What does your Auto Insurance Policy Cover?

There are several parts to an auto insurance policy. Each has a separate purpose and price, and may be bought in different amounts.

Bodily Injury & Property Damage Liability - This coverage protects drivers of your car if the car injures or kills other people or damages their property. The minimum Wisconsin limits your policy must provide are $25,000/$50,000/$10,000. This is $25,000 for each person, $50,000 total bodily injury liability, and $10,000 property damage liability for each accident. Some companies sell a single limit of liability with a minimum of $60,000. This is the total payable for any accident. You might want to purchase more than the minimum coverage required by law. Our agents can advise you in deciding how much protection you need.

Uninsured Motorist - This is a personal injury protection to you and your passengers if you are in an accident caused by an uninsured motorist or a hit-and-run driver. It does not include damage to property. Every policy that includes bodily injury liability must include this coverage. Wisconsin law requires uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000/$50,000 for bodily injury only.

Underinsured Motorist - This is an optional coverage which increases the personal injury protection to you and the people in your car up to the amount of coverage you purchase. It becomes effective when the party causing an accident has lower limits than you purchase and the accident costs more. Most underinsured motorist coverage's bring the amount payable up to the amount purchased. This coverage typically does not “add” the amount you purchased to the amount available form the person causing the accident. Insurers are required to notify policyholders who do not have UIM coverage of its availability. The minimum limits of UIM coverage, if accepted after notification, are $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident.

Medical Expense- This provides medical or funeral expenses for you or others injured or killed in an accident while riding or driving in your car. It also covers you and members of your family hit by a car or injured while riding in another car. Medical payments insurance usually covers only expenses not covered by health insurance, such as co-payments, dedutibles, etc. Medical expense coverage is usually sold as a single amount such as $1,000. Companies must offer this coverage but you do not have to buy it.

Comprehensive- This protects your car against almost all damage except loss caused by collision. This includes fire, theft, missiles, glass breakage, falling objects, explosion, earthquake, civil commotion or colliding with a wild bird or animal. It is based upon the actual cash value of the car and can be written with a deductible.

Collision - This protects your car if it collides with an object, including another car, or if it overturns. Your own insurer pays for such damage even if the collision is your fault. Limits are based on the actual cash value of your car, and it is usually written with a deductible of $100 or more. In addition, collision premiums are based on the make and model year of your car. You should evaluate the current market value of your car and your ability to afford a similar car should it be destroyed before you purchase this coverage. You may not need the coverage if your car has decreased in value or if you can afford to replace it.

From: “Consumer's Guide to Auto Insurance”- Published by the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.