3 Basic Types of Auto Insurance Coverage

Here are the three basic types of auto insurance coverage: liability coverage, physical damage coverage, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.

Acquiring a car insurance policy is a must. It would be unwise to buy and drive a car without any insurance. Having an auto insurance protects you, your vehicle, properties, and third parties should accidents arise. A comprehensive type of auto insurance policy is quite expensive but it is capable of covering all types of damages, accidents and theft. A third party policy is more affordable, but, it can only cover repair cost on a third party's vehicle where the fault has been proven to be on your part. Every insurance policy has different coverage types. Coverage type would refer to the kind of protection as well as the extent to which an insurance policy will cover in the event of any damage or loss. Here are the three basic types:

Liability coverage type

Liability coverage can either be a bodily injury liability or a property damage liability. A bodily injury liability is a type of coverage that covers for the injuries and death of other people's body that are under your responsibility. Should there be any lawsuit against you due to an accident, this type of liability coverage will provide you with a legal defense. However, this type of coverage does not cover you. The other type of liability coverage, which is the property damage liability, covers the damages arising from accidents that you cause. Among the possible coverage would be the damage inflicted on other people's car, house, fence and other properties.

Physical damage coverage type

This type of coverage has two kinds: the comprehensive coverage other than collision; and, the collision coverage. A comprehensive coverage other than collision is designed to cover your vehicle for any damage except that is caused by collision. Damages that are covered would be those arising from theft, as well as damages caused by animals, fire and even flood. Another kind of physical damage coverage is a collision coverage. This covers damages to your car due to a collision. Collision covered under this insurance would include these two circumstances - either your car was hit or you hit another vehicle or any other object.

Underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage type

This coverage encompasses four kinds: the uninsured motorist coverage; the underinsured motorist coverage; uninsured motorist property damage; and, the underinsured motorist property damage. The uninsured motorist coverage covers you, your household members who are insured, and the passengers that you have for any damages, injuries or even death that have been caused by a hit-and-run or an uninsured driver. An underinsured motorist bodily injury also covers you, your insured members of the household, passengers if there are any, during an accident causing damage, loss, or injury which has been on the fault of another party whose insurance is not sufficient to cover for all necessary expenses. The third kind, which is the uninsured motorist property damage, covers your car should there be any property damage that an insured is undergoing and the one operating or driving the car is not an insurance holder. Lastly, the underinsured motorist property damage is capable of covering the property damage that an insured is sustaining, and the operator of the vehicle happens to have an insurance too.

Looking at the different coverage types, you would surely come to a point of realizing the value of a car insurance. But, before jumping into any of these insurance types, it is advisable for you to scout for auto insurance companies and ask for free auto insurance quotes to enable you to compare prices. This will save you time and money.