Auto Insurance

The first step when purchasing car insurance in Massachusetts is to determine what kind of coverage you need: personal injury protection, liability, collision, or comprehensive. For reference:

• Personal injury protection (or no-fault): Covers your medical expenses and 75 percent of missed wages up to $8,000.
• Liability: Protects you financially after an accident you were at fault for. Injured individuals may seek compensation through your liability coverage.
• Collision: Covers the cost of repairing your vehicle or replacing your totaled vehicle after an accident. 
• Comprehensive: Covers accident damage and unrelated damage, such as “acts of God” (usually weather), theft, vandalism, etc.

Once you have decided which type of coverage to purchase, you can use an online tool to compare costs between companies. You can then purchase a policy online, over the phone, or by visiting an insurance office. If you need advice on how to purchase auto insurance in Massachusetts, schedule a call with CarAccident.Law. We are here to help.

To file a an auto insurance claim in Massachusetts, simply call your insurance company and tell your agent what happened and when. They may instruct you to take your car to a certain shop for repairs or evaluation. Send them any documentation you have via email, write down the case number you are assigned, and provide them with the insurance details and contact information from the other driver(s). It is best to let an attorney complete these steps to ensure your right to compensation is protected, as some insurance agents intentionally manipulate conversations with injured individuals to lower the value of their claims and avoid payouts.

After you file a claim for a car accident, your insurance premium will most likely go up, unless your policy includes accident forgiveness. Accident forgiveness does not mean that all costs associated with an accident are forgiven, but that an accident will not be factored in when the insurance company calculates your premium. If you do not have accident forgiveness, your premium may increase by as much as 70 percent, though the national average is 45 percent, according to Forbes.

The average cost of car insurance in Massachusetts is around $100 per month. That said, your car insurance premium may be more or less depending on certain factors like good student discounts, previous accidents, or programs such as “safe driver discounts.” Your age and gender can also impact the amount you pay for auto insurance – men and anyone under 25 years of age tend to pay more.

What happens if your car accident claim exceeds the limits of your insurance policy depends on whether someone else was at fault for the accident. If someone else was at fault for an accident, and your costs exceed your own personal injury protection coverage, you may be able to sue them for the remaining costs. 

Filing a car accident lawsuit for remaining, uncovered accident-related losses can be made easier with the help of an experienced attorney. Fortunately, CarAccident.Law can connect you with the right legal counsel for your situation so you have one less thing to worry about.

In order to have a rental car paid for by your insurance, your policy must include rental reimbursement. The amount covered by insurance and the length of coverage depend on your policy. If your policy does include rental reimbursement, be sure to check how the reimbursement is set up. Allowing a daily budget for a rental for a limited number of days ($50 per day for 30 days, for example) is a common approach.

Certain non-accident repairs may be covered if you have comprehensive car insurance. Incidents such as theft, vandalism, or a single-car collision are generally covered after you meet your deductible. 

Regardless of your injuries, no-fault auto insurance in Massachusetts has a limit of $8,000 per person, meaning that it will cover out-of-pocket medical expenses and 75 percent of lost wages up to a maximum of $8,000 total. Should your medical bills exceed this limit, you may have to pay the rest out of pocket.