Des Moines Car Insurance

If you are looking for Des Moines car insurance, it can be helpful to know what the minimum car insurance requirements are for the state of Iowa so that you can have a “base” from which to make all of your auto insurance buying decisions. For car insurance in Des Moines Iowa, all that you are required to have is liability coverage in the form of 20/40/15 (this is the form you’ll see the numbers in when you are shopping for a new premium). What do these numbers stand for? You are required to have $20,000 in bodily injury liability for one person in an accident, $40,000 in bodily injury liability for all people in an accident, and $15,000 in property damage liability. Bodily injury liability covers the medical expenses, wage lost, and/or pain and suffering of people who are hurt in the event of an accident in which you are found to be at fault. Property damage liability covers property damage that your car might cause in an accident in which you are at fault. Property damage liability covers not only the cost to fix other people’s cars, but other kinds of objects including things such as telephone polls, bus shelters, or your neighbor’s front fence. The aforementioned three numbers represent the absolute minimum amount of coverage that you should have. Unless you think you’ll have the cash on hand to pay for other people’s injuries and property damage (which is not the case for nearly all of this), you should purchase above the minimum. Just looking at the property damage liability alone…if you happen to get into an accident with, say, a BMW which is worth $28,000 and you only have the minimum of $15,000 in property damage liability, that is $13,000 that you are going to have to pay by yourself. If you don’t have the cash available, your assets are at stake and you have a chance of being sued. However, this might not be the case if the owner of that BMW has uninsured/underinsured insurance (explained further below). Regardless, it is a very good idea to go above the minimum requirements. But by how much?

"The Insurance Information Institute (III) recommends you carry $100,000 of bodily injury protection per person and $300,000 per accident. Other insurance industry experts also recommend buying a minimum of $50,000 in property damage liability coverage."--According to insure.com. Written in standard form, it is recommended that you have 100/300/50 worth of liability insurance.

Aside from the required liability insurance for car insurance Des Moines Iowa you aren’t required to have any other type of insurance, unless you finance or lease your car, for which other types of insurance are usually mandatory…

Collision insurance: Unlike property damage liability, this type of insurance covers damage done to your car, regardless of who is at fault in an accident. You might be asking yourself: Why do I need this if everyone is required to have property damage liability which would pay me in the event of an accident? The other driver might not have the adequate liability coverage to pay for your repair expenses. Collision insurance guarantees you that your car will be fixed after an accident no matter what. This type of insurance is almost always required when you finance or lease your car.

Comprehensive insurance: This type of insurance is also almost always required when you finance or lease your car. It covers damage done to your car when that damage was caused by something other than a car accident. This would include things such as weather, theft, or wildlife.

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: If another party is at fault in the event of a car accident they might not have the adequate bodily injury liability coverage to pay you, your passengers, and/or your family members for medical expenses. This type of coverage covers the difference between what you are owed and how much they can pay you from their liability coverage. Although this type of coverage is not required in Iowa, it is recommended because a lot of drivers are either uninsured or underinsured. Furthermore, this type of coverage will not raise your monthly premium by much.

GAP Insurance: In the unfortunate event that your car is stolen or totaled beyond repair, Guaranteed Auto Protection covers the difference between what the insurance company will give you and how much you still owe to your loan company. It is highly recommended if you expect your car to depreciate rapidly. I give in depth explanation in Bakersfield Auto Insurance.

Best way to shop for car insurance Des Moines IA?

The best way to shop is to get Des Moines car insurance quotes from around 5 different insurance companies (either online or by calling them). Always ask about discounts which you might be eligible for (I give a list of available discounts at Car Insurance Discounters) . Once you find a quote online, try talking to your local independent car insurance agent. Generally, an agent is independent if they have a business name, which you’ve never heard of before. If an agent’s business name goes something like “Allstate Insurance Company - Nathan Hilton” (whom I found on a Superpages search for Des Moines car insurance), they can only provide quotes from that one company. Not only might an independent agent beat any quote you find by yourself, they might know about special discounts which you weren’t aware of.

My other auto insurance hubs...

Inexpensive Auto Insurance
Baton Rouge Auto Insurance
Salt Lake City Auto Insurance
Grand Rapids Auto Insurance
Cheap Car Insurance for Young Drivers
Clearwater Car Insurance: Car Insurance in Clearwater FL Regulations

And, of course, there is this guide for Des Moines car insurance!