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Personal Auto Insurance

We offer flexible payment plans to fit any budget needs.

We offer flexible payment plans to fit any budget needs.

We've helped over 60,000 customers buy more affordable insurance coverage.

We've helped over 60,000 employers buy more affordable insurance coverage.

We shop your coverage with up to 35 national carriers.

We shop your coverage with up to 35 national carriers.

We shop your personal insurance to save you time and money.

What is Personal Auto Insurance?

Personal auto insurance is required by almost every state, however purchasing the minimal coverage required by law is not recommended. Firstly, it can be much more costly than an insurance premium. The average auto claim costs approximately $1,000. The average auto insurance premium is approximately $800.00 a year.

There are many coverages included and optional for personal auto insurance. Options and coverages will vary between insurance carriers so it is very important to understand your policy regarding what is, and is not, included. The Insurance Shop specialists take their time to help customers fully understand what coverage they are getting and what may be excluded. It is important to work with someone who can help you define what you need in an auto policy and provide that policy at a great price with a great insurance carrier.

There are typically six main coverages used to insure autos.

Commercial and personal auto discounts are available through many carriers. Ask us how you can save.
  • Liability coverage. This covers claims against you for any bodily injury or property damage resulting from an accident. It can also pay defense costs if should you be sued by passengers in your car or in other car involved in the accident.
  • Collision coverage. This coverage will help pay for any damage done to your vehicle as a result of a collision with another vehicle or object.
  • Comprehensive coverage.This coverage applies to damage resulting from event other than collision; such as theft, vandalism or even wild animals.
  • Personal injury protection. This covers medical expenses, and sometimes lost wages or other damages, regardless of who is found at fault for accident. Also known as no-fault insurance.
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. As the name suggests, this coverage protects you from paying out of pocket if an uninsured or underinsured vehicle is at fault in an accident.
  • Medical payments coverage. Covers medical payments for anyone injured while in your vehicle, regardless of who is at fault.

There are many optional coverages you can add to your policy should your needs be more specific.

  • Loan/lease gap insurance.
  • Rental coverage.
  • Roadside assistance.
  • New car replacement.
  • Accident forgiveness.
  • Ride sharing (such as Lyft and Uber).

A large part of how personal auto insurance works includes deductibles and limits. The deductible is an agreed upon amount that the insured will pay out of pocket. Insurance kicks in once that deductible is met. The more you agree to pay out of pocket, the lower your insurance rate will be. There are also limits applied to your car insurance. The limit refers to the agreed upon cap in how much money the insurance company will pay per claim. Contrasting how deductibles work, the lower your limit, the lower your rates. These two factors greatly affect your premiums, which is why you should work with a personal auto specialist who will make sure you don’t under or over insure your vehicle.

Find your lowest personal insurance rates.

Find your lowest
personal auto rates

We take the time to ensure you are taking advantage of all the auto insurance discounts available through our carriers.

  • Safe driver and good student discounts.
  • Multi-car and multi-policy discounts.
  • Usage-based discounts, such as Progressive's Snapshot®.
Compare quotes from over 35 carriers.

Compare quotes
from over 35 carriers

Once we've got your best quotes back from our carriers, we take the time to help you understand your options and take the next steps to get you covered quickly.

  • We will access your needs and won't let you over-insure.
  • We have through knowledge of what is required in your state to keep you on the road.
  • We continue to follow up after binding; our service to you never ends.

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Personal Auto Insurance
We shop your personal insurance to save you time and money.

Why do I need Personal Auto Insurance?

Beyond legal requirements, carrying personal auto insurance is a smart decision. If you cause an accident or get into one with an uninsured or underinsured driver, you may be held responsible to cover related expenses, such as car repairs, property damage, medical bills, lost wages, legal fees and more. Without the proper coverage, your financial well-being may be at risk.

According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), private passengers spent over $163 million dollars in 2016, both in liability and physical damages. The average claim costs for both bodily injury and physical damage was between $1,000 and $3,000 in 2016, with an estimated 2-3 claims per person that year. These statistics climb every year, as do insurance rates to compensate, however in most every case it is less expensive to insure your car than to pay out of pocket for damages caused. This is an important aspect to discuss with an expert in personal auto, they will help you to determine the value of your vehicle and help compare and rate all your coverage options.

What does Personal Auto Insurance Cost?

Personal auto insurance offers so many options and coverages, not to mention the growing amount of carriers offering discounts for various reasons, such as being a safe driver, owning a hybrid car and multi-car/policy discounts. Pricing an auto policy must be done with great attention to detail. There are some standard factors used in determining rates, such as year and model of your vehicle(s), your driving record and condition of your vehicle(s).

What are Common Personal Auto Claims?

If you are looking for how to file a claim, please visit our Client Services.

Personal auto claims are made as a result of many types of events regarding your vehicle. Most common are the following nine claims.

  1. Rear end crash. Statistics collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), demonstrate that distracted driving is the number one cause of rear end crashes. Eight people are killed and 1,161 people are injured every single day in the United States.
  2. Windshield damage. Most chips and cracks come from rocks thrown up by large trucks, snow removal equipment and other debris from the road.
  3. Damage to parked vehicle. Apparently 15 percent of drivers have hit a parked car. A third-party data company, Go Compare, researched that close to two million drivers admitted to not only hitting a parked car, but driving away without leaving a note or attempting to find owner.
  4. Backup accident. According to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA), there are approximately 500,000 backup accidents each year, 15,000 of those accidents lead to injury and 210 lead to death.
  5. Single car crash. Single car crashes account for over 8,000 deaths per year, according to the CDC.
  6. Hail damage. The State of Colorado reported a hail storm in 2016 as the most damaging in the state’s history, with almost $1 billion in damages.
  7. Break-ins and theft. NHTSA reports there are over 10,000 break-ins per year, per state.
  8. Personal injury. Back and neck injuries are very common results to having an accident.
  9. Crash at intersection. While the Department of Transportation (DOT) works hard to make intersections as safe as possible, an average of one-quarter of traffic fatalities and roughly half of all traffic injuries are attributed to intersections.

How Can I Reduce My Risk?

Reducing the risk of an accident is part driver, part vehicle and part everyone elses’ responsibility. While you can’t control what another driver does, you can influence them. Driving aggressively, using your horn too liberally and distracted driving are known to antagonize other drivers, often influencing them to drive poorly as well. Taking measures such as getting quality driving instruction, maintaining your vehicle and keeping it safe to drive as well as driving defensively, will not only help keep you and your passengers safe, but will likely reduce your auto insurance premiums.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Who does my insurance policy cover?
  2. Most policies will cover you, your passengers and the driver and passengers of a vehicle with which you had an accident. Note that most policies include and most states require, liability coverage, without which only you and your passengers will be covered in the event of an accident.

  3. What if my vehicle is a motorcycle, RV or any other type of road worthy vehicle?
  4. If you can drive it, there is a way to insure it. Motorcycle and RV insurance is much like normal auto insurance, just with extra or removed options as applies to each vehicle. For example, recreational vehicles often carry extra fuel or propane on board for stoves and alike, increasing the chances of fire and the need for extra coverage.

Insurance Services

Our Special Products and Services Make Us Better

Whether you are looking for the best coverage or to save more money over your current policy, our fast and friendly service staff is always here to help. As we work with numerous carriers across the United States we can offer more products at the best competitive rates. We at The Insurance Shop don't stop there, we also have a highly trained and experienced customer service team who guide and support you both before and after you've obtained your coverage.

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