Best Car Insurance in Connecticut

Insurance companies in Connecticut do not have a specific amount of time in which they must settle an insurance claim. Instead, state law requires them to settle claims "with reasonable promptness".

Even though Connecticut does not require a specific timeframe for the resolution of insurance claims, you still have the right to an efficient settlement. If you think that your insurance company is violating the law or operating unethically, you can file a “bad faith” lawsuit, which can award you the original settlement amount with added interest and penalties.

With that being said, it's important to remember that several factors can affect exactly how long it takes for an insurance company to settle a claim. For example, severe accidents, claims involving bodily injury, and poor communication between involved parties can all slow down the process.

No, you cannot insure a car with a salvage title in Connecticut. Salvage vehicles are cars that have been declared a total loss, meaning they're too damaged to be worth repairing and cannot be driven legally. As a result, no legitimate car insurance company writes policies for them.

Although insurance companies in Connecticut won't insure a car with a current salvage title, you can get coverage if you have the vehicle repaired and inspected by a state-certified mechanic. If it's declared safe to drive, the DMV will issue the car a rebuilt title. Several insurance companies, including Allstate and Geico, sell policies to vehicles with a rebuilt title.

Keep in mind that some insurers will only sell liability insurance for rebuilt cars, meaning that they won't pay for any physical damage to the vehicle. Even if you are able to get collision and comprehensive insurance, your policy may not cover the full value of the car if it's totaled again.

You can get car insurance discounts in Connecticut based on how you drive, the car you own, and your relationship with your insurance company. In Connecticut, car insurance companies are allowed to consider factors like employment, residential, and marital status when setting premiums. That means there are also discounts available for being married, owning a home, or being affiliated with certain employers or educational institutions.

Almost anyone can get a discount on car insurance in Connecticut because most insurance companies make it easy to qualify for a variety of savings. Connecticut insurers typically offer discounts that fall into one of three categories—policy discounts, driver discounts, and vehicle discounts.

Policy discounts typically reward customer behavior that is desirable to the insurance company. For example, most Connecticut drivers can save by registering for paperless billing or getting both home and auto policies from the same company. Driver discounts are available to Connecticut residents who are lower-risk to insure, like those with clean driving records. And vehicle discounts help drivers save if their car has certain safety features or anti-theft systems.

Car Insurance Discounts in Connecticut

Remember, discounts vary among different insurance companies, so it's always best to contact the provider directly to determine which discounts you qualify for.

Car insurance usually follows the car in Connecticut. The types of car insurance that follow the car in Connecticut are bodily injury liability, personal injury liability, uninsured motorist protection, collision, and comprehensive. You're required to carry bodily injury liability, property damage liability, and uninsured motorist protection in Connecticut.

If you let someone borrow your car and they cause an accident in Connecticut, bodily injury liability insurance pays for injuries to the other driver and their passengers. Property damage liability insurance will pay for damage to the other driver's car. If the person who borrowed your car causes damage that exceeds your coverage limits, their liability policy can act as secondary coverage. But their coverage only kicks in after yours is tapped out.

You won't need to use your PIP or MedPay coverage if someone caused an accident while driving your car because PIP and MedPay follow the driver. You will have to use your collision and comprehensive insurance to pay for damage to your car, though. These optional coverage types pay for your car to be fixed no matter who was driving, but it is a claim on your policy.

It's always a risk to lend your car to someone else, because you could definitely end up filing a claim using your own insurance in Connecticut. When someone borrows your car, they also borrow your insurance coverage in most cases.

Full coverage insurance in Connecticut is usually defined as a policy that provides more than the state's minimum liability coverage, which is $25,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, up to $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 in property damage coverage. Full coverage in Connecticut also includes optional collision and comprehensive insurance. As a result, full coverage insurance costs an average of $1,672 per year in Connecticut, while a state minimum policy costs $854.

If you can't afford to repair or replace your car after an accident, collision and comprehensive are important coverage types—even if they're not required. Collision insurance covers repair or replacement costs if you are in an accident, drive into an object, or flip your car. Comprehensive insurance covers repair or replacement costs if your car is damaged by falling objects, natural disasters, floods, fires, theft, vandalism, or animals. Full coverage insurance costs an average of $1,672 per year in Connecticut, while a state minimum policy costs $854. Lenders usually require collision and comprehensive in addition to the insurance you must have under Connecticut law when you finance a car.

Most people should also choose higher liability coverage limits than what is required by Connecticut law. If you cause an accident and your liability limits don't cover the whole bill, you are still personally responsible for the rest. In the end, “full coverage” means having the right amount of coverage to protect your assets in a worst-case scenario.