Knowing what to look for when searching for Colorado car insurance can be greatly confusing. There are so many terms to remember, and so many things to know, one can get bogged down quickly. Eventually a person might simply shut down and accept whatever a broker tells them to buy, often a very inflated policy that costs way too much.
Keeping in mind a few simple key points a person can find the policy that fits them the best, and gets them the coverage they need. There are some parts of the policy that are more important than others, and there are some parts a person does not want to lower their coverage.
Colorado car insurance is made up of two main parts. There is the liability side, and the comprehensive side. All drivers are required to maintain at least liability insurance, but there are varying limits that a person can choose from. “Limits of liability” is a phrase anyone shopping for car insurance should be familiar with, and they should also know that the lowest limits are not in their best interest. The lowest legal limits are usually $25,000/$50,000/$25,000. While the technical details of the explanation are not important, the basic explanation means if the driver hits another vehicle worth more than $25,000, they will have to make up the difference out of their own pocket. Many vehicles now are worth much more than $25,000 and the insured should not want to take the risk of paying out of pocket.
The other side of the insurance spectrum covers the driver’s own car. While liability makes sure they are not liable when they hit someone else, comprehensive and collision helps to pay for their own vehicle if they are found at fault. Broken down basically, comprehensive pays for damage out of the driver’s control. This covers animals, hail or other weather, or anything else that can happen to the car that really is not the driver’s fault. Collision on the other hand covers the driver in case they run into something (another vehicle, a tree, a light pole or anything of the like) due to carelessness or driving recklessly. These portions of the insurance do not need to be held, unless a person has a loan on the car, in that case the bank may require full coverage.
When assessing Colorado car insurance there are a lot of extra benefits that can be tacked on to a policy. One of those is towing coverage. This means if a person is out driving and for whatever reason they need a tow truck. Perhaps their car broke down, or they lost a wheel, or crashed into a deer. Whatever the reason of the towing, if they have elected to pay extra for the towing coverage, they can get their car towed usually for free. The only stipulation is they have to call their insurance company first and let the insurance company choose which towing company to use. This addition to the policy is often very cheap and is highly recommended for anyone searching for insurance.
Another benefit that can be added is the rental reimbursement. For people with more than one vehicle, or easy access to another vehicle, they may not need this coverage. When a person is in an accident, for whatever reason, and they are at fault, the rental reimbursement will pay up to a certain dollar amount per day for the person to rent a car in order to continue to get around. These reimbursements generally run out after one month, so if the vehicle is not fixed by then, the driver must pay for their own rental.
Many policies come with roadside assistance at no extra cost. However, there are some that will charge for this. Roadside assistance is usually very cheap to add to a policy, and can be worthwhile. In the event the driver is stranded on the side of the road, roadside assistance will come to the rescue for anything from them running out of gas and they need someone to deliver a few gallons to get them to the next station to they locked their keys in the car and they need a locksmith to help them get back into their vehicle. Roadside assistance is definitely worthwhile, especially when it is very cheap to add to a policy.
Colorado car insurance generally comes with a medical payment option. Most companies require at least some sort of medical payment, but the insured can choose to take on more risk, or less risk, if they want. The payments can be anywhere from $1,000 per incident to $25,000 per incident. If a driver gets into an accident with another vehicle and injures someone, their medical payments will cover the hospital bills. If the hospital payments go over the medical payment option limit, the liability will often kick in to cover the rest. It is generally advisable not to go with a limit of anything under $10,000. With the rising costs of healthcare a higher limit is advisable to protect the insured even more.
The last thing a person should really look for when assessing Colorado car insurance is if windshields are covered. This usually falls under the comprehensive side of the coverage, however, there are some policies that require an additional rider to cover any damage to the windshield. Windshield replacements are common due to rock chips, vandalism, or the glass just wears out and the seal is no longer any good. If it does not add too much to the cost of the insurance, windshield insurance should be purchased.
Buying Colorado car insurance can be a pain. There are so many things to look for, and so many things to pay attention to. The best thing for the insured to do is to find a broker that they know and trust. This way they will be able to sit down with him or her and have all the details of the policy explained clearly. If a trusted broker is not available, knowing the basics is better than knowing nothing.