Car insurance coverage question?

Question

Ok, my car insurance is outrageous and I am reading the fine print. What is: (First one to answer with simple understandable answers will get 10 points)

A) Comprehensive (with 500 deductable) - I already know what deductable is, but what does comprehensive cover? What do I need it for?
b) Collision? (Is this supposed to cover car repairs after accident? My car? Other car?)
c) Uninsured Motor vehicle (bodily injury)?
d) Underinsured motor vehicle (bodily injury)?

Answer 1

A. Comprehensive means, stuff that happens to your car, that is NOT you driving into something, or something driving into you, and is also NOT flipping the car. Examples are fire, theft, vandalism, broken glass, and in some states, collision with an animal. If you have a loan on your car, the bank will require you to carry it. I carry it, because it's very easy to get a cracked windshield, which can cost a lot to replace.

B. Collision is when you run into something with your car, or another car (or shopping cart, or bike) runs into your car, or you flip your car.

C. Uninsured coverage is when you are hit by someone else who does not have insurance, and you have bodily injury - it pays medical bills, and pain and suffering. It also covers you as a pedestrian, and covers you for hit-and-run injuries.

D. Underinsured - this is when you're hit by somebody who has some insurance (usually state minimum limits), but you have A LOT of injuries. This pays the difference between how much coverage he has, and how much you bought. Example: You have $100,000 UIM. He has $20,000 bodily injury. He hits you, you have two broken legs, are in traction in the hospital for 6 weeks and need a month of rehab afterwards. Your hospital bills are $120,000. His policy pays $20,000, and your policy pays $80,000.


Your agent should be explaining these things. If they can't/won't, you need a new agent.


By the way, there is no "acts of God" in the insurance world. It's not written into any policy. It's not a proper insurance term. Also, flood damage to your car IS covered under comprehensive. NO CAR DAMAGE IS EVER COVERED BY A HOMEOWNERS POLICY, contrary to what someone above posted.

Answer 2

A. Comprehensive--comprehensive claims are for damages caused to your vehicle by acts of nature (fire, flood, smoke, animals, lightning, hail)
B. Collision is for your vehicle whenever it collides with any other object or vehicle (except an animal)
C. Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury is for when you are involved in an accident that is not your fault and you are injured. This only applies when the other party has no insurance.
D. Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury is for when the other party causes you bodily harm and does not have enough coverage to pay for your injuries. Your insurance steps in to pay for the damages
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There is also Uninsured Motorist Property Damage. These rules vary from state to state, but it essentially means if someone not insured hits your car, even if you don't have regular collision, it will be covered up to a certain dollar amount. Before you buy this find out what the rules are for it's use in your state (like in California, it can only be used if you know who hit your car. It doesn't work if your car is involved in a hit and run).

Answer 3

Ok, it's deductible, not "able".

a. comprehensive- for your vehicle only- covers acts of God, and listed perils in the contract (vandalism, flood, fire, hitting an animal, etc.)
b. Collision- your car only- damage caused by a collision regardless of fault.
c Um BI - pays for your injury if the at-fault party is hit and run or uninsured.
d. UIM BI pays for your injury if the other person who is at fault has inadequate limits. All states are different as far as the "trigger" for UIM. In some states if the limits are offered, and your UIM limits are higher, you get the difference between the two limits. In others the entire limit is available. In some states the other company doesn't even have to offer the limits. So where you live really makes a difference with this last one. But in general it means the other person doesn't have enough coverage to fairly compensate your injury.
If you have a lienholder you are required to carry comp and collision. If you don't, it's up to you whether to carry it, but if your car is pretty new, you will probably want it. Increasing your deductible will lower your rate, however, think about how much you can pay if something happened to your vehicle today and you had to get it fixed. If you can't pay the $500 then you don't want to pick a $1000 deductible.

Answer 4

Comprehensive cover everything that's not a collision (hitting a deer, vandalism, ect.)

Collision will cover your car and the other car if you have full coverage insurance if the accident is your fault. If it's the other drivers fault their insurance will cover your car. Your deductible only applies if it's your fault to your car not the other persons car.

Uninsured motor vehicle is in case your involved in an accident with a driver with no insurance, or in a hit and run situation.

Under insured is if your in an accident with someone with just the bare minimum of coverage (usually just to be legal) and their coverage isn't enough to pay for all of your damages.

Bodily injury is to cover any medical cost incurred because of the accident.

If your car is paid off, why not look into getting liability? The only bad thing is if your in an accident and it's your fault there's NO COVERAGE FOR YOUR CAR. Only the other persons and property.

Answer 5

A. COMP coverage. This is for a list of losses not considered to be collisions. Most importantly, it covers THEFT OF YOUR CAR! That means, if your car is stolen- you pay only $500 ded. and insurance picks up the rest up to the value of the car. It also covers vandalism/ objects falling on your car and other random things.

B. COLLISION coverage. This is when you hit something/someone and it is YOUR FAULT. You pay your ded. and the insurance pays the rest (up to the value of your car) to fix the damages. If it is the other party's fault- their insurance pays.

C. UNINSURED MOTORIST coverage. This is when someone else hits you and it is THEIR FAULT, but they have no insurance. This coverage on your policy will pay for YOU and guest passengers in YOUR CAR for injuries. If you didn't take this cov. on your policy- you would have to sue the other party to claim $ for your injury. Chances are if they didn't buy insurance, they don't have any $ for you to get anyway.

D. UNDERINSURED coverage- this is like uninsured motorist, but it is when the other party hits you and it's their fault, and they DO HAVE insurance- but not enough to cover all your damages and injuries. Your insurance would pay a certain amount more for your loss once the other party's insurance has been exhausted.

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

comprehensive: is a variety of things...vandalism, broken glass, etc, your policy will explain..deeper

collision is damage with another piece of property....even a tree, or a car.


C. Uninsured motor vehicle--coverage for when you get hit by a person who does not have insurance and they injure you....you claim against your own policy.

d. underinsured motor vehicle--they have very little coverage for someone else's vehicle...say they have 15,000 and your car is worth 30,000, then there's would come first and then yours would kick in the remaining 15k...

the best way to get a good policy is to call multiple places iwth the same requirements.

First find out what your state requires: their minimum for ex. calfiornia...is 15k/30k/5k

this is the liability section...so in other words, if you are at fault in an accident...the most any ONE person can receive is 15k....if 3 people were in the car--they could divide 30k and for property the max is 5k....that is not much at all!!
for your vehicle -- comprehensive and collision
The deductible should be the highest you can afford...the higher it is the lower your premium (payment)

if you make payments on a vehicle you are required to have all three coverages....collision, comprehensive and liability

Answer 7

A) comp is most things NOT associated with collision, i.e; flood, fire, theft, hail, smacking a deer, running over a panda, etc.
B) Collision is what pays to repair YOUR car when you crash into another car, building, mailbox, UFO, etc.
C) liability pays for the OTHER person's car when you crash into it (if it's your fault of course)
D) Uninsured Motorist or 'U' pays for your injuries if some deadbeat with NO insurance crashes into you and snaps your bones.
E) Underinsured is just what it sounds like -- some dope driving around with $10,000.00 limits but does $80,000.00 worth of damage to you.

And of course deductable is the amount 'deducted' from what your company pays you for your loss, or you portion of the risk.

Answer 8

A) Comprehensive means everything else other than collision. Vandalizism, fire, Acts of God (excluding flood b/c that is usually covered under homeowners or renters insurance)
B) Collision covers in the event of an accident whether it was you fault or not. It'll cover all the repairs, excluding your deductable.
C)Uninsured Motorists - Protects insureds who are not contributorily negligent against bodily injury caused by negligent uninsured motorists

Answer 9

I believe comprehensive covers the other party in the event of an accident if it is your fault, collision covers you in the event of an accident if it's your fault.

Uninsured allows you to still file claims if the person who hits you is uninsured and underinsured protects you if your medical bills go above what the other party's insurance will cover.