What does liability car insurance mean?
Liability car insurance means it covers any bodily injury or property damage caused to another person when you are the one responsible for an accident. It may also be referred to as “limited” liability auto insurance, because the insurer will pay up to the coverage limits you have selected, in your particular policy.
Free Car Insurance Comparison
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Ty Stewart
Licensed Insurance Agent
Ty Stewart is the founder and CEO of SimpleLifeInsure.com. He started researching and studying about insurance when he got his first policy for his own family. He has been featured as an insurance expert speaker at agent conventions and in top publications. As an independent licensed insurance agent, he has helped clients nationwide to secure affordable coverage while making the process simpl...
Licensed Insurance Agent
UPDATED: Mar 19, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right car insurance coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident car insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one car insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single company.
Our car insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different car insurance companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.
UPDATED: Mar 19, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right car insurance coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident car insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one car insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single company.
Our car insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different car insurance companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
On This Page
- Limited liability is one of the least expensive types of car insurance
- If you cause an accident, liability will pay for the damages to the car
- Liability does not cover damages to your own vehicle
What is liability car insurance and what does it mean if you have it?
What are the advantages and disadvantages? Knowing the facts before you buy insurance protects you and other drivers.
Enter your zip code above in our FREE comparison tool today!
Why do you need insurance?
Let’s start with why you need car insurance. To begin with, it is often mandatory, so you will save yourself from getting tickets and violation expenses.
But practically, it is necessary because you never know when you may be in an accident.
If you are responsible for the accident, you are held financially, as well as legally, responsible.
This means that anyone involved in the accident will have the right to file suit to compensate for damages.
Compare quotes from the top car insurance companies and save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Definition of Liability Car Insurance
When you are responsible for an accident involving your car, liability car insurance covers any bodily injury or property damage caused to another person.
It does not cover any of your bodily injuries or damage incurred to your personal property.
For this reason, it is often referred to as “liability only” insurance.
It may also be referred to as “limited” liability insurance, because the insurer will pay up to the coverage limits you have selected, in your particular policy.
What does liability insurance cover?
Liability car insurance covers basically three aspects of one policy. These three aspects will always come together, so purchasing them separately is impossible.
The three main inclusions are:
- Bodily injury per person
- Bodily injury per accident
- Property damage liability
When you are responsible for an accident, this covers injuries caused by the accident, as well as lost wages. The coverage is limited to what you have chosen in and for your policy.
For example, your policy may cover up to a $15,000 limit in bodily injury per person involved in an accident.
This covers the same as the bodily injury per person inclusion but sets a maximum limit on the reimbursement for an entire accident.
This covers any damage you incur to another person’s property when you are responsible for the accident.
Once again, limited liability insurance does not cover damages to your own property.
What does bodily injury cover?
The bodily injury inclusion coverage will help protect you from bills and expenses.
Here are some expenses that you will be covered for:
- Cost of medical bills for the other party
- Reimbursement for loss of income to the other party
- Cost of emergency services at the site of accident
- Legal defense payments, in case any drivers listed on the policy are involved in a lawsuit caused by a car accident
- Funeral costs
Compare quotes from the top car insurance companies and save Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Compare quotes from the top car insurance companies and save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What does property damage cover?
The property damage inclusion coverage will help protect you from bills and expenses.
These bills and expenses include:
- Vehicle repair or replacement costs
- Damage incurred to structures, such as homes or storefronts
- Costs covering repair or replacement of other stationary objects
What are the advantages of liability car insurance?
Limited liability is one of the least expensive types of car insurance.
It offers protection for you against high expenses in case of an accident. It also provides protection for you in case of a lawsuit.
What are the disadvantages of liability car insurance?
The coverage of limited liability is minimal.
While it protects you from expenses incurred in injury to others, it provides no coverage for your injuries or damages to your personal properties.
Liability car insurance doesn’t protect your car from other misfortunes, such as vandalism, weather, and damages from other sources.
Read more: What are the liability limits on car insurance?
Compare quotes from the top car insurance companies and save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Policy
Consider how much you can afford to pay for a deductible. This will help you to better determine which policy is right for you. Buy the highest limits you can comfortably afford.
In a serious accident, your expenses could be far greater than your coverage limits.
Therefore, it makes good sense to cover as much as you can afford.
You should be aware of and refer to your state’s mandatory minimums when choosing a policy so that you purchase what is required of you legally.
Comparing Liability Car Insurance Policies
Once you’ve researched the factors involved in the kind of policy you wish to choose, the next thing to do is to compare rates from quality insurers.
The best and easiest way to do this is to use an online policy estimate comparison site.
By doing this you can be easily matched with competitively priced quotes from high-quality liability insurers.
Comparing the quotes can be simplified by paying attention to the details in the different quotes.
It is a good idea to look at the overall premium, then break it down into the smaller coverage details.
But if you are still only considering, and not yet firmly set on that company, you can still compare rates: either via your own hard research or by comparing your personally searched rates to those on a comparison site.
Enter your zip code below to receive and compare affordable car insurance quotes for FREE!
Compare quotes from the top car insurance companies and save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Ty Stewart
Licensed Insurance Agent
Ty Stewart is the founder and CEO of SimpleLifeInsure.com. He started researching and studying about insurance when he got his first policy for his own family. He has been featured as an insurance expert speaker at agent conventions and in top publications. As an independent licensed insurance agent, he has helped clients nationwide to secure affordable coverage while making the process simpl...
Licensed Insurance Agent
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.