by Penny M. Hagerman
Driving and maintaining even a cheap car can be rather expensive. Add up the cost of fuel, repairs and maintenance, and it might just be cheaper to take public transportation instead.
But for those who enjoy the freedom and independence driving offers, there’s one expense associated with operating a car that’s relatively cheap—if you know where to go and how to find it: cheap online car insurance.
Available to almost everyone, this type of coverage protects the driver, passengers and car—and offers a much-needed financial safety net no driver can afford to live without.
Getting Educated on Car Insurance
When buying car insurance online, the goal is to assemble a package deal containing the coverage most applicable to car and driver. But since many people aren’t sure what they need for optimal protection—and what extras they could feasibly live without—they don’t have a clue how to find it online.
Before trying to determine the coverage needed, there are a few important facts all drivers should know:
- Each state sets its own minimum liability limits that must be carried. When buying cheap online car insurance, it’s important to know those minimums and make sure they’re met in the state of residence by shopping online.
- Most experts recommend buying cheap online coverage based on personal situation and budget, rather than minimums required. For drivers involved in major accidents, those low-level online coverages aren’t likely to pay for all the damages or injuries—and that could lead to huge accident-related bills no one is prepared to pay.
- When another driver causes an accident, it’s the role of each driver’s insurance company to pursue the at-fault party and their insurance provider for benefits online. So getting a cheap policy is important, but finding a top provider who’s there when you need them is even more important.
In the end, finding the right policy takes a bit of knowledge and research…but that’s time well spent when it comes to keeping everyone protected.
Choosing the Right Kind of Coverage
Standard coverages included in most policies include:
- Bodily Injury Liability—Protects you financially when someone else gets injured or killed
- Property Damage Liability—Covers the damage you cause to someone else’s property
- Collision—Pays for damage to your car as a result of colliding with another car or object
- Comprehensive—Pays for damage to your car caused by something other than collision
- Medical Payments—Covers your personal medical bills resulting from an accident, whether cheap or expensive
- Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist—Pays the cost of damages and injuries that result when hit by a driver without cheap insurance, or without enough insurance to cover the bills
When considering coverages individually, make sure the cheap protection offered matches need. While it’s important to get the right level of coverage, it also doesn’t make sense to pay for some protections—especially when eliminating them could bring significant savings.