Personal insurance

Who it’s for

Anyone who owns, leases, or often drives a car. That includes a teen who just got a license and drives the family car.

What it can cover

• Liability: can pay when you’re blamed for someone else’s injury or damage in a crash.
• Collision: is designed to help pay to fix your car after a crash with another car or an object, like a pole.
• Comprehensive: can help pay for damage that isn’t from a crash, like theft, hail, a fallen tree, or hitting a deer.
• Medical coverage: can help pay doctor bills for you and your passengers. The kind you get depends on your state.
• Uninsured motorist: can help when the other driver has no insurance, or not enough.
• Extras: things like towing or a rental car while yours is in the shop.

Example

Say you back out of your driveway and hit your neighbor’s mailbox. Liability can pay for their mailbox. If your policy includes collision coverage, it could pay to fix your bumper, after your deductible, the part you pay first. Say the bumper repair is $1,800 and your deductible is $500. You’d pay $500 and the insurance company would typically pay $1,300.

Good to know

Do you drive for work or for a delivery app? Tell us. A personal car policy may not cover that driving.

Who it’s for

People who own the house they live in. If you rent the house out to someone else, you usually need a different policy, so tell us.

What it can cover

• Your house: the building itself, plus things built into it, like the roof and cabinets.
• Other buildings: things like a shed, a fence, or a garage that isn’t attached.
• Your things: furniture, clothes, electronics, and the rest of your stuff.
• Liability: can pay when you’re blamed for someone else’s injury or damage, like a guest who trips on your steps.
• Guest medical bills: small bills for a guest hurt at your home, no matter whose fault it was.
• Living costs: extra costs, like a hotel, if repairs force you to move out for a while.

Example

Say a kitchen fire ruins your cabinets and smoke ruins your couch. The repairs and a new couch come to $15,000. If your policy includes fire and smoke damage, it could pay for both. With a $1,000 deductible, the part you pay first, you’d pay $1,000 and the insurance company would typically pay $14,000. If you need a hotel while the kitchen is fixed, your living costs coverage can help with that too.

Payouts can vary by policy. Replacement cost is based on buying new. Actual cash value is based on worth after age and wear, so it can pay less. If a new couch is $2,000 but yours was worth $800, the payout might be $12,800 instead of $14,000.

Good to know

Where the water comes from matters:

• Burst pipe inside: may be covered as sudden and accidental damage, depending on the policy.
• Sewer and drain backup: water comes up through a drain or sewer line, or a sump pump fails. It’s often left out, but a water backup endorsement, an add-on that changes the policy, can help.
• Flood: rising water from outside, like a storm or river. It’s usually left out and often needs a separate flood policy.

Earthquakes are usually left out too. Ask us about separate coverage.

Who it’s for

Anyone who rents a house, an apartment, or a room. It’s also handy if you’ve just moved out on your own and own more stuff than you think.

What it can cover

• Your things: furniture, clothes, a laptop, a bike, and the rest, after things like a fire or a break-in.
• Your things away from home: often covered too, like a bag stolen from your car.
• Liability: can pay when you’re blamed for someone else’s injury or damage, like a guest who slips in your kitchen.
• Guest medical bills: small bills for a guest hurt at your place, no matter whose fault it was.
• Living costs: extra costs, like a hotel, if your place can’t be lived in after a covered loss.

Example

Say your bathtub overflows and water leaks into the apartment below. Your neighbor’s TV and rug are ruined, and they ask you to pay the $3,000 to replace them. Your landlord’s policy may not pay for your neighbor’s things. If your renters policy includes liability coverage, it could pay for them, up to its limit, the most the insurance company would pay.

Good to know

Take a quick video of your things, room by room, and save it online. It makes a claim much easier if you ever need one.

Who it’s for

People who own a condo or a townhome that’s part of an association. If you rent your unit out to others, tell us, since that usually needs a different setup.

What it can cover

• Your unit: the parts the master policy leaves out, often floors, cabinets, and fixtures inside your walls.
• Your things: furniture, clothes, electronics, and the rest of your stuff.
• Liability: can pay when you’re blamed for someone else’s injury or damage, like a guest who falls in your unit.
• Loss assessment: can help pay your share when the association bills every owner for a covered loss, like storm damage to the shared roof.
• Living costs: extra costs, like a hotel, if repairs force you out for a while.

Example

Say a pipe bursts under your sink and ruins your kitchen floor and cabinets. In this case, say the master policy stops at the walls and leaves out what’s inside your unit. If your condo policy includes this kind of water damage, it could pay for the repairs. Say they come to $12,000 and your deductible is $1,000. You’d pay $1,000 and your condo policy would typically pay $11,000.

Good to know

Ask your association for a copy of the master policy before you get a quote. It shows us where their coverage stops and yours needs to start.

Who it’s for

Anyone who rides a street bike, a cruiser, a sport bike, a scooter, or a trike. That goes for weekend riders and daily riders alike.

What it can cover

• Liability: can pay when you’re blamed for someone else’s injury or damage.
• Collision: is designed to help pay to fix your bike after a crash, even if no other vehicle was involved.
• Comprehensive: can help pay for damage that isn’t from a crash, like theft, fire, or a tree branch falling on it.
• Uninsured motorist: can help when the other driver has no insurance, or not enough.
• Custom parts and gear: often an add-on for things like custom paint, saddlebags, or your helmet and jacket.
• Roadside help: often an add-on for towing if your bike won’t start.

Example

Say you hit loose gravel on a curve and lay your bike down. You’re fine, but the bike needs $3,500 in repairs. If your policy includes collision coverage, it could pay for the repairs. With a $500 deductible, the part you pay first, you’d pay $500 and the insurance company would typically pay $3,000.

Good to know

Do you park your bike for the winter? Ask about keeping comprehensive while it’s stored, so it can still be covered for theft or a garage fire.

Who it’s for

Anyone who owns a fishing boat, a pontoon, a ski boat, a sailboat, or a personal watercraft. A home policy may cover boats very little, if at all.

What it can cover

• Damage to your boat: can cover the boat, motor, and trailer after things like a crash, a storm, a fire, or theft.
• Liability: can pay when you’re blamed for someone else’s injury or damage, like your wake slamming a boat into a dock.
• Medical bills: can help pay for people hurt on your boat.
• Uninsured boater: can help when the other boater has no insurance, or not enough.
• Towing on the water: often an add-on if you break down or run out of gas.
• Your gear: often an add-on for things like fishing gear and life jackets.

Example

Say you hit a sandbar you couldn’t see and damage the motor. Repairs come to $5,000. If your policy includes damage to your boat, it could pay for the repairs. With a $500 deductible, the part you pay first, you’d pay $500 and the insurance company would typically pay $4,500.

Good to know

Tell us where you use the boat, like a lake, a river, or the ocean. Also tell us if it stays in the water all year. Those details can change the coverage and the price.

Who it’s for

Anyone who owns an ATV, which is a four-wheeler, or a UTV, which is a side-by-side. That goes whether you ride for fun on trails or use it for chores.

What it can cover

• Liability: can pay when you’re blamed for someone else’s injury or damage, like running into a neighbor’s fence.
• Collision: is designed to help pay to fix your machine after a crash or a rollover.
• Comprehensive: can help pay for damage that isn’t from a crash, like theft, fire, or a storm.
• Medical bills: can help pay for riders who get hurt, depending on the policy.
• Add-ons and gear: often an option for things like a winch, a plow blade, or a storage box.

Example

Say your UTV slides off a muddy trail and rolls onto its side. The roll cage and a fender need $4,000 in repairs. If your policy includes collision coverage, it could pay for the repairs. With a $250 deductible, the part you pay first, you’d pay $250 and the insurance company would typically pay $3,750.

Good to know

Do kids or friends ride your machine? Tell us who rides and how old they are. Some policies limit young riders or riders who aren’t listed.

Who it’s for

Anyone who owns a motorhome, a travel trailer, a fifth wheel, a pop-up camper, or a truck camper. That includes people who live in their RV most of the year.

What it can cover

• Liability: can pay when you’re blamed for someone else’s injury or damage while you drive a motorhome.
• Collision: is designed to help pay to fix your RV or camper after a crash.
• Comprehensive: can help pay for damage that isn’t from a crash, like hail, a fallen tree, fire, or theft.
• Your things inside: dishes, bedding, bikes, and camping gear.
• Campsite liability: often an add-on for when a guest gets hurt at your campsite.
• Roadside help: often an add-on for towing, which can be costly for a big rig.

Example

Say a hailstorm hits your travel trailer at a campground and cracks the roof and the awning. Repairs come to $7,000. If your policy includes comprehensive coverage, it could pay for the repairs. With a $500 deductible, the part you pay first, you’d pay $500 and the insurance company would typically pay $6,500.

Good to know

Tell us if you live in your RV for more than a few months a year. Living in it full time usually needs a different setup than weekend trips.

Who it’s for

Anyone who could be sued, which is everyone. It’s most worth a look if you have a teen driver, a pool, a trampoline, or a dog, host guests often, or own a place you rent out.

What it can cover

• Injuries to other people: the part of a covered claim that goes past your home or car liability limit, the most those policies would pay.
• Damage to other people’s things: like a car or a fence you crash into.
• Some claims that aren’t about injury: like being sued over something you said or posted about someone, depending on the policy.
• Help paying a lawyer: if you’re sued over a covered claim.
• Claims away from home: sometimes even outside the country.

Example

Say your teen driver causes a crash and the other driver sues for $600,000. Your car policy’s liability limit is $300,000, so it could pay up to that much. Without an umbrella, you could owe the rest. If you have a $1 million umbrella, it could pay the other $300,000.

Good to know

Most umbrella policies require certain liability limits on your home and car first. These are called underlying limits. If yours are lower, you may need to raise them, so compare the total cost of both changes.