How Much Car Insurance Coverage Do You Need in Alabama?

Deciding how much auto insurance coverage to carry can be tricky. No one wants to pay a lot of money for coverage they never use, but it can be devastating to have to pay out of pocket for costly repairs or, worse, a civil judgment against you by someone you injured in a crash. Alabama requires its drivers to have certain minimum amounts of liability coverage: $25,000 for an individual’s injuries, $50,000 for an accident resulting in multiple people being injured, and $25,000 for property damaged in an accident. Below, you’ll see a guide on what liability coverage means, and what other forms of coverage you may choose to carry.

Liability coverage will pay for the medical expenses or costs of repairing property damage of the other driver in a car or truck accident when you were deemed responsible for the crash. This coverage will not pay for any of your own expenses.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage is not mandatory, but it will pay your expenses relating to the accident when the other driver wasn’t insured, or had insurance that was inadequate to cover all your expenses when the other driver was at fault. It’s generally not a lot more money to buy uninsured motorist coverage, and if you’re in a crash, there are decent odds that it will come in handy. The Insurance Research Council estimated that, in 2012, nearly 20% of all drivers in Alabama didn’t have car insurance, despite the law mandating coverage.

Full Coverage includes both collision coverage, which pays for repairs to your own car after a crash, and comprehensive coverage, which pays for repairs to your car not caused by an accident, such as damage from vandalism, natural disasters, or to replace your stolen car. The cost of this coverage generally varies based on the size of deductible you choose, with a larger deductible resulting in lower monthly payments.

Choosing the right amount of coverage for your car insurance can be a difficult balance of different interests.

Get Legal Help in Filing an Insurance Claim

If you have been injured in an Alabama car accident but are unsure which insurance coverage applies or how to file a claim, call the Carter Law Firm, P.C., in Mobile at 251-433-6500, in Birmingham at 205-202-4050, or contact us online.