When buying a car, there are a lot of considerations to make regarding insurance. After all, not every car is going to need the exact same type of insurance as the next. Some would benefit more from different add-ons or more comprehensive policies than others. For example, insurance for antique cars might need to cover more than just the fender-benders that are normally taken care of by basic policies. In addition, parents of young drivers might desire additional coverage to ensure that their families are fully protected in case of an auto accident.
This is why it’s worth visiting or contacting an insurance center versus shopping around on your own. While it’s easy to get away with a lesser policy when shopping for your own insurance, working with an employee at a center helps you get what you really need, rather than the first policy that technically works. With that in mind, let’s explore some of the add-ons that you may want to consider when looking for car insurance.
1. Roadside Assistance
While the three most common car insurance claims are for fender benders, thefts, and whiplash, there are a lot of incidents that don’t involve any of those issues. For example, what will you do if your car simply stalls out, leaving you stranded on the side of the road? What happens if your tire blows out and you don’t have the ability to change it yourself? This is where emergency roadside assistance comes in handy, which is why many car insurance providers offer this add-on today.
Through emergency roadside assistance, your insurance providers can contact an on-call tow truck to tow you to your house or the nearest auto shop at any time of day or night. They can also make sure that your tire is changed if you don’t know how to do that yourself (and if you aren’t sure about your tire-changing skills, an attempt is not worth the risk). Emergency roadside assistance also typically covers battery jumps, gasoline deliveries, and locksmith services. Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to add emergency roadside assistance to your policy.
2. Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Obviously, you’re taking care of your insurance needs. But that doesn’t mean that everyone else on the road is. While at the insurance center, you may not think that you need uninsured motorist coverage at first. Doesn’t everyone need to have car insurance? Yes, but more drivers take the risk of hitting the road without insurance than you might think. Depending on the state in which you live, you could have a greater risk of being in a collision with an uninsured driver.
Another reason why you may want to add uninsured motorist coverage to your policy at your insurance center is simply the risk of a hit-and-run collision. In that case, you may never know who collided with your vehicle and whether or not they had coverage. Some car owners add this coverage simply because the minimum insurance required by their state doesn’t cover all accident-related expenses. It’s certainly something to consider as you move through the insurance process. You need to make sure that you’re covered under any circumstances.
3. Personal Injury Protection
If you don’t have a full-coverage health plan or even any medical insurance at all, you should consider personal injury protection (or PIP). This type of personal insurance covers medical expenses connected to accidents, such as surgical fees, ambulance fees, and sometimes even lost wages and rehabilitation costs. Even if you’re determined to be at-fault in an accident, PIP will cover you. PIP coverage will vary depending on the state in which it’s issued, the policy itself, and the insurer. But it’s an important type of coverage to think about if you lack health coverage.
Clearly, add-ons are important and can save you a lot of time and money. But it can be difficult to determine what is best for your specific circumstances and how best to get that coverage without the expertise offered at an insurance center. Before settling for a lesser policy, consider visiting an insurance center first.