Pennsylvania Car Insurance

To purchase Pennsylvania car insurance for the most affordable price and with all the necessary coverage for your vehicle, it requires that you first do some research. Fortunately, we have broken down the auto insurance laws in Pennsylvania, what is required of you, and lastly, how to save a little money on your PA car insurance.

Pennsylvania allows you to make the choice to purchase two types of overall insurance: full tort or limited tort. What this means is that under the full tort insurance, you maintain the rights to sue for pain and suffering if involved in an auto accident. If you choose limited tort, you may only sue for payments for the medical injuries and property damage, but not for pain and suffering.

Essentially, the PA legislature enacted this law to cut back on frivolous lawsuits involving automobile accidents; the temptation of the limited tort is that your premium will go down considerably in comparison to a full tort insurance policy.

Required Pennsylvania Auto Insurance Coverage

Let’s now take a look to the required types of coverage on a Pennsylvania car insurance policy.

• Bodily Injury coverage will pay for the medical bills of the passengers of the other vehicle. PA requires you to carry this at $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident.
• Property Damage coverage will pay for the repairs to the other vehicle if you were to cause an accident. PA requires you to carry this limit of liability at $5,000 per accident.
• First Party Benefits (PIP) will pay for the medical expenses of you and your passengers should you be injured in an accident. PA also requires this coverage to be set at $5,000.

Additional Pennsylvania Auto Insurance Coverage Options

Other coverage options are typically recommended, but not required by the state. Further, for some it won’t be worth it to put some of these coverage options on your vehicle if it’s an older make and model. You may want to consult with a licensed insurance agent before making the final decision.

• Collision is a coverage that will pay for repairs to your vehicle should you cause the accident. Keep in mind that if your vehicle is financed, your lien holder will most likely require you to carry this coverage and at a recommended limit.
• Comprehensive is coverage to pay for repairs to your vehicle, but this kicks in for set occurrences such as theft, some weather related occurrences, vandalism, and certain glass breakage. This will also be required by your lien holder, so consult with them before purchasing auto insurance.
• Uninsured/ Underinsured Motorists Bodily Injury is not required by PA, but many carry this coverage because it protects you and your passengers should the driver that caused the accident not have insurance. Also, it will be added up front but may be waived with written consent.
• Extras such as towing and rental are another option to consider when purchasing PA car insurance. These will often be cheaper than other carriers, but not all auto insurance companies offer these extra coverage options.

Finding Pennsylvania Car Insurance Discounts

The next piece to the puzzle for affordable insurance is to understand what discounts are available in PA. Many companies will have available discounts but they won’t always offer them up front. Here are a few to consider while comparing auto insurance companies:

• Hybrid vehicle discounts are available through certain companies for up to 5% off certain coverages.
• Defensive driver discount is available to those that are age 50 and above. So take the certified course, and insure with a company that offers this discount! It can save up to 10% on certain coverages for up to three years.
• Good student discounts are available for unmarried full-time students under the age of 25. Most companies will require proof that their GPA is over a 3.0 or a “B” average or better (usually a recent report card or transcript).
• Anti-theft discount is given to vehicles with installed safety precautions. This discount is usually taken off the comprehensive coverage.
• The multiple policy discounts will apply if you insure your homeowners and auto with the same company; often you’ll even receive a discount on both policies!
• Multi-vehicle discount is usually automatically applied, but it occurs when two or more vehicles are added to the same policy from the same household.

How to Find Cheap Pennsylvania Car Insurance Rates

Above all, shop around for Pennsylvania car insurance. After you understand what coverage is required, which your vehicle needs (lien holder), and what discounts are applicable to you, comparing policies is the best thing you can do. Use our free search tools at the top of the page and start comparing today to find the best PA car insurance policy. Get started comparing PA auto insurance quotes online today!