Auto Insurance for Financed Vehicles

The lending company wishes to dodge, at all costs, a scenario in which the financed car is damaged or stolen and is not recovered or repaired. Such a scenario can lead to a motorist defaulting on their payments for the vehicle or the lending company losing its collateral in the loan.  They put protection requirements on those vehicles as a way to protect themselves from such events.

If you own a vehicle with an outstanding balance on it, you will be required to have collision insurance in addition to liability insurance. Essentially, collision coverage provides for the repair of your car if it is damaged in an accident. The monetary amount that an insurance company will provide for the cost of repairing your car will not exceed the current market value for the vehicle. However, if the car is damaged beyond repair, the insurance company will elect to "total" the vehicle. In this case, the insurance company will pay you the amount of the value of the vehicle.  

Collision insurance combined with comprehensive insurance is sometimes known as "full coverage". Comprehensive insurance is an optional form of coverage that will pay for the cost of damage repairs that your car may incur due to crime or an act of nature. The value of full coverage is based upon a car's replacement value, among other factors. How often a car may be victimized by a crime or the driver's personal statistics and driver's license record will affect how much is paid in premiums for these types of coverage.  

Collision insurance and comprehensive insurance both have a deductible. A deductible is the amount of money you are required to pay upfront in order for repair work to commence on your car. The insurance company will cover the remainder of the balance according to the terms in your policy. The higher of a deductible you select when choosing your coverage will result in lower premiums accordingly. If you opt to choose a high deductible, make certain that it is an amount of money you will have readily available should you need it.  

You must maintain collision insurance on a financed vehicle. Besides being required by law, if you do not maintain this coverage yourself, the lending company may add it for you. This can result in astronomical rates on the loan, and the policy that the lending company might add for you may not be in compliance with the other forms of coverage your state may require. Therefore, in addition to the lending company enforced policy, you will have to purchase another policy in order to be able drive legally. If you find yourself in this situation, you may be able to purchase a policy with collision insurance on it. If you provide the lending company with proof of coverage, they may remove their policy and free you of the high rates.