If you have lived in Texas for the past six years, you have seen two major increases in mandatory liability coverage. If you used to live in Texas and you have moved back recently, you need to know about these changes for car insurance quotes in Texas.
Prior to 2008, the mandatory minimum liability was 20/40/15 on car insurance quotes in Texas. This is insurance shorthand for Bodily Injury (BI) limits of $20,000 each person and no more than $40,000 each accident, and Property Damage (PD) limits of $15,000.
The problem, according to the state of Texas, was that medical costs were so high than $15,000 was simply inadequate in terms of minimum coverage. This resulted in the state of Texas legislating an increase in mandatory minimum limits of 25/50/25 on car insurance quotes in Texas.
By 2011, Texas increased the mandatory minimum limits to 30/60/25. Even with this increase, it doesn’t mean that it is enough coverage to protect you if you cause an accident. Because the minimum requirement is only $20,000 shy of the next level of coverage, you might as well go up to 50/100/25 on your car insurance quotes in Texas and pay a difference of a few dollars.
The only time you should even consider minimum limits on your car insurance quotes in Texas is if you are a young driver, have a poor driving record, or you are getting insurance for the first time. Your rates will be higher due to the higher risk, so perhaps starting your first six months with mandatory limits will have to do.
The smart move would be to increase the BI limits as soon as possible to reduce your exposure to great financial hardship stemming from a bad accident in which you did not have enough protection.
Besides BI and PD mandatory limits, there are no other requirements you have to meet for your car insurance quotes in Texas. However, there are a couple of very important coverages you will want to consider for added protection.
- Uninsured Motorists (UM)–UM will pay you if you are hit by someone who has no insurance or insufficient insurance. It covers medical expenses and damage to your vehicle. Texas has a very high rate of uninsured drivers, so it is important that you consider this coverage on your car insurance quotes in Texas.
- Medical Payments or Personal Injury Protection (MP or PIP)–MP and PIP are first party medical benefits. This means it will give you and your passengers or household members medical payout if there are injuries sustained in or around your vehicle. This is very beneficial coverage if you cause an accident and you and passengers are taken to the hospital or you have to seek medical attention in the days following the accident.
The best part of car insurance quotes in Texas is that in most areas of Texas, rates are pretty reasonable. Choosing adequate coverage is less costly on car insurance quotes in Texas especially after establishing insurance and good driving history.
