Car Insurance in Vermont

What is Car Insurance?

Anyone who gets into a vehicle assumes a certain amount of risk. Although no one intends to be in a collision, there are thousands of auto accidents every day. Most people in Vermont will be involved in at least one, if not several, during their lifetime. Car insurance helps protect drivers from many of the financial consequences auto accidents can have.

Most car insurance policies are “package policies,” which means they combine several coverages into a single policy. In a well-designed policy, the individual coverages that are included will work together to provide robust protection from many potential risks that vehicle owners face.

What Coverages Are Included in Auto Insurance Policies?

The exact coverages that an auto insurance policy contains can vary. Nevertheless, there are many coverages that are commonly available across most policies. They include the following:

Bodily Injury Liability Coverage, which might cover injuries that people who aren’t in the policyholder’s vehicle sustain
Personal Injury Protection (PIP), which may cover injuries that the policyholder and people in their vehicle sustain
Property Damage Liability Coverage, which might cover damage sustained by another person’s property during an incident
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage, which may cover accidents that other drivers who aren’t fully insured are responsible for
Comprehensive and Collision Coverage, which might cover damage that the insured vehicle sustains

In addition to these common coverages, a lot of policies offer optional protections that can be added onto the policy. Emergency roadside assistance and rental car coverage are two popular optional protections.

What Is the Difference Between Comprehensive and Collision Coverage?

Both comprehensive coverage and collision coverage provide protection for the insured vehicle. If the insured vehicle is damaged in a covered incident, the appropriate coverage will help pay to have the vehicle repaired or replaced (according to the policy’s terms, conditions and limits).

The types of incidents that comprehensive coverage and collision coverage cover, however, are quite different.

Collision coverage generally covers accidents that involve two or more moving vehicles. In insurance terms, such accidents are typically called collisions.

Comprehensive coverage normally covers incidents that don’t involve other vehicles. For example, a policy’s comprehensive coverage might cover damage caused by a break-in, a hail storm or contact with a deer. Although a vehicle usually must be moving in order to hit a deer, insurers frequently still categorize claims for such incidents under comprehensive coverage because only one moving vehicle is involved.

(The above are only examples of what may be covered. Precisely what incidents each of these coverages protects against depends on a particular policy’s terms, conditions and exclusions.)

Who in Vermont Needs to Have an Auto Insurance Policy?

Most drivers in Vermont must carry an auto insurance policy that meets the state’s minimum coverage requirements. To operate a vehicle without a policy that meets the state’s requirements can result in fines and citations, and it leaves drivers without protection if they cause an accident.

Will an Auto Policy Cover a Rental Vehicle?

Some of an auto policy’s coverages may extend to a rental vehicle. Exactly what protections a policy provides for rental vehicles can vary, though. Before renting a vehicle, drivers should check with their insurance agent to find out what protections their policy will provide and which ones they’ll have to get through a rental-specific policy.

How Much Auto Coverage Should Drivers Have?

Although drivers are only legally required to carry auto insurance that meets the state’s minimum requirements, many drivers elect to purchase policies that provide a lot more protection. Auto accident claims can become expensive, especially if multiple cars are involved or several people are injured. Therefore, it’s often wise to carry a policy that has high limits.

How Can Vermont Drivers Get Car Insurance?

For help finding car insurance, drivers in Vermont should contact an independent insurance agent who’s licensed in the state. An independent agent will be able to help drivers decide how much coverage they want to carry, and the agent can request quotes from several insurers for policies that will provide the coverages a driver wants.