Full Coverage Auto Insurance Guide

If you’re talking about auto insurance, you may hear the term “full coverage.” So what does that mean? The truth is that the minimum coverage required in 48 states is generally not sufficient to deal with the costs of at-fault accidents, including property damage, bodily injuries, deaths, and lost wages. If you can afford it, we recommend getting full coverage auto insurance, which we’ll explain in detail below.

• Medical payments coverage / personal injury protection (PIP): If you get into an at-fault accident, medical coverage will pay for you and your passengers’ injuries and lost wages.

What It Doesn’t Cover

• Emergency roadside assistance and towing: If you get stuck on the side of the road, your insurance company won’t be able to send help using full coverage alone.
• Ridesharing: Personal auto insurance doesn’t cover commercial driving unless you add on ridesharing coverage for Uber or Lyft. Explore the best auto insurance for rideshares.
• Rental car reimbursement coverage: If your car is being repaired under a covered claim, rental car coverage would pay for a rental car.
• Gap coverage: While collision and comprehensive coverage will reimburse you for the market value of your car, if your car depreciates in value, you won’t get back what you actually paid for it. This will matter if your car is totaled or stolen. Gap insurance makes sure you’ll receive all the money you paid for your car, not its current value.
• Optional basic economic loss: OBEL adds $25,000 to $50,000 in basic economic loss. You can apply OBEL however you see fit, whether it’s reimbursement for physical therapy, rehab, or income loss.
• Glass coverage: You might be surprised to learn that comprehensive coverage doesn’t always include damage to windshields, sunroofs, or side and rear windows.

How Much It Costs

How much does auto insurance cost? Well, the average cost of full coverage auto insurance in 2020 was $1,202.

Who Needs It

We recommend full coverage insurance for everyone, as your state’s minimum requirements may not be sufficient to cover the costs of at-fault accidents.

How to Get Full Car Insurance Coverages

Getting full coverage insurance isn’t a hard process when you have AutoInsurance.com on your side.

1. Compare car insurance quotes. Compare quotes from multiple providers to find the lowest rates. Select full coverage for each provider so you can compare apples to apples.
2. Find a provider. Once you find a quote you like along with positive customer service ratings, contact the provider to be connected with an insurance agent or broker.
3. Work with an agent or broker. Your agent or broker will ask you about your needs to find a policy that works for you.
4. Pay your premium. Once you pay your premium, your policy will be active on its effective date.

Ways to Save

While full coverage might be more expensive than minimum coverage, there are a few ways you can keep premiums to a minimum:

1. Raise your deductible. Raising your deductible will lower your premiums. But make sure that you could afford your deductible if you got into an at-fault accident tomorrow.
2. Use discounts. Every auto insurance provider offers discounts. Find out how much you could save by disclosing your veteran status, adding multiple cars to your policy, or bundling your home and auto insurance together.
3. Drop other optional coverages. You may not need supplemental coverages like rental car reimbursement or glass coverage. Determine what’s unnecessary and get rid of it to lower the cost of your auto insurance.