What Is The Best Car Insurance Reddit Recommends?

We’ve compiled some of the best Reddit advice on different auto insurance scenarios that might help you think about your insurance needs in different ways.

I do want to point out that I am a licensed insurance agent with over 20 years of practical and theoretical experienced. 

I am licensed, bonded and insured, after I make a recommendation for auto or car insurance, I will be around to help for years after if you need to use that insurance. 

Keep this in mind when you take advice on Reddit, while some of the advice is really good, other advice could be very harmful. 

How Much Car Insurance Do I Need Reddit?

It feels like a struggle sometimes to make the decision against a future risk, you’re not psychic (I think).

None of us know what will happen in the future.

Will you have an accident? Maybe. Maybe not.

Having a lot of insurance coverage could be the best thing you ever did, or a complete waste of money.

Who knows?

Redditor ZBTHorton offers a simple question about Reddit car insurance you can ask yourself to figure out if liability-only insurance is a good idea:

A really easy way of sorting your thoughts out on the decision to purchase liability-only or full coverage insurance is to simply ask yourself if you can replace your car without insurance.

If you can, then it’s okay to drop down to liability-only. If you can’t, it’s better to pay for full coverage with a low deductible. 

That’s smart advice for everyone to heed, and dietcokefiend agrees. 

There are many people who just don’t want to pay the full coverage price, when they may never get into an accident. 

According to this car insurance redditor, liability-only is a great way to save on your insurance bill, as long as you have the savings to replace your car. 

A good rule of thumb, when your car is worth less than you have in savings, liability-only is a better choice.

Of course, there’s nothing like someone giving you a stark reality check when making important life decisions. Styrak doesn’t mince words:

You really need to have a look at your own budget and financial health.

 For some, every single dollar helps, and saving money everywhere you can is necessary. 

Other people might see that advice and think, no, it’s absolutely not.

Think of it this way:  if you save $500 a year for five years by not paying for comprehensive and collision, you will save $2,500.  

If you invest that money in a safe investment, that pays 3% or 4% interest, you could be looking at an additional $75 to $100 on top of that.

If you make a riskier investment and get 10% or more on your investment over 5 years, you could be looking at over $250 in basically free money.

The magic of compounding interest will also come into play over that period, so you could be looking at some real money from investment.

So it is just a question of your risk appetite and ability to finance a loss if your car is totaled or stolen.

We asked Reddit Car Insurance Sub: Is Full Coverage Worth It?

Comprehensive and collision, along with liability, make up the full coverage package. 

There are times when you have to carry full coverage; when you’re leasing or financing, for example.

 But is it wise for everyone to have it? 

EvolvingWino about Reddit Car Insurance says they always have full coverage for peace of mind:

This is true for a lot of people.

 Being able to make monthly payments to know that you’re covered in the future is worth it. 

If you have to write off your car, you know that you’ll be able to replace it without dipping into any of your savings (or lack thereof). 

And most insurance companies will cover a rental car while the claim is being processed, providing you with the security of knowing you will have a vehicle no matter what.

That is just one side to the full coverage coin. As rasmalai points out, Reddit car insurance also applies to more than just car accidents:

There are situations you may not ever consider that could befall your vehicle, even while it’s just parked.

 It’s really hard to make an alternate plan for an event that isn’t even in your sphere of knowledge, so having full coverage can let you rest easier.

For some, peace of mind and money are continually at odds with each other. 

We don’t want to overpay to get Reddit best car insurance, and we still want all the coverage we need. Kahluabomb offered some great advice on a road map to cost effective insurance coverage:

This system let this redditor pay the least amount required while having an appropriate level of coverage. 

While it may not work for everyone, it’s a creative solution to the should I or shouldn’t I debate.

What Do I Do If I Just Need Short Term Car Insurance?

When you only need car insurance temporarily, for a week, or a month, or three months, it can be really hard to know exactly what to do.

Most insurance providers will only sell six-month or one-year policies.

In fact, if your car insurance company will give a month to month option, they probably aren’t the best from a claims handling and customer service perspective.

Redditor xpen25x had a really simple recommendation for Reddit car insurance:

The General is known for insuring difficult cases and extenuating circumstances, like issuing short term car insurance policies. 

 Be sure to read your policy in full before paying anything, as coverage is sometimes lacking, and there can be conditions you might not be aware of.

 They also suggest going to an agent and explaining your needs. This could be a really easy way to find what you want, since the agent will do all the digging and research for you.

If the coverage from hard-to-insure companies just isn’t cutting it, Zab11 had some reassuring words:

Grab a regular policy that suits your coverage needs, and let them know an end date. 

If you pay in full for the policy, they will prorate the unused portion back to you. If you’re paying monthly, they will simply cancel the payments. 

Redditor jaynone gives a great follow-up tip for finding the Reddit best car insurance policy for short term insurance:

Shop for your quotes, find the coverage you need, and steer clear of companies that charge early cancellation penalty fees.

What About Gap Insurance?

Financing a car usually means full coverage, but you’ll also be offered gap insurance. 

This covers you if you total your car, and the actual cash value your insurance company gives is less than what’s due on your loan. 

Gap insurance means you’re not on the hook for the balance of a loan on a car you can’t drive. 

Your dealership will likely offer it, but as koifishyfishy advises, the dealership may not be the best choice:

You can usually get a much better rate from your insurance company for gap insurance than the dealer offers. 

When user rocky5100 bought their car, they found a huge difference in price:

According to Mr_Chicken_Tenders, they will pay 25% over the actual cash value to cover the loan difference, when you buy gap insurance through your insurance company.

Let illredditlater be a cautionary tale for not having gap insurance:

The Reddit car insurance sub-section is full of advice. 

Sometimes you learn things you would never have thought about, just from people sharing what they know and what they’ve experienced. 

Of course, the best insurance policy is the one that works best for you, but some of all of these tips can help you make a decision.

In Closing

Reddit car insurance has a lot of great common sense advice on auto insurance.  The concept of crowd sourcing your info is a good one, as long as you keep it in perspective.

I would say it should be kept at a 30,000 foot perspective.  Just used for a broad “big picture” basis of knowledge.

Shopping around and talking to a licensed agent will help because your state might have laws that the Reddit crowd doesn’t think to consider.