Car insurance, explained clearly
Understand what car insurance may cover, how claims usually work, and what can happen after vehicle damage or a loss—without the jargon or sales pressure.
Start with the essentials
Three practical guides that connect coverage choices with what happens when you need to use your policy.
Go directly to the type of coverage, claim question, or damage situation you need to understand.
Recent answers about coverage decisions, claims, repairs, damage, and loss.
Learn how car insurance coverage works, what different policies include, and how the claims process functions in common real-life situations.
Insurance on a financed car often includes collision and comprehensive coverage required by the loan contract, even though state law generally focuses on liability insurance. The lender requires physical-damage coverage …
What happens if an uninsured driver hits you? Their lack of insurance does not automatically make your own insurer pay every loss. Payment depends on your state, your policy, whether …
Does total loss settlement include sales tax and fees? It may. A total-loss settlement can include sales tax and certain title, registration, license, or transfer fees, but the answer depends …
Does collision insurance cover hit and run damage? Usually, yes, when another vehicle hits your car and the driver leaves, subject to your policy and collision deductible. Uninsured motorist property …
Does car insurance cover rodent damage? It may if you have comprehensive coverage and the damage qualifies as a covered non-collision loss. Rodents can chew wiring, hoses, insulation, or other …
Who pays storage fees after a car accident? It depends on the claim, fault, coverage, who authorized the storage, and how long the vehicle remains there. Your insurer, another driver’s …
Can you cash an insurance check without repairing your car? Sometimes, yes—especially if you own the vehicle outright and the insurer issues payment only to you. But loans, leases, lienholders, …
When both drivers are partly at fault for a car accident, the insurance outcome can depend on each driver’s share of responsibility, the available coverage, the evidence, and the negligence …
Supplemental repair estimate car insurance claims usually involve an updated estimate created after the original estimate when additional damage or required work is discovered. This often happens after the repair …
Catalytic converter theft can be easy to recognize: you start the car and suddenly hear a much louder exhaust sound than usual. Because the converter sits underneath the vehicle, thieves …