Auto insurance
Auto insurance covers the vehicles your household drives. It pays for injuries and damage you cause to others, for damage to your own car, and for your own injuries when the other driver has no insurance.
Every household vehicle, and every driver who may be behind the wheel.
What it covers
Summaries only. The policy wording governs, and every insurance company's policy is different.
Injuries to other people in an accident you cause, including lawyers.
What to watchThe state minimum is low. The amount should reflect what you own and earn. An umbrella policy usually requires at least $250,000 per person and $500,000 per accident.
Damage to other vehicles and property in an accident you cause.
What to watchA newer SUV or a storefront can cost more than a low limit quickly.
Medical and related costs for you and your passengers, whoever was at fault. Minnesota requires it.
What to watchThe state sets a minimum. Higher amounts usually cost little more.
Your injuries when the other driver has no insurance or too little. Minnesota requires it.
What to watchMatch it to your own liability amounts.
Repairs after a crash, and after theft, weather, hitting an animal or a cracked windshield.
What to watchA higher deductible lowers the price. Consider dropping crash coverage on an older car worth little.
Pays for a rental car while your car is in the shop after a covered claim.
What to watchIt has a daily amount and a number of days. A low daily amount will not cover an SUV or a long repair.
Towing, a jump start, a flat tire change, fuel delivery and lockout help.
What to watchEach call has a dollar or mileage cap. If you drive long distances, check the cap.
Wheels, stereo, lift kits, wraps, toolboxes and other parts added after the car left the factory.
What to watchStandard policies cover only a small amount of added equipment, often $1,000 to $2,000. Anything more has to be listed with its value.
Items stolen from the car or damaged in a crash: a laptop, tools, luggage, sports gear.
What to watchMost auto policies do not cover belongings; your home or renters policy usually does, after its deductible. Some insurers offer a small add-on for it. Ask which applies to you.
Pays the difference between what the car is worth and what you still owe if the car is written off.
What to watchMatters in the first years of a loan or lease, when you owe more than the car is worth. Drop it once the loan is below the car's value.
You and the insurer agree on the car's value in advance, and that amount is paid in full if the car is written off.
What to watchUsually needs limited mileage, secure storage and a photo or appraisal. Ordinary policies pay whatever the car was worth that day instead.
Repair coverage for engine, transmission and other mechanical failures after the manufacturer's warranty ends, through Arkay Auto. It sits alongside your auto policy and is sold without a long-term contract. Get an Arkay quote online (opens in a new tab).
What to watchIt is a vehicle service contract, not an insurance policy, so its own terms say what is covered. Read them before you decide, or ask us to walk you through them.
How we work
We are appointed with national and specialty companies, so your policy goes where it fits rather than where we happen to have a contract. See who we work with.
Send your current policy and we compare it with what we would offer: what we would keep, what we would change, and why, in writing.
No coverage starts and no policy changes until a licensed agent confirms it with you in writing. You always know what you have. How we work, in full.
Exclusions
The amount of liability coverage is the decision that matters. The rest is detail.
How to get it
More than the state minimum. A common starting point is $250,000 per person and $500,000 per accident for injuries, and $100,000 for property damage. That is also the floor many umbrella policies require. If you own a home or have savings, the amounts should reflect that.
It will raise the price. Good-student and driver-training discounts help, as does assigning the teen to the least expensive vehicle. Leaving them off the policy is not an option if they drive.
If you financed or leased a new vehicle with little down, yes, for the first couple of years. It pays the difference between what you owe and what the car is worth if the car is written off.
Occasional business use, such as driving to meetings, is usually fine and should be mentioned. Deliveries, ride-share driving and anything with a company name on the door need an add-on or a commercial policy.
For collector cars: a value you and the insurer agree on in advance, paid in full if the car is written off, instead of whatever the insurer decides it was worth at the time.
Not to the policy itself, but we offer mechanical repair protection through Arkay Auto alongside it. It covers repairs after the manufacturer's warranty ends and does not tie you into a long-term contract. You can quote it yourself online (opens in a new tab) or ask for it when we quote the auto policy.
Related
Covers your home or apartment, your belongings, your liability, and somewhere to stay after a covered loss.
Home, condo and rentersAdds $1 million or more of liability coverage on top of your auto and home policies for the claim that is bigger than they are.
Personal umbrellaCovers business-owned vehicles, plus your liability for rented vehicles and employees driving their own cars for work.
Commercial autoTell us about your household on the quote form, or send your current declarations pages and we compare them line by line.
