Car Insurance Declaration Page

If you are purchasing car insurance, it is important to research and become more familiar with the terms associated with this concept. One aspect that tends to cause some confusion involves car insurance declarations.

A car insurance declaration page is essentially the first page of your auto policy. It explains everything you need to know about your policy. This includes car insurance premiums and the type of coverage your policy contains. One way to look at a car insurance declaration page is as a summary of your auto insurance policy.

What Is the Declaration Page?

The declarations page has your premium, how often you pay it, deductibles and the info on your car. The page also lists your car, make, model and vehicle identification number and its lienholder if you lease a car. It can be found at the beginning of the policy and specifies the name of the insured, address, policy period, location of premises, policy limits and other essential information that varies from each policyholder and insurance.

Is the Declarations Page Proof of Insurance?

As a way to prove insurance most people use an insurance card. However, you can substitute a declarations page as proof of insurance. There are times when you are required to carry a specific type of insurance in certain amounts that can cause you to wonder what document to provide if the police pull you over. Specific declaration pages for auto coverage are part of the policy with each insurance contract, but evidence of insurance documents is usually offered separately from the policy.

Why Is the Insurance Declarations Page Important?

Every car insurance declarations page has important information regarding your auto insurance policy, like cost, coverage types and amounts. The more popular insurance companies such as GEICO, Progressive and Allstate provide declarations page once your policy commences. This document carries a great deal of importance because:

• Auto dealers need to see it if you want to drive off the lot.
• You need it so you can review your coverage.
• You might need it to rent a car to prove you have insurance.
• It also lists all the varying levels of coverage so you can see them in one place.
• If you have authorized drivers, they’re on there — essential if it’s your kid or a relative who uses the car but doesn’t own it.

One can find the declarations page for auto coverage attached to the front of your car insurance policy. If you don’t have a declarations page, you can always call the insurance company to request a copy. In other instances, you can access the declarations page online through the insurance company website or app. Whenever you make changes to your coverage or renew your policy, the insurer needs to send you a new page. Ensure that the new page is correct before putting it in your vehicle.

Compare Auto Insurance Rates

The auto coverage declarations page also helps you compare rates because you can see what you’re getting and how much you’re paying. Comparing auto insurance rates is vital if you want to save the most money. Coverages are what you purchase when you buy auto insurance, and the declarations page lists all the coverage types that make up your policy. 

In addition to listing each type of coverage you buy, the declarations page will also list how much you purchased of that particular coverage. In other words, it lists the limits of liability. In translation, the car insurance company’s liability is to you, the policyholder.

For example, if you have $100,000 in coverages for one type of protection type, that is the maximum amount or limit that the insurance company is required to pay. 

The declarations page describes in detail your policy limitations per person and accident, sometimes both for the same coverage type. Circling back to the previous example, you might see $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident. After the insurance company pays out, it limits the liability the policyholder is responsible for paying.

The most common types of car insurance coverage include:

• Liability insurance: protects bodily injury or property damage you cause while driving to another driver.
•  Personal injury protection: coverage of medical expenses incurred due to injuries you cause to yourself and any passengers.
• Collision coverage: repair bills you incur if your car is involved in a collision with another car are paid by the insurance company.
• Comprehensive coverage: protects against any damages incurred during a non-car-related accident like weather or if it is stolen.
• Uninsured/underinsured coverage: if the other driver is responsible for medical or repair bills but either doesn’t have car insurance or doesn’t have enough of it to pay for the costs.
• Gap insurance: whenever the comprehensive reimbursement is less than you still owe on the car’s lease or loan should the car be stolen or severely damaged.

You can find various protection options available no matter what your needs are. Benzinga suggests that you compare insurance companies to select the most affordable to your budget. 

Several factors go into comparing an auto insurance rate like zip code, marital status, annual mileage, driving history, vehicle make, year and model. Some states consider gender and credit history to help determine rates. Benzinga offers ample data from reliable sources to indicate what would work best for drivers to meet their budget needs.

Compare Car Insurance

According to research and data, the best auto insurers for drivers are ranked as follows.

Savvy: a free website that helps drivers find the best rates under 30 seconds. It has been known to save people roughly $826 a year. Savvy searched hundreds of insurers for a better price on the same coverage, making Savvy the best comparison engine.

Allstate: the best overall car insurance, Allstate offers replacement value coverage. This policy means the policyholder is given the actual replacement value of the car if it is totaled.

Progressive: known as the best for sports cars, Progressive offers protection options for everyone, all at affordable prices. A wide range of discounts is available for drivers to take advantage of if you are looking to lower your premium even more.

Root: the best for low mileage drivers and a simple, easy way to monitor your driving habits. After you download the app on your phone and sign up for an account, all there is left to do is make sure you bring your phone with you when you hit the road. The app will automatically collect data. You receive a quote by the end of the test period, usually around 3 to 4 weeks. This feature leads to cheap car insurance policies for the best drivers.

USAA: the best choice for military families is USAA. These policies are affordable and comprehensive. However, they are only available to armed forces members, veterans and their families.

Car Declarations Page Overview

Auto coverage policyholders tend to see that many companies treat insurance as a commodity. Meanwhile, insurance rates are individualized. Hence consumers need to shop around and compare car insurance quotes and rates. Benzinga serves as an information tool for all your further questions or inquiries. It helps drivers find the best and most affordable car insurance that meets their needs and budget.

Frequently Asked Questions