Best Car Insurance in Nevada

No, you cannot insure a car with a salvage title in Nevada. 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 Nevada 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.

Insurance companies in Nevada have 80 working days to settle a claim after it is filed. Nevada insurance companies also have specific timeframes in which they must acknowledge the claim and then decide whether or not to accept it, before paying out the final settlement.

Insurance Claim Timeline in Nevada

• 20 working days to acknowledge the claim and send the policyholder instructions and paperwork. This includes proof-of-loss forms, which serve as a sworn statement from the policyholder about the scope of the damage or injuries.
• 30 working days to make a decision on the claim after receiving completed proof-of-loss forms.
• 30 working days to make the final payment if the claim is approved.

There are several factors that can affect exactly how long it takes for an insurance company to settle a claim. For example, claims involving serious or multiple injuries take longer to settle. Additionally, poor communication between the driver, insurance company, and insurance adjuster can slow down the process.

Still, you are entitled 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 may award you the original settlement amount with added interest and penalties.

You can get car insurance discounts in Nevada based on how you drive, the car you own, and your relationship with your insurance company. In Nevada, 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 Nevada because most insurance companies make it easy to qualify for a variety of savings. Nevada 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 Nevada drivers can save by registering for paperless billing or getting both home and auto policies from the same company. Driver discounts are available to Nevada 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 Nevada

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

No, Nevada is not a no-fault state. Nevada is an at-fault (or “tort”) state. That means the driver who causes an accident uses their insurance to pay for the other driver's bills from the collision. Police and insurance companies use the available evidence to decide who is at fault for the accident. Then the at-fault driver's insurance pays to cover the other driver's damages. Depending on their coverage, they might have insurance for their own damages, too.

“Fault” can be shared by drivers – for example, one driver could be 20% responsible for an accident while the second driver is 80% responsible. Nevada has modified comparative negligence laws. That means if you are 50% or more at fault, you can't collect any damages from the other driver. If you're less than 50% at fault, you can collect damages minus the percentage that you're at fault. So if you're 30% at fault, you can recover 70% of what you spent on damages after the crash.

Why You Should Care That Nevada is a Tort/Fault State

In tort states like Nevada, medical coverage only pays out after fault has been determined. That means there are more legal hoops to jump through and a longer waiting period before fault is decided and a driver can get reimbursed. This type of system has other implications for drivers, too, including some that vary by state due to nuances in local car insurance laws.

Here's what tort insurance means for Nevada drivers:

• Tort insurance is typically cheaper than car insurance in no-fault states.
• Drivers can sue the at-fault party for almost any type of loss after their collision. This includes lost wages, emotional distress, and hospital bills that exceed the at-fault driver's coverage.
• You can collect damages from the other driver as long as you are less than 50% responsible for the accident.
• Nevada has a statute of limitations of 2 years after a car accident. That means you have 2 years from the time of the car accident to sue the at-fault driver, or vice versa.

Nevada vs Other Tort/Fault States

Full coverage insurance in Nevada 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 $20,000 in property damage coverage. Full coverage in Nevada also includes optional collision and comprehensive insurance. As a result, full coverage insurance costs an average of $1,793 per year in Nevada, while a state minimum policy costs $902.

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 $1,793 per year in Nevada, while a state minimum policy costs $902. Lenders usually require collision and comprehensive in addition to the insurance you must have under Nevada law when you finance a car.

Most people should also choose higher liability coverage limits than what is required by Nevada 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.