a minor increase for coverage that could protect you, especially in a state with high uninsured rates. Gap insurance If you have a new car, you may want to buy gap insurance. Gap insurance bridges the difference between what your auto insurer pays for a totaled vehicle and what you owe on your lease or loan. If you don’t have gap insurance and your new car is damaged, you may be responsible for part of your car loan. A vehicle’s value depreciates as soon as you leave the lot. So, you may spend $30,000 for a new car, but a day later its value could be $22,000. Auto insurance companies only pay up to the vehicle’s value. So if you owe more than the car is worth, gap insurance is the only way to cover the difference. How to save on auto insurance You want to avoid being underinsured, but that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank. Here are some tips for saving on auto insurance: Shop around and compare rates for the same level of coverage between multiple insurers. Raise your deductible. Higher deductibles result in lower rates. Forgo comprehensive coverage if you have an older model car. Improve your credit. Most states allow insurance companies to base their rates partially on a person’s credit history. The better your credit, the lower your rates. Reduce your driving. Many insurers offer low-mileage discounts. Bundle your auto and home policies with one company and enjoy a bundled discount. Regardless of what auto insurance company you choose, make sure that you have enough coverage, so you’re not underinsured. That requires going beyond the state minimums and having enough to protect your assets.