While state minimum limits (often as low as 15/30/5) keep you legally compliant, they rarely provide enough financial protection in a serious accident. If you injure someone and their medical bills total $80,000, a $15,000 policy limit leaves you personally responsible for the remaining $65,000. We recommend bodily injury liability limits of at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident (100/300), plus property damage limits of $100,000.

Not necessarily. Filing a claim for a $600 bumper scratch when your deductible is $500 means the insurer only pays $100 — but that claim goes on your C.L.U.E. report for 3–5 years and will likely raise your premiums by 20–30% at renewal. As a rule of thumb, unless the damage is at least double your deductible, it’s usually cheaper to pay out of pocket.

It’s a common misconception. “No-fault” does not mean the police won’t determine who caused the accident. It simply means that for your medical bills and lost wages, you must file a claim with your own insurance company (under PIP coverage) first, regardless of who caused the crash. However, for property damage to the cars, the at-fault driver’s property damage liability still pays.