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You may have just received your new automobile policy documents in the mail or online. And you may have already spent some time reviewing your declarations page and the coverages included with your policy. But what does it all mean?
Insurance can be daunting, even if you’ve had a policy for years. We want to help clarify it for you. Here, you’ll find simple explanations of your coverages, a summary of the benefits you’ll enjoy with the AARP® Auto Insurance Program from The Hartford,1 and answers to our most frequently asked questions regarding auto insurance.
Your Auto Coverage
Auto policies are not one-size-fits-all. Different states have different insurance requirements, and different drivers have different protection needs and budgets. Some drivers choose the minimum amount of coverage, whereas others choose higher limits and greater protection for collision, theft and vandalism. No matter where they live or what their needs, all drivers choose from these basic coverage types:
- Bodily Injury Liability Coverage helps protect you against financial loss if you cause an accident that results in someone else’s injury or death. This coverage helps pay the other party’s medical bills, as well as your legal costs if you are sued for bodily injury.
- Property Damage Liability Coverage helps pay for damage your auto causes to surrounding property – such as a car, fence, or telephone pole. This also provides coverage for legal costs if you are sued for property damage.
- Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Protection helps pay for damage to your vehicle, bodily injury, and death expenses if you’re struck by a driver who is uninsured or has insufficient coverage to pay for your losses.
- Medical Payments Coverage helps cover medical expenses if you or your passengers are injured in an accident, regardless of who is at fault.
- Personal Injury Protection helps cover medical expenses for accident-related injuries, similar to Medical Payments Coverage, but also covers a wider range of costs, such as lost wages, funeral expenses and other accident-related expenses. Personal Injury Protection pays regardless of who is at fault. It is required coverage in some states and unavailable in others.
Additional Protection
- Collision Coverage helps pay for damage to your car, minus the deductible amount, for losses caused by a collision with another vehicle or an object, such as a tree or a wall. You’ll need to pay a deductible – or out-of-pocket expense – before your insurance policy will pay. Comprehensive coverage must be purchased with collision coverage.
- Comprehensive (also known as Other Than Collision) Coverage helps pay for loss or damage to your vehicle due to an event other than a collision, such as a fire, theft, vandalism, or a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, flood, or windstorm. A deductible typically does apply.
- Full Glass Coverage is a part of Comprehensive Coverage. It pays the full cost to repair or replace your windshield or other damaged glass on your car. This coverage is specific to each state: Some states have windshield replacement only and may require you to pay a deductible. Be sure to check your policy for details on this coverage.
- Rental Reimbursement/Transportation Expense Coverage helps pay the cost of a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired due to a covered loss.
- Roadside Assistance is a program that offers 24/7 nationwide emergency roadside assistance benefits for customers of the AARP® Auto Insurance Program from The Hartford.1 Roadside assistance plans include towing service, locksmith service, flat-tire service and more.
Electronic Equipment Coverage helps cover devices and enhancements permanently installed in your vehicle that were not designed by the manufacturer, such as stereos and after-market GPS systems.
Benefits for Experienced Drivers
Coverage from The Hartford includes many benefits designed for experienced drivers like you. These features are built into your policy:
- The Hartford RecoverCare Advantage®§ provides up to $2,500 for essential home services – such as transportation, grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning – if you’re injured in a car accident.
- New Car Replacement§§ pays to replace your new car with a new vehicle of the same make and model and with the same equipment – with no deduction for depreciation.
The Hartford also offers these additional benefits for extra protection:
- Accident Forgiveness‡ is your assurance that if you’re involved in your first accident, that accident will be forgiven and your rates won’t increase as a result. To qualify, all drivers on the Hartford policy must have a clean driving record for five consecutive years.
- Disappearing Deductible‡ is an optional coverage that rewards experienced drivers, like you, who maintain a clean driving record by reducing your collision deductible over time.
Auto Insurance FAQs
You expect to be covered if your car is damaged in a crash. Other details regarding your auto insurance may not be so clear. Here are answers to coverage questions we’re frequently asked at The Hartford.
Q. Am I covered when I rent a car?
A. Rental cars are covered by your policy if you have liability, comprehensive and collision coverage and are renting a car in the U.S., its territories, or Canada.
Q. Do I need collision and comprehensive coverage on my car?
A. Collision and comprehensive coverages are optional, but most drivers purchase them to protect the value of their cars. When deciding whether this protection is right for you, carefully review your car’s value, the cost of the coverage, and the amount you can afford to pay out-of-pocket if your car is damaged. If you have an older car with a low book value, you may choose to forego both coverages. If you have a loan or lease for your car, this coverage is required.
Q. If my brother-in-law borrows my car, is he covered by my policy?
A. Your brother-in-law is covered provided that he has your permission to drive your car and has not been specifically excluded from coverage under the policy. If you lend your vehicle to other people on a regular basis, however, be sure to contact The Hartford to have them added to your policy. Regular drivers who aren’t listed could be denied an accident claim.
Q. My daughter is away at college and drives only when home for the holidays. Should she be included on our policy?
A. Yes. Students living away at school are considered household members and should be listed on your policy.
Q. How does the car I drive affect my insurance premiums?
A. In general, luxury and high-performance sports cars are costlier to insure because they are more expensive to repair. Minivans and SUV/crossover models are typically the least expensive to insure. The Hartford offers discounts for electric and hybrid vehicles and cars with air bags, anti-lock brakes and more.
A. In general, luxury and high-performance sports cars are costlier to insure because they are more expensive to repair. Minivans and SUV/crossover models are typically the least expensive to insure. The Hartford offers discounts for electric and hybrid vehicles and cars with air bags, anti-lock brakes and more.
Q. What can I do to help lower my insurance costs?
A. The most significant way to keep your costs down is to drive safely and maintain a clean driving record. Here are four more ways to help lower your premiums:
- Insure both your car and your home with The Hartford to save on both.**
- Complete an approved defensive driver course and you’ll enjoy a discount on your car insurance for the next three years.
- Take advantage of The Hartford’s other discounts – You could save money for having air bags, by insuring two or more passenger vehicles, by paying your premium in full and more.
- Increase your deductibles (i.e., your out-of-pocket expenses if you have a loss). Doing so will lower your premiums.
To learn about the discounts that apply to your policy, visit our Customer Service Center.
** Average savings amounts based on information reported by customers who switched to The Hartford from other carriers between 9/1/22 and 8/31/23. Your savings may vary. Average auto insurance savings is $577 and average home insurance savings is $236. Rate differences for AARP members and non-members vary by state and AARP membership tenure. Auto/Home discount is available only to policyholders who have both their auto and home (or condo or renters) insurance through the AARP Auto & Home Insurance program from The Hartford. The Hartford does not write new business in all areas, including the states of CA and FL.
§ Availability of RecoverCare benefit and benefit levels vary by state. The Hartford RecoverCare Advantage® is a registered mark of The Hartford.
§§ Terms and conditions apply.
‡ Terms and conditions apply. Accident Forgiveness and the Disappearing Deductible are not available to CA policyholders.
‡‡ Terms and conditions apply. Availability varies by state.
‡‡‡ Based on one car and driver; individual rate/premium/savings will vary based on actual coverage selections and characteristics of vehicle(s)/driver(s).
Additional disclosures below.
Car Insurance in Plain English
Quick answers and easy-to-understand auto insurance definitions written with you in mind.
To learn more, read through our auto insurance definitions page.