Disability car insurance is a term used to describe a policy that includes coverage for a modified vehicle and other accommodations a disabled driver needs. A standard car insurance policy will not cover adaptive equipment added to a vehicle, such as hand controls or wheelchair lifts, but add-on coverage like custom parts and equipment insurance can.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes it illegal for car insurance companies to charge you more solely because you have a disability. But if a medical condition affects your ability to drive or requires you to modify your car, you may see an impact on your rates. For example, someone with a medical condition that requires them to modify their car can end up paying a higher insurance premium than the same person minus the car modifications.
Key Things to Know About Car Insurance for People With Disabilities
- You can’t be charged higher rates. According to the ADA, it’s illegal for car insurance companies to charge you higher rates solely based on your disability status.
- Medical conditions can affect your premium. Insurers can consider the impact of certain medical conditions on your ability to drive when determining your premium.
- You’ll need add-on coverage. There are optional add-ons for a car insurance policy specifically designed to cover car modifications made to accommodate a person with a disability.
- Disclosure is important. Drivers with a disability should always disclose their medical condition and any car modifications to their insurer, or else they risk having their policy cancelled or a claim denied.
Does Having a Disability Affect Car Insurance Costs?
Having a disability can affect car insurance costs indirectly. Certain medical conditions that can have an impact on a person’s ability to drive or require them to modify their car could lead them to pay higher insurance rates than someone with no medical conditions. Some conditions that may affect insurance costs include:
- Limb loss
- Paralysis
- Cerebral palsy
- Epilepsy
- Hearing or vision loss
- Mental illness or neurological conditions
- Narcolepsy
- Stroke
- Wheelchair use
Car Insurance Coverage for People With Disabilities
Even though there is no specific type of policy called disability car insurance, there are optional types of insurance coverage, such as special equipment coverage, that can be added to a standard policy for someone with a disability.
Special Equipment Coverage
A standard car insurance policy will not cover adaptive equipment such as wheelchair ramps and pedal extenders, or any other modifications made to a vehicle to accommodate a person with a disability. You need an add-on for that. Special equipment coverage is an optional add-on to your policy that provides a certain amount of coverage for car modifications in case the parts get damaged in a covered incident. Some insurance companies may call this insurance custom parts and equipment coverage.
Mobility Car Insurance
This coverage is an add-on to your policy that will reimburse you for the cost of temporary transportation if your modified car is under repair following a covered incident.
Collision and Comprehensive
Collision and comprehensive pay to repair or replace your car should it get damaged or totaled in an accident or events outside your control such as natural disasters, vandalism, or collisions with animals. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a new car with adaptive equipment can cost $20,000 to $80,000. Without collision or comprehensive coverage, you will have to pay to repair or replace your vehicle out of pocket.
Personal Injury Protection or Medical Payments Coverage
These types of coverage pay for your medical expenses after a car accident. Personal injury protection, specifically, can also pay for lost wages and household services like lawn care and house cleaning.
Roadside Assistance
This coverage can help someone who has limited mobility get things like their flat tire changed or fuel delivered if they run out of gas.
To learn more, check out WalletHub’s guide on the different types of car insurance.
Car Insurance for Wheelchair-Adapted Vehicles
Wheelchair-adapted vehicles typically have high insurance costs since cars with adaptive equipment cost more to repair or replace than cars without these modifications. A wheelchair-adapted vehicle or any other vehicle that has modifications that did not come from the car manufacturer usually also needs additional coverage for the modified parts.
Some of those modifications can include:
- Adjustable seats and restraints
- Amputee rings
- Automatic doors
- Floor-mounted steering
- Pedal and seat belt extensions
- Push-pull hand controls
- Floor-mounted steering
- Siren detectors for the hearing impaired
- Wheelchair lifts and ramps
It’s important that you let your insurance company know of any modifications to your vehicle. If you don’t and you are in an accident, your insurer could deny your claim or even cancel your policy.
To learn more, check out WalletHub’s guide on modified car insurance.
Car Insurance Discrimination Laws
The Americans with Disabilities Act is a law that protects people with disabilities against discrimination in many aspects of public life, including getting car insurance. If you believe your insurance company is charging you more solely based on your disability, you can:
- File a complaint with your state’s department of insurance.
- Talk with an ADA specialist by calling the ADA information line at (800) 514-0301 to get more information on the rights you have.
- Contact your state’s disability advocate from the National Disability Rights Network to learn what legal options you have.
Even though car insurance companies cannot use your disability to determine your premium, there are still many other factors car insurance companies can consider, such as your location, driving record, gender, and age.
To learn more, check out WalletHub’s guide on factors that affect car insurance.
Tips for Finding Cheap Car Insurance for Drivers With Disabilities
Shop around for quotes.
Get quotes from at least three different insurance companies to find the best price for the coverage you need. You can get quotes directly from insurance company websites or compare quotes using a comparison tool on sites like WalletHub.
Look for discounts.
Some insurance companies offer discounts for things like being a homeowner, paying in full, setting up automatic payments, or not having any traffic violations or accidents for a certain amount of time. Adding these discounts can bring down the price of your policy.
Increase your deductible.
The lower your deductible is for types of coverage like comprehensive or collision insurance, the higher your overall insurance premium will be. Increasing your deductible should lead to a lower price, but make sure your deductible is an amount you can afford to pay in case you have to file a claim.
Consider a pay-per-mile policy.
If you don’t drive very much, you may want to consider a pay-per-mile policy, like SmartMiles from Nationwide or Milewise from Allstate, which tends to be cheaper than a regular policy since you only pay for the miles you drive.
Look into usage-based plans.
Companies like GEICO and Progressive offer a usage-based program that uses either a plug-in device or your phone to track driving behaviors, such as how fast you drive and how hard you brake. Insurers use the information to give you a discount based on how well you drive.
Exclude yourself from the policy.
If you have limited mobility and don’t plan on driving at all, you can exclude yourself as a driver on the policy and list someone else as the named insured.
Consider a mobility dealer warranty.
These types of warranties can cover standard items covered by an extended warranty, such as the engine and transmission, along with the modifications you make. You won’t have to pay extra on an insurance policy to get coverage for your modifications.
To learn more, check out WalletHub’s guide on how to lower car insurance rates.
Additional Resources for People With Disabilities
Adaptive equipment can be pricey, and car insurance may not be able to cover the full cost to repair or replace your modified vehicle. Fortunately, there are some resources that can help.
Car Manufacturers
Several car manufacturers, such as Toyota and Ford, offer reimbursement up to $1,000 for adaptive equipment installed on a new vehicle. Any person who purchases or leases a qualifying new vehicle and installs adaptive equipment in the vehicle is eligible.
Vocational Rehabilitation Programs
Every state has a vocational rehabilitation program that can provide funding for vehicle modifications. The programs are designed to help people with disabilities find or keep a job.
Department of Veterans Affairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs has a program called Automobile Adaptive Equipment (AAE) that provides funding for equipment for veterans to operate their vehicle. In addition, the VA has the VA Driver’s Rehabilitation Program, which trains veterans how to safely operate their adapted vehicle.
Social Security Administration
If you are on Social Security, you may be eligible for the Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) program, which allows an individual with a disability to establish and maintain SSI eligibility and increase SSI payments while saving money to pay for items or services that can help them find a job. You can use the program to save money to pay for equipment or transportation to get you working again.
Medical tax deductions from the IRS
The IRS allows you to claim adaptive equipment installed in a car as a tax deduction.
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