If you are like most people, you probably don’t think a lot about your auto insurance except when it renews or when you need to use it. But, you don’t want to find out when you are in an accident that you don’t have the right coverage. At Heimgartner Insurance Inc in Sioux City, IA, we make it our responsibility to get to know you and your auto insurance needs.

Auto Insurance: What You Need To Know

Deductibles

Your auto insurance has a deductible. You can choose the amount of your deductible, usually either $500 or $1000, depending on what you would be comfortable paying out of pocket. But keep in mind that the lower the deductible the higher the premium. It is a gamble. Will it benefit you more to pay less every year or pay less if you have an accident?

Liability Coverage

A basic auto insurance policy has a state-mandated amount of liability coverage. In Iowa, it is 20/40/15. That means that for one person injured in an accident you are responsible for, $20,000 will be paid for bodily injuries and $40,000 for all injuries, with $15,000 for property damage. This is pretty basic when considering what a hospital stay can cost and could leave you with many out-of-pocket expenses.

You can increase the amount of coverage you have, and you can also get an umbrella insurance policy to give you even more protection.

Read your policy

Read the declaration page of your auto insurance policy. You need to know if you have full glass coverage and rental car coverage. Both of these are valuable, and you may or may not have them depending on your carrier.