If your car isn't worth much, you may be tempted to cancel your collision insurance. Before making a decision, it's important to consider the cost of parts and repair. If you're a safe driver and unlikely to cause an accident, you may be better off claiming the other driver's insurance if they were at fault. Collision insurance covers repairs to your car due to an accident, regardless of fault, while liability coverage covers injuries or damage suffered by another driver in an accident that you caused.
You can also opt to drop full coverage if you're willing to pay for repairs out of pocket or if you prefer to replace your vehicle if it's damaged. This reduces the statistical need for collision insurance, which pays for repairs in the event of an accident against a building, tree, or someone else's car. Collision insurance is not required by any state law, but most landlords and lenders require drivers to have it until the car is paid for. You should only maintain comprehensive and collision coverage on a vehicle that is financed (for which you still owe money from the loan) or in a leased vehicle. The cost of your insurance premium for collision coverage will be more expensive if you have a lower deductible.
A general rule of thumb is that if your collision insurance premium is more than 10% of the value of your car, you can consider canceling the coverage. Many people will feel comfortable dropping coverage when faced with these three events, and many people will feel comfortable leaving coverage before meeting the next three life events. However, a lender may require you to have collision insurance if you are still making payments on your car or if you are leasing it. Collision insurance repairs or replaces the insured car if it is damaged, either by another vehicle or by an object such as a tree or a mailbox. You should cancel your car's full coverage insurance when the cost of the insurance is equal to or greater than the potential payment, in the event of a covered event.
Collision insurance covers problems such as car accidents, while comprehensive insurance covers problems such as car theft, animal collisions, vandalism, fires, floods, hail, and falling objects (such as tree branches). You won't be able to cancel collision coverage or comprehensive coverage if the car is leased or until your loan is paid off. However, collision insurance may not be necessary in some situations, such as when you've paid the loan in full or your premium is higher than the actual cash value of your car. If you're planning on keeping your car on the road for more than a decade, it's important to consider the cost of a collision and cover it over several years, compared to collision insurance that helps pay for damage to your vehicle if you're at fault in an accident or you hit an object like your neighbor's mailbox. As an expert in auto insurance, I recommend that drivers carefully weigh their options before deciding whether or not to drop their collision coverage. It's important to consider the cost of parts and repair as well as the potential payment in case of a covered event.
Additionally, drivers should take into account their driving record and whether they are still making payments on their car or leasing it. Ultimately, dropping collision coverage may be wise in certain situations but it's important to make sure that all other factors are taken into account before making a decision.
