Out of State Car Insurance Coverage

UPDATED: Oct 4, 2023Fact Checked

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Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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UPDATED: Oct 4, 2023

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UPDATED: Oct 4, 2023Fact Checked

Auto insurance policies are comprised of several different coverage. Typically, policies consist of liability, collision and comprehensive , medical, and uninsured motorists coverage. Each of these types of coverage is an important part of your auto insurance policy, and you should be familiar with all of them. Further, unless you live in Hawaii or Alaska, there is a very good chance that you will need to know the extent of your out of state car insurance coverage, and how to manage an auto accident that occurs outside the state in which you are insured.

Out of State Auto Insurance

The simple answer to your concerns about being covered in another states is that most policies have provisions that make your insurance comply with the insurance laws of the states you visit. This means that if your policy barely meets the minimum liability coverage requirements of your home state, but is less than the minimum requirements of the state in which you get in an accident, then you will be covered up to the minimum requirements of the state where the accident happens despite the limits in your car insurance policy.

This practice is generally true to the extent that your time driving in a different state is limited to occasional trips, or times when you are just passing through. If you are a frequent traveler to another state, either for business or long and regular vacations, then you will need to make sure your auto insurance coverage is adequate to meet the minimum requirements in the other state.

TIP: If you are looking to add an insurance policy for another state where you frequently drive, compare several insurance quotes and find a policy that meets your needs in that state.

Filing a Claim for an Out of State Incident

You might find it less complicated to file the claim with your own insurance company and let them go after the other company. However, if you do that, you will have to pay your deductible until the claim is settled with the other company. Paying your deductible and waiting for it to be reimbursed may be worth it if you do not want to deal with another insurance company.

You can also contact the other party’s insurance company and work with them directly to resolve your claim. You can always come back to your company to file a claim if going directly to the other company does not seem to be working out.

If you need assistance filing an out of state claim with your insurance company or the other party’s, click here to contact a car accident attorney who can help.

Driving in Canada or Mexico

Most U.S. policies cover you if you drive in Canada, but you must remember to have evidence of insurance with you. Before driving in Mexico, you should check with your insurance agent about getting coverage for Mexico. Mexican traffic laws are so significantly different from those in the U.S. and Canada (some accidents may come under criminal statutes) that Mexican coverage is required. Therefore make a call to your insurance company or agent before venturing into any foreign country just to be sure.

If you need to increase your existing car insurance, or purchase new car insurance to accommodate out of state travel, click here to visit the Free Advice Quote Center and get several online auto insurance quotes to compare.

For more information about getting the right car insurance policy to fit your needs, check out the following articles:

Click Here for a FREE car insurance quote today!

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Case Studies: Out-of-State Car Insurance Coverage

Case Study 1: Adequate Coverage for Out-of-State Travel

John is a frequent traveler for business purposes. He lives in California and often visits New York for meetings with clients. During one of his trips, he gets into a car accident in New York. Fortunately, his auto insurance policy has provisions that make his coverage comply with the insurance laws of the states he visits.

Despite his policy meeting only the minimum liability coverage requirements in California, it extends to meet the higher minimum requirements in New York. John’s insurance company covers the damages up to the limits mandated by the state where the accident occurred.

Case Study 2: Filing a Claim for an Out-of-State Incident

Sarah resides in Texas but decides to take a road trip to Colorado for a vacation. Unfortunately, she gets involved in an accident with another driver in Colorado. Sarah has two options for filing a claim. She can either file the claim with her own insurance company and let them pursue the other driver’s insurance company, or she can directly contact the other party’s insurance company.

If Sarah chooses to file the claim with her insurance company, she would need to pay her deductible until the claim is settled with the other company. On the other hand, if she decides to work with the other party’s insurance company, she can always return to her own company if the direct approach doesn’t yield satisfactory results.

Case Study 3: Driving in Canada or Mexico

Lisa plans a road trip from Washington state to Canada to explore the scenic beauty. She ensures that her auto insurance policy covers her for driving in Canada and carries the necessary evidence of insurance with her. However, it’s important to note that Mexican traffic laws are significantly different from those in the United States and Canada.

Therefore, Lisa would need to check with her insurance agent about obtaining coverage specifically for Mexico before embarking on a trip there. Mexican coverage is generally required due to the unique laws governing accidents in that country.

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Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

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Enter your ZIP code below to compare cheap insurance rates.

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