When shopping for Salt Lake City car insurance it is important to know the minimum requirements so that you have a “base” from which to make your auto insurance buying decisions. For the state of Utah, the minimum amount of coverage you are required to have is 25/65/15. These numbers represent the minimum amount of liability coverage you are required to have. What does each number stand for?

You are required to have $25,000 worth of bodily injury liability for one person in an accident. $65,000 worth of bodily injury liability for all people in an accident, and $15,000 in property damage liability. Your liability coverage comes into play only when you are found to be at fault in an accident. Bodily injury liability covers the medical expenses and lost wages of those not under your policy. Property damage liability covers property damage done to either other cars or fixed pieces of property including things such as bus shelters and telephone polls.

The aforementioned three numbers are the absolute minimum in liability coverage that you are required to have when shopping for car insurance in Salt Lake City Utah . How much should you go over the minimum? Generally, the more cash you think you’ll have on hand in the event of an accident, the less liability coverage you can have. But because most of us don’t have that kind of luxury industry experts recommend that you have liability coverage in this amount: 100/300/50.

Because Utah is a no fault state (meaning your insurance company will pay you for your medical expenses nearly all the time no matter who caused the accident) you are also required to have Personal Injury Protection (PIP), at a minimum of $3,000 worth of coverage. It covers you, your passengers, your family, and pedestrians. PIP comes with the following benefits:

It pays your medical bills.

It covers most of the income lost as a result of not being able to work.

It gives an allowance to help pay for services which you need as a result of being injured.

Other types of insurance to consider…

Collision insurance: Pays for damage done to your car regardless of who is at fault in an accident. It is almost always required when you finance or lease your car. If the other party is guilty in an accident, they might not have the adequate property damage liability coverage to pay for your car. Furthermore, if who is at fault in an accident is in question, it can delay the payments you will get from the guilty party’s insurance company. Maybe you might be at fault and end up getting no payments from the other person. If you have collision insurance, all these questions are put to rest because it covers the damage to your car whether or not you are the one who caused it.

Comprehensive insurance: Like collision insurance, it is usually required if you finance or lease your car, as the loan company wants to protect their cars as much as you do. This type of insurance covers damage to your car caused by things such as the weather, wildlife, or theft. In other words, it covers your car from any damage not having to do with a car accident.

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: If the other party is at fault in an accident they might not have enough (or no) bodily injury liability coverage to pay for your expenses. This type of coverage covers that difference between what you are owed and how much the other party can give to you from their liability insurance.

GAP Insurance: I explain it in depth in Bakersfield Car Insurance: Some Tips. If your car is stolen or totaled beyond repair, it covers the difference between what your insurance company would give you and how much you still owe to the loan company.

How should you shop for car insurance?

The key is to shop around. You can do this by contacting (by web or by phone) around five insurance companies and making sure that you inquire about any discounts, which you might be eligible for (I give a long list of potential discounts available in Auto Insurance Discounters). Once you find a rate it’s a good idea to see if your local car insurance Salt Lake City UT can’t beat the price you’ve found. Independent car insurance agents can compare quotes from multiple companies and cater more to your individual needs than online car insurance comparison sites can, which often do not give the lowest price because they don’t take into account all of the discounts which you are eligible for.

Key Points…

• When buying car insurance in Salt Lake City UT you are required to have the following:
• 25/65/15 worth of liability coverage
• PIP
• Consider getting collision, comprehensive, uninsured/underinsured motorist, and/or GAP Insurance.
• When you are looking for a new policy, shop around for Salt Lake City car insurance quotes, don’t just accept the first quote you are given.

Related hubs:

Insurance for Camper Vans
Independence Car Insurance Requirements
Tulsa Car Insurance: Tulsa Car Insurance Quotes and Requirements
Fort Worth Car Insurance: Car Insurance in Fort Worth TX Regulations
Cambridge Car Insurance
Tampa Car Insurance

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