When it comes to car insurance, one of the most important questions you need to ask yourself is whether you should get liability coverage or comprehensive coverage. Liability insurance is usually cheaper, but comprehensive coverage covers more. The exact difference in cost between liability insurance and car insurance with full coverage for a given driver depends on several factors, including the driver's insurance company. Full coverage insurance often consists of collision insurance, comprehensive insurance, and at least the minimum coverage required by state law.
Comprehensive insurance and collision insurance, both included in a full coverage policy, help you pay for damage caused by a collision and by incidents not related to the collision. However, drivers should consider canceling comprehensive and collision insurance when the value of their car is reduced by four to six times the annual cost of coverage. In this case, the difference between the monthly cost of comprehensive insurance and liability insurance is significant. However, remember that liability coverage is often part of comprehensive coverage; you get the liability coverage described above along with your own vehicle coverage. Some drivers confuse comprehensive insurance with full coverage because of the terminology, but these are not synonyms. If you're in a situation where you don't have a significant emergency fund and you're living paycheck to paycheck, the potential crisis that would arise from a devastating car accident can be problematic and will likely lead you to opt for comprehensive insurance.
Many people take out full coverage insurance when making car payments, but they often prefer to forego comprehensive and collision coverage once they have completed all of their payments. Getting comprehensive insurance on your own can be difficult, as you usually need to purchase a full coverage policy to get comprehensive coverage. If you have a car loan or lease, the lender or leasing company will likely require you to purchase a collision and all risk policy. You should take out full coverage insurance if you can afford it, since full coverage includes comprehensive and collision coverage, in addition to liability insurance. The term “liability only” auto insurance is used to distinguish policies with basic coverage from those with collision insurance and comprehensive coverage. When deciding between liability and comprehensive car insurance, it's important to consider your financial situation and the value of your car.
Liability insurance is, on average, 67% cheaper than full coverage insurance. When it comes down to it, there are several factors that will determine which type of car insurance is best for you. Your financial situation should be taken into account when deciding whether or not to purchase comprehensive or liability only auto insurance. If you have an emergency fund set aside for unexpected expenses such as car repairs or medical bills, then liability only may be the best option for you. On the other hand, if you don't have an emergency fund or are living paycheck to paycheck, then comprehensive car insurance may be the better choice. It's also important to consider the value of your car when deciding between liability only and full coverage auto insurance.
If your car is worth less than four times the annual cost of your auto insurance policy, then it may be wise to opt for liability only auto insurance. However, if your car is worth more than four times the annual cost of your auto policy then it may be wise to opt for full coverage auto insurance. Ultimately, when deciding between liability only and full coverage auto insurance it's important to consider your financial situation as well as the value of your car. Liability only auto insurance is usually cheaper than full coverage auto insurance but may not provide enough protection in case of an accident or other incident. Full coverage auto insurance provides more protection but can be more expensive than liability only auto insurance.
