Kim Roach :I am looking for low auto insurance rates online but I do not know how to compare my auto insurance policy, can you please help me?

Response : I agree with you Kim, you need to know what is it that you are going to compare when you compare auto insurance rates online. Please see my earlier post on review auto insurance coverage. In order to compare car insurance quotes or to review car insurance coverages. you first need to know what your own auto insurance policy is providing. For this it is necessary to read your own auto insurance policy.

Your car insurance policy is a legal contract, so at first glance it can seem confusing. But, if you know what to look for and where to find it, your policy becomes a lot easier to understand. Each auto and homeowners insurance policy has three standard parts:
Declarations Page. This is where you’ll find your name, a statement of the policy period during which you are covered and the amount of premium you pay. The “dec” page also includes a description of the insurance coverage provided and gives the maximum dollar limit the insurer will pay for a claim under each coverage.
You need to see the coverages mentioned here and the lmits of each of them . For eg Liability coverage will be mentioned showing you a bifurcation for Bodily injury and Property damage coverage.
Insuring Agreement. This is the main part of the policy. It describes what the insurance company will do in exchange for the premium you’re paying. The insuring agreement will also say who is covered: The persons named as insureds on the declarations page, residents of the same household and persons using the car with the permission of the insured. Everything is spelled out specifically in an attempt to avoid misunderstanding. Read the definitions section and the list of exclusions that apply to each coverage. Its vital that you know what you are covered for and what you are not covered for when you need to use your coverage!

Conditions of the policy. This last section describes your responsibilities when you have a claim, for example how much time you have to report it and what documentation you must give to the insurance company. It also explains the terms for canceling your policy—both for you and the insurer. You can cancel your policy at any time, however your insurance provider may only cancel under certain conditions and with advance notice to you.
Exclusions of the auto insurance policy : Some auto insurance policy will have specific exclusions that will tell you what is excluded from scope of the policy. If the exclusions are not mentioned than the scope of the coverage needs to be re-read again so that you understand what is excatly covered. Once you know and have reviewed what you have you will find it easy to understand how to compare auto insurance quotes online.
Thanks.
Have a great day.
Kamlesh

Rick Howard: Can you expalin to me what are combined limits and split limits under an auto insurance policy? How do I review auto insurance limits for this?

Response: Please see the map attached for the auto insurance liablity limits for each state.
“Liability” is a legal term that refers to responsibility which one owes to another person’s injury or loss. While questions about who is liable for what are typically decided in court through the tort law as it is called. The liability settlements can be anywhere from thousands to millions of dollars. Having an insurance policy to protect you from such things is more than a good idea. In most states it’s the law.
Liability insurance is coverage from your car insurance company that pays the damages when you are in an car accident. Claims will cause an increase in your premiums, but that still far outweighs the alternative, which is a court settlement.

Liability insurance for cars comes in two basic types, based on how the insurance coverage limit is determined. The limit is the maximum your insurance company is required to pay on your behalf if you are in an accident. The different types are split limit and combined single limit policies.

A combined single limit combines property damage liability coverage and bodily injury coverage under one single combined limit. For example, an insured driver with a combine single liability limit strikes another vehicle and injures the driver and the passenger. Payments for the damages to the other driver’s car, as well as payments for injury claims for the driver and passenger, would be paid out under this same coverage.

A split limit liability coverage policy splits the coverages into property damage coverage and bodily injury coverage. In the example given above, payments for the other driver’s vehicle would be paid out under property damage coverage, and payments for the injuries would be paid out under bodily injury coverage.

Bodily injury liability coverage is also usually split as well into a maximum payment per person and a maximum payment per accident.
The split limits and the combined limits are smart ways for insurance companies to minimize their losses.

Now, here is a tip which you must always keep in mind that you must review both your split and combined limits individually and combined in order to decide whether they are optimum since for example if only one person is fataly wounded and that person is the key person if the limit per person (split limit) is only $500,000/- but your accident limit is 1 million you will get only $500,000 from the insurance company.
Review car insurance policy before you buy your insurance and even afterwards with any change.

Have a wonderful day.