BMW BLOG

In the past, many of our readers have emailed us questions regarding insurance policies for their new or used BMW. While we are not experts in this field, we looked up to people that have more knowledge when it comes to insurance claims, policies and pricing.

Today, in a first series of articles that will be available here, we have an interesting post written by Cole.

Performance, luxury and style make up a few key features your will find in a BMW. With cars such as these, you must know how to shield it with the proper insurance protection from driver’s with less than sufficient coverage. There are many underinsured motorists that you must take into consideration when choosing the best coverage.

Many drivers with older or inexpensive automobiles will only purchase the state minimum coverage for their car without placing much thought into what may happen if they become at-fault for crashing into a much more expensive automobile. Just a fender bender with a later model BMW may exceed the other driver’s state minimum coverage limits. This could result in the driver of the BMW being left to cover the unpaid property damage or having to take the at-fault driver to court.

However, taking someome to court will not always result the way you hope it would. The driver that hit you may just end up claiming bankruptcy or not even show up to court.

Underinsured Motorist coverage (UMI) will help pay for damages when the other driver doesn’t have enough coverage to pay the full amount needed. This coverage is considered “excess coverage” which can go above and beyond what is paid by the other driver’s auto insurer. If damages come out to $40,000 and the other driver’s insurer only pays $15,000, getting the remaining $25,000 can become very difficult, as mentioned above.

If you have Underinsured Motorist coverage with a limit set at $30,000, you will be entitled to the $25,000 payout needed from your policy. A good way to determine about how much you should set for your UMI limits is by taking the value of your car and subtracting your state’s liability limit to see what’s remaining. You can find the liability limits for your state as well as compare insurance quotes by clicking here.