Coverage Needs Worksheet
Which coverages you need depends on your car, your loan and what you could afford to pay yourself. Answer a few quick questions to build a coverage list you can take to any insurer or agent.
Your situation
The example answers are illustrations. For your car's value, check a used-car pricing guide or listings for similar cars near you. Your loan or lease statement shows what you still owe.
Your coverage list
to include when you ask for quotes. The reasons for each are listed below.
- Liability
- Required
- Uninsured motorist
- Recommended
- Collision
- Required by lender
- Comprehensive
- Required by lender
- Gap coverage
- Recommended
- Medical payments (MedPay)
- Optional
- Rental reimbursement
- Recommended
- Roadside assistance
- Consider
Why each coverage is on your list
Answer the questions above to see the reasons for each coverage.
How the worksheet works
The worksheet applies common coverage guidelines to your answers. It weighs what your car is worth against what you could pay yourself, checks whether a lender is involved, looks at what you have to protect and considers what your health plan and household already cover. Each coverage gets a label and a short reason:
- Required means the law or your lender typically requires it.
- Recommended means your answers point to a real risk the coverage would handle.
- Consider means it could help, depending on your budget and preferences.
- Optional or probably not needed means your answers suggest you are already covered some other way or could absorb the loss.
The worksheet does not know your state's exact rules, your lender's contract or the prices insurers would charge. Treat the list as a starting point for conversations with licensed insurers and agents. For what each coverage pays for, see Insurance Types Explained.
What each answer changes
| Your answer | Coverages it affects | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Car value and savings | Collision, comprehensive | These pay up to the car's actual cash value, minus your deductible. If you could replace the car from savings, they are a choice; if not, they protect your budget. |
| Loan or lease | Collision, comprehensive, gap | Lenders and leasing companies usually require both physical damage coverages until the car is paid off. |
| Amount owed | Gap | If you owe more than the car is worth, a total loss payment may not pay off the loan. |
| Assets to protect | Liability, umbrella | The more you have, the more you could lose to a claim that goes past your limits. |
| Health insurance | MedPay, PIP, uninsured motorist | These pay your own injury costs, so what you need depends on what your health plan already covers. |
| No-fault state | PIP | No-fault states require personal injury protection, which pays your own injury costs whoever caused the crash. |
| Second car | Rental reimbursement | Without one, a repair can leave you without transportation. |
| Roadside help elsewhere | Roadside assistance | There is no reason to pay twice for the same service. |
Not sure whether you live in a no-fault state? Your state department of insurance can tell you. A few states let drivers choose between no-fault and traditional coverage, and rules on minimum limits and uninsured motorist coverage vary by state too.
Turning your list into quotes
- Check your state's requirements. Confirm the minimum liability limits and whether uninsured motorist coverage or PIP is required where you live.
- Set your numbers. The Coverage Calculator estimates liability limits, and the Deductible Calculator helps you pick deductibles.
- Gather your details. The Rate Checklist lists everything insurers and agents usually ask for.
- Compare like with like. Ask each licensed insurer or agent to price the same coverages, then line up the offers in Compare Quotes.
Revisit your list when life changes
- You pay off your loan. Gap coverage is no longer needed, and collision is worth weighing against the car's value. Read How Car Depreciation Affects Your Coverage.
- You buy a home or your savings grow. Your liability limits deserve a fresh look; the Coverage Levels Guide explains the options.
- You add a teen driver. See Auto Insurance for Teen Drivers.
- You buy a new car. See Coverage Essentials for New Car Owners.
- You move to another state. Minimum limits, no-fault rules and uninsured motorist requirements may be different.
Your next step
Take your list with you when you ask for quotes, and ask every insurer or agent to price the same coverages so the comparison is fair. If you would like help lining up offers, every plan on Start Your Coverage includes quote comparisons prepared with our tools.
This worksheet gives general guidance based on your answers. It is not a quote and not advice about your policy, and AutoAssures.com is not an insurance company. Coverage requirements and options vary by state, insurer and lender; confirm details with a licensed insurer or agent.
Your freedom on the road starts with the right coverage
Compare smarter, understand your policy and keep more of your money. Our plans are guidance services, not insurance.