Is a $500 deductible good for car insurance?

You have to pay a car insurance deductible when you file a claim with your own car insurance company after most types of incidents. For example, if you cause an accident that damages your vehicle, you will need to file a claim with your own collision insurance and pay your collision deductible.… read full answer

Some types of coverage, like liability insurance and MedPay, never require deductibles, though.

You’ll Have to Pay a Car Insurance Deductible If:

• You use your personal injury protection to pay for your own medical expenses, regardless of fault.
• You use your collision insurance to pay for your vehicle damage after an accident you caused.
• You use your comprehensive insurance to pay for non-accident-related damage to your vehicle, such as from theft or a natural disaster.
• You use your uninsured motorist property damage insurance to pay for your vehicle damage if you’re in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver.
• You use your collision insurance as supplemental coverage if you are not at fault.
• You and another driver share the fault for an accident.

In some situations, you may need to use your own collision insurance to repair your vehicle while the insurance adjusters determine who is at fault. Although you may need to pay your deductible initially in that case, your insurance company will recover your deductible from the at-fault driver through subrogation if you are found to be not at fault.

You Will Not Have to Pay a Deductible If:

• You are not at fault for an accident. The at-fault driver’s liability insurance will cover your property damage and medical expenses.
• Another driver files a claim with your insurance. You do not have to pay a deductible for your liability insurance to cover them.
• You use MedPay to cover your own medical expenses, regardless of fault.
• You use uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage after an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver.

Also, if you are using your comprehensive insurance to cover windshield damage, some states mandate that the deductible must be waived.

To learn more, check out WalletHub’s guide to car insurance deductibles.

A deductible affects car insurance by determining the amount that a driver needs to pay before their insurance company will cover the cost of a claim. Deductibles also affect car insurance premiums, with higher deductibles generally resulting in lower premiums and vice versa. For example, choosing a $500 deductible instead of a $250 deductible could save a policyholder around 29% on their collision premium.… read full answer

Deductibles most commonly apply to collision and comprehensive insurance, which cover the policyholder’s own vehicle in different situations. Drivers can choose their deductible amount when purchasing a car insurance policy, and options typically range from $100 to $2,000. Even though a higher deductible can save you money in the short term, it’s important to choose an amount you can afford.

To learn more, check out WalletHub’s complete guide to car insurance deductibles.

A $1,000 deductible is better than a $500 deductible if you can afford the increased out-of-pocket cost in the event of an accident, because a higher deductible means you’ll pay lower premiums. Choosing an insurance deductible depends on the size of your emergency fund and how much you can afford for monthly premiums.… read full answer

How to Choose Between a $500 and a $1,000 Deductible

1. Figure out how much you would save on your premium with a $1,000 deductible.

The goal is to determine if those savings are worth paying an extra $500 out of pocket after an accident. Car insurance companies typically use a $500 deductible to give quotes, which means you’ll need to make a point of checking how things change with a $1,000 deductible.

Remember that the premium savings will not always be proportional to the extra out-of-pocket costs after an accident. For example, Progressive reports that doubling your deductible from $500 to $1,000 may result in only a 28% decrease in premiums on average.

2. Consider how much you could afford to pay if an accident happened today.

Accidents can happen at any moment, so if you don’t have a lot of savings or expendable income, a lower deductible is usually a safer choice to avoid financial stress after an accident.

3. Determine your car’s actual cash value.

If you have an old car that’s only worth $2,500, for example, you don’t want to carry a deductible of $1,000. It’s too close to the total value of your vehicle, which means the replacement cost wouldn’t put much more stress on your finances than the deductible itself.

4. Make a decision based on your financial situation and preferences.

After evaluating your income, monthly expenses, savings, available credit and car value, it should be clear which is a better deal for you: saving monthly on premiums or saving in the event of an accident.

Although $500 and $1,000 are the most common deductibles, you may want to consider other deductible amounts, too. Some companies offer lower and higher options, such as $100, $250 or $2,500 deductibles.

No matter what you decide, be sure to set aside enough cash to cover your deductible before you need to make a claim. To learn more, check out WalletHub’s guide to car insurance deductibles.