auto coverages

Ironically enough, the summer months are a common time for hail. Who would have thought that frozen chunks of ice could plummet from the sky when it’s supposed to be sweltering outside? If your car lives outside and doesn’t get parked in a garage you might wonder – does Atlanta car insurance cover hail damage? It’s a fair question. Hail can wreak havoc on an unsuspecting vehicle. We’ll explain what you need to know.

Does car insurance cover hail damage?

Well, it depends on what coverage you have for your vehicle.

Here’s why:

If you have comprehensive coverage, yes – you’re probably covered for hail. But if you only have liability coverage for your car, you would not be covered for hail damage to your car. That’s because your liability coverage doesn’t cover your car. It’s meant to protect other drivers on the road from you.

There are two portions of liability insurance:

Bodily injury liability – Covers the other driver’s medical bills and pain and suffering if you’re at fault in an accident.

Property damage liability – Covers the repairs or replacement of the other driver’s car if you’re at fault in an accident (as well as other property you might damage with your car.)

Basically, liability helps cover your legal obligation to the other driver if you’re at fault in an accident. It can help you cover your legal expenses if you get sued, too. It’s your financial safety net if you’re ever in an accident where you’re at fault.

It’s not, however, your financial safety net if your car gets damaged by something like hail.

But like we said, if you have comprehensive coverage, you’re generally covered for hail damage. Hail damage can get really expensive because it pummels your entire vehicle, but comprehensive coverage can help cushion the blow.

What is comprehensive coverage?

Comprehensive coverage can help repair or replace your car if it’s damaged by something other than a collision (there’s another coverage for that, which we’ll explain in a minute.)

Losses covered by comprehensive coverage typically include:

• Fire
• Theft
• Vandalism
• Animal strike (i.e. hitting a deer)
• Falling objects (i.e. falling trees)

So, yes, if you have comprehensive coverage, you should be covered for that unfortunate hail damage and you won’t have to cover all the damage on your own. You’ll probably be out your deductible, though, but better than having to foot the whole bill, right?

Now, we mentioned coverage that can help you repair your car if you’re in an accident. That coverage is collision coverage (appropriately named, right?) It goes hand-in-hand with comprehensive coverage.

What is collision coverage?

Collision coverage is the insurance that can help you repair or replace your car if it’s damaged in a wreck (or if you run into something.) Since liability coverage doesn’t protect your car, it won’t pay to repair or replace your car if you’re at fault in an accident. That’s why collision coverage is so important. It’s a way for you to protect your investment in your car.

Am I required to have collision or comprehensive coverage?

If you have a car payment, your lender may require you to carry both collision and comprehensive coverage. They want to protect their investment in the vehicle. That car is valuable, after all! And things like hail damage aren’t cheap. Make sure that you have the insurance your lender requires.

So, if you have comprehensive coverage, yes – you should be covered for hail damage. But if you only have liability coverage…unfortunately, you’re probably not covered.

Get started with Atlanta car insurance quotes by giving us a call, filling out our online form, or messaging us on LiveChat.

Whether you’re in a really bad car accident or a random act (like a tree falling) damages your car, it can be tough to know whether your vehicle is now a lost cause or if a body shop can bring your car back to life. Many people think that a “totaled” car simply means that the airbag deployed, but that’s not necessarily true. Here’s how to truly tell if your car is totaled or repairable, and how your car insurance handles either situation.

Is my car totaled or repairable?

The technical definition of a totaled car is a vehicle that has a repair cost that is close to or greater than the fair market value of that car. A car’s fair market value is the amount you would be able to sell the car for the day before the accident or damaging incident.

For example, let’s say you were able to sell your car at $8,000 the day before the accident, and the cost of repairs from the accident total $6,000. The fair market value of your car would be $8,000, but because the repair costs are so close to the market value, your vehicle could be considered “totaled.”

Will my auto insurance help cover repairing or replacing my car after it is totaled?

Your auto insurance can only help you repair or replace your vehicle if you have the right coverage. If you’ve opted for only the minimum car insurance requirement for Georgia, you may be out of luck. The state minimum coverage is only built to handle your legal obligation to the other driver if you’re found to be at fault in an accident. It won’t help you cover the damages or injuries that you have.

So, if your car is damaged by an accident, your only hope to have your costs covered would be if the other driver was at fault AND they have the proper insurance to fully cover the repair or fair market value costs of your car.

However, if you have collision and comprehensive coverage, you may not have to depend on the other driver’s insurance  – which can be especially good news if you’re dealing with an uninsured driver. The type of coverage that can handle the costs depends on the type of incident, though.

Collison vs. Comprehensive car insurance

If you’re in a car accident that damages or totals your vehicle, collision coverage is the part of your policy that can help you.

Comprehensive coverage is the part of your policy that can help you cover repairs or vehicle replacement if almost anything else happens. Comprehensive coverage can usually help you cover incidents like:

• Fire
• Theft
• Vandalism
• Natural Disasters
• Hitting an animal
• Falling trees

Whether you’ve been in a car accident or not, though, to have your car repaired, you’ll have to pay your deductible before your insurance pays for the rest. This means that if you have a $500 auto insurance deductible and the cost to repair your car is $6,000, you would have to pay $500 of the repair bill and your insurance would cover the remaining $5,500.

Keep in mind that your insurance company will do their own evaluation of the repair costs and fair market value of your car. So, it’s important to also get second opinions and do your own research on the repair costs and market value of your vehicle.

Can I debate the fair market value of my car?

There are times where an auto insurance company may price a repair at a higher rate or assign a lower market value to your car than it was actually worth. This is because car insurance companies use certain software programs to estimate repair costs and car values.

These programs may not search as widely as you can for the best prices. So, your carrier may price your repairs closer to your car’s fair market value. They may also assign a lower market value to your car so it’s closer to a reasonable repair cost. In either case, the insurance company could end up totaling out your car when it’s not necessary and more expensive for you to get a new car.

For example, let’s say that your insurance company says it will be $6,000 to repair your car after an accident. Then, they say that the fair market value for your car was $7,000. However, Kelley Blue Book or a used car lot actually values your vehicle at $10,000 because they took other factors into account that contribute to the true value of your vehicle.

If you completely relied on the insurance company’s software, they would probably total out your car and may only pay you $7,000. So, you would have to pay an additional $3,000 out of pocket to get a similar car to the one you had.

How to prove the fair market value of your car

Using our example, if you were able to bring your claims adjuster proof that the fair market value for your car was actually $10,000, you may then only have to pay $500 out of pocket for the repair. Then, the insurance company would pay the remaining $5,500. That way, you would only have to spend $500 instead of $3,000 in the long run.

So, if your insurance wants to total out your vehicle, make sure that you’ve done your research by:

• Looking up prices for comparable vehicles in the area
• Checking online resources for the value of your vehicle and for the pricing of your repairs
• Going to a used car lot for a written appraisal of your vehicle
• Getting prices from multiple body shops (They may be able to repair your car for less than the insurance company quoted you for.)

Get quotes for the car insurance you need.

It can be scary and overwhelming when you’re handling the aftermath of an accident. It can be even more challenging if you don’t have the right coverage. That’s why our insurance professionals are here to help. We use our professionalise to get you quotes on the best car insurance for your specific situation and the risks you may face – for great rates! Don’t miss out on getting cheaper rates for the car insurance you deserve. Fill out our online form, give our agents a call, or click the chat bubble in the bottom right-hand corner to connect with an agent today.

Sometimes understanding what your insurance covers is cut and dry. If your house is damaged by a hailstorm, your home insurance could help you cover the damage. If you hit a deer with your car, your car insurance could cover the damage. However, sometimes the line between what your home insurance covers and what your car insurance covers gets a little blurry. For instance, which insurance plan covers your car if your house catches fire and the fire spreads to your garage – a garage where you expected your car to sit, safe and sound? Here’s the deal.

Will my home insurance cover my car if my garage burns down?

Well, the fire did start in your home and then spread to another, attached part of your home, right? However, just because your car was sitting under that attached part of your home doesn’t mean your home insurance covers the damages to the vehicle.

Your home insurance is only built to handle the damages to the home itself. Actually most homeowners’ policies will say outright that they don’t cover vehicles. So, while your home insurance can help you cover the costs of rebuilding your home and the garage that housed your car, it most likely won’t help you cover replacing the vehicle itself. But it’s important to read your policy carefully to see what it says about this sort of situation.

Will my car insurance cover my vehicle if my garage burns down?

Well, it depends.

If you have the right auto insurance, it can help you cover the damages to your vehicle. However, the “right” coverage doesn’t necessarily mean the minimum amount of coverage you’re required to have.

The state of Georgia only requires you to have bodily injury liability and property damage liability for your car insurance. These coverages are only to cover your legal duty to another driver if you’re at fault in an accident. So, if you only have the minimum requirement for auto insurance, you’ll have to foot the bill when it comes to repairing your car, whether it’s damaged by an accident or in a fire.

So, what is the “right” insurance coverage to help cover your car in a fire? Comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive car insurance coverage can help you cover damages to your car due to:

• Animal strikes (i.e., if you hit a deer with your car)
• Falling objects (i.e., if a tree falls on your car)
• Theft
• Vandalism
• And fire!

If you’re worried that you only have the state minimum insurance requirement, you may still be in luck. Although the state of Georgia doesn’t require you to have comprehensive coverage, your car loan company may. After all, your car is also their investment.

However, you’ll still want to look at your car insurance declarations page to know for sure that you have the comprehensive coverage you need and that you have a high enough limit to cover your car.

There’s still one small issue, though. Comprehensive coverage still doesn’t cover the damage done to your car in an accident. So, what does?

Collision & comprehensive coverage go hand in hand.

Collision coverage is going to be the saving grace in your car insurance policy if you’re in an accident. It’s the part of your auto insurance that can help you cover the damages to your car if you collide with something, like a tree or another car.

Usually, collision coverage comes with comprehensive coverage, for good reason. Think of it like this: if collision coverage is what covers your car hitting something, comprehensive coverage can help you cover things that hit your car. So, having both types of coverages are key to making sure your car is completely protected.

So, to answer the overall question: If your garage burns down with your car in it, your auto insurance plan would be the one to help you cover the costs of replacing the vehicle, but only if you have comprehensive coverage. As far as the garage itself, that would be a job for your home insurance to help you with.

An easy way to save money on both home and auto insurance is to fill out our online form! You’ll get to talk to an insurance professional who knows exactly how to get the rates and coverage you need. To start getting free, customized quotes, just give us a call, fill out our online form, or click the chat bubble in the bottom right-hand corner.

Everyone wants to save money on car insurance. Maybe you’ve done the research, and now you have the exact types of coverage you need for the lowest price you can get. However, some people settle for the bare minimum of car insurance coverage to save money, or they just don’t get insurance (despite that being extremely illegal).

What do you do if you’re in an accident with someone who cut corners in their coverage? Carriers have actually come up with a great solution: Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist insurance. Here, we’ll tell you what it is, what it does, and why you should consider adding it to your policy.

What is Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist Insurance?

When you’re in an accident, whoever is at fault has a legal duty to the other driver to help cover any repair fees, medical bills, lost wages, etc. resulting from the accident. If the driver’s car insurance policy doesn’t have a high enough coverage limit to do that, then how do you get the extra money to handle the damage?

In comes Underinsured (UIM)/Uninsured (UM) coverage. This part of your policy can help pick up the slack from what the at-fault driver’s insurance doesn’t cover.

What’s the difference between an UNinsured and an UNDERinsured motorist?

An UNinsured motorist Is someone who just doesn’t have car insurance, whether they’ve had it lapse, they haven’t paid for a plan, or they just didn’t apply for a policy in the first place.

“Wait, isn’t it illegal to drive without car insurance?” Yes. Very. However, the Insurance Research Council reports that about 1 in 7 drivers still don’t have car insurance. So, while they’ll have their own set of problems to deal with (including fines and possible jail time), it’s important that you have UM/UIM coverage so that you can minimize your own issues after an accident.

An UNDERinsured motorist is someone who just doesn’t have enough car insurance to pay for the damages of an accident. An underinsured driver may just have the legal minimum of liability coverage for their car insurance. While that may legally give them insurance coverage, the liability limits of minimum requirement car insurance may not be enough to help cover your medical bills.

Will my insurance cover a hit-and-run?

Say someone slams into the side of your car and takes off. In cases like these, you have no way of contacting the driver, nor getting ahold of their insurance (unless you’re a mind reader). So, in insurance terms, you were hit by an uninsured motorist and could get help from your UM/UIM coverage.

Am I required to have UM/UIM coverage in Georgia?

You’re not technically required to have UM/UIM insurance in GA but consider this: The minimum requirement for insurance in GA is only 25/50/25. This means that the minimum amount of coverage required is $25,000 bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 in property damage.

With UM/UIM coverage, your insurance can help fill in that gap between the other driver’s coverage limit and the actual cost of your medical expenses. So, the peace of mind can be worth the extra coverage.

Keep in mind that UM/UIM insurance also has a minimum coverage limit that may still be less than the medical bills you incur. So, the best course of action for determining the UM/UIM coverage you need is to get a policy that offers the same amount of coverage as your normal car insurance policy.

So, why should you get UM/UIM coverage? The simple answer is peace of mind. When you first started driving, you may have heard the adage that you have to drive for you and everyone else on the road. So, that can also include parts of your insurance coverage.

If you’re worried about the cost of adding this policy to your car insurance, don’t be! Our insurance professionals are the best at asking the right questions to help you save money on the auto insurance you need. So, call us today or fill out our online form to start your free, easy quotes.