Posts Tagged ‘temporary car insurance’

Short Term Car Insurance Fills Gap In Coverage

Friday, July 30th, 2010

With the abundance of different insurance types on the market today, it is often difficult to pinpoint the policy type that is best suited for your situation. And while your insurance agent likely knows the differences between the policies, you may find yourself seeking the information on your own terms first.

Understanding the different options for insurance coverage is an important part of having a balanced and sustainable financial portfolio. Temporary car insurance tends to cause more grief to consumers than other policies, although this insurance type can actually be quite useful when used properly.

Temporary car insurance is not meant to be as complicated as it seems. It simply provides coverage for an automobile over short period of time, and is meant to fill in gaps of insurance coverage. This period can range from a couple of days to a couple of months, depending on the nature of the individual?s need.

The difficult part of short term insurance is determining in which circumstances it should be used in. For most scenarios, your permanent automobile insurance will cover most of these temporary shortcomings. Well before purchasing a temporary policy, first ensure that your existing coverage will not take care of your problem. If you find a gap in your coverage, explore your options before committing.

A scenario in which short term car insurance may be beneficial is shortly after an automobile accident in which your vehicle is totaled. Once the vehicle is no longer in your possession, you may find yourself without permanent insurance. A temporary policy may be the perfect way to add coverage to a rental car while you search for a replacement vehicle. In this case, your need is typically only for a couple of weeks while you are looking, and permanent insurance on a rental simply doesn’t make sense.

Most people do not realize that there are many different ways to approach car insurance. The more permanent policies offer the best long term coverage for the insurance companies and are pushed for this reason. You may just as easily find a short term policy that meets your individual needs.

Finding the right insurance policy for your needs can be tricky. Once you have completed your personal research, it is always a good idea to consult with a professional before purchasing a new contract. Explore your different options and make an informed and logical decision.

For more information on uses for temporary auto insurance visit the Life and Health Guru online. You’ll find valuable material on car insurance and tips and tricks to finding the right policy.

Temporary Auto Insurance

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

If you are looking for a short term car insurance policy theres a good chance that you may not even need it…

Is car insurance for a temporary period of time required when renting an automobile?

The rental car service will offer you either a loss damage waiver (LDW), personal effects coverage, liability insurance, or accident coverage. If you already have you own car insurance, you likely don’t need any of these additional insurances. Just make sure to use the rental car for recreational use and not business use.

Below is a list of the 4 insurance types that the rental car company may offer you and why you probably don’t need them…

Liability coverage: The liability insurance on your own policy will protect you.

Loss Damage Waiver or LDW: If you have both collision & comprehensive insurance, you don’t need a loss damage waiver. Your collision insurance covers damage done to your car even if you are found to be guilty in an accident. Comprehensive coverage covers damage done to your car from things such as wildlife and weather. Furthermore, some LDWs, which you can purchase, only cover damage done to the car if you are found to be innocent.

Accident coverage or personal accident insurance: If you have one of these (Medical Payment Coverage, Personal Injury Protection, or health insurance), you do not need this extra coverage.

Personal effects coverage: This type of coverage protects from the loss of personal items or baggage. If you have homeowners or renters insurance, you likely do not need this insurance as both types of home insurance also cover belonging outside of your house.

To be on the safe side, it is best to call both you car and house insurer to make sure that both policies carry over. Or, you can just read your policy. Its likely that you’ll get some type of insurance from your credit card company as well.

What if you’re not renting, but borrowing somebody’s car?

If you have your own car insurance, you needn’t worry. Your own auto insurance transfers over. Additionally, the lenders car insurance policy will transfer to you. But what happens if you want to borrow a car and don’t have auto insurance for yourself?

If you want to borrow somebody’s car and do not have you car insurance, the main thing, which can hurt you, is lack of liability coverage. Yes, the lenders liability protection will cover you when you borrow their car. But if their liability coverage is not enough, you are liable for any amount, which is not covered by the lenders liability insurance. You can easily prevent this from happening by purchasing a cheap nonowners policy. As always, if you are innocent in an accident, the other person will pay for the cost to repair the lenders vehicle (although this isn’t the case in some states).

If you borrow a car, who pays for damages done to the car itself? The collision and/or comprehensive coverage of the owner will pay if you are guilty, the other party will pay if they are guilty, and your coverage may pay if you have your own full coverage (comprehensive & collision).

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