If you want to drive your car on a public road in the state of Florida, you must have car insurance. Driving without insurance is against the law and can make it hard for you to get a licence for a vehicle in your name for at least three years.
In the state of Florida, you must buy at least liability insurance.
In the state of Florida, you must have at least $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and $10,000 in Property Damage Liability insurance (PDL).
Many insurance policies are set up to offer a minimum coverage that is a little bit different. If you cause an accident, you must pay at least $10,000 in medical bills for each person hurt, up to a maximum of $20,000 per accident. Your liability insurance must also cover at least $10,000 in property damage liability (or PDL). This is often shortened to "10/20/10."
Liability insurance doesn't pay to fix or replace your car, and it also doesn't pay for medical bills for you or anyone else in your car if you are found to be at fault in an accident.
Taking into account current medical costs and the cost to fix or replace even a moderately priced car, the state minimum coverage required in Florida could leave you still owing a lot of money if you were in an accident.
It might be in your best interest to buy more car insurance than the minimum required by law. Luckily, there are things you can do to save money and get a discount on your Florida car insurance.
Start by always driving in a safe and legal way. Your car insurance rates will go up if you get a ticket for speeding or any other moving violation. Your insurance rates will go through the roof if you are found guilty of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or Driving While Intoxicated (DWI). If you get a second DUI or DWI, you may have to get insurance through the high-risk pool, which will cost so much it will make you sick.
Does your car sleep in a garage? If so, your insurance company might give you a discount.
You drive less than 500 miles a month, right? If so, you might be able to get a discount for having low mileage.
Have you bought insurance from the same company more than once? Do you also have a policy for your home or maybe a policy for your health with the same company? If so, you might be able to get a discount on your car insurance for having more than one policy.
Have you had the same insurance company for more than 5 years? If that's the case, you might be eligible for a Long-Term Discount.
If you are under 25 and still in school and get at least a "B" average, you should be able to get at least a 5% discount on your car insurance through a "Good Student Discount."
If you are at least 55 years old and pass a special driver's refresher course, your monthly car insurance premium should go down by at least 10 percent. This discount isn't offered by every insurance company, so check with your agent to see if you qualify.
If your car is an older model and has little or no Kelly Blue Book value left, you can save a lot of money each month by cancelling collision and comprehensive insurance, since your company won't pay out on those coverages anyway.
How much can you spend on a deductible? Answer this question carefully, because if you can afford a higher deductible, your monthly premium payment will be less. However, if you have a claim, you will have to pay more money out of your own pocket if your deductible is higher.
Now that you've read this, you should know enough about car insurance to put together a plan that you can live with and pay for. Now is the time to go online and start comparing prices and policies for car insurance.
Make sure you give yourself the extra time you need to compare prices on at least three different websites. This is because there isn't a single site that compares all of the Florida car insurance companies. If you take the time to compare at least three sites, you can rest easy knowing that you really saved money and got the best discount car insurance in Florida.
