Trying to decide if you need car liability insurance? If you get behind the wheel of a car as a US driver you pretty much have to. That is because practically every state requires drivers to have this type of basic and minimum car insurance. Without it, you could be breaking the law if you drive. Not to mention if you should have an accident you will be liable for the expenses for car repairs and medical bills if you are the driver at fault.

Here are some other things to know about car liability insurance:

• Auto liability insurance covers three main areas, which are bodily injury per person, total medical expenses per accident and property damage coverage. Whatever your state minimum requires for each of these is the minimum you must have. For example if a state requires you to have $25,000 for the first, $50,000 for the second and $25,000 for the last one, it will look like 25/50/25. The minimum amount varies depending on the state but you never have to settle for having just this amount. If you move to another state though, it is important to update your auto insurance policy to be sure you are meeting the minimum requirements. Your state may have additional required insurance coverage such as uninsured motorists and PIP or personal injury protection.

• Liability covers only the bodily injury and property damage you cause another person however. So if you want your own vehicle covered, or need your medical bills covered than you will probably want something more extensive than just liability car insurance. This is especially true if you do not have health insurance and would have to pay your own hospital bills in the event of an accident.

• Of course in addition to the expense of these types of details you may also need to cover legal fines if you are caught driving without the state minimum car insurance. Not only will you have legal expenses from it but also this will cause your rates to go up when you do get insurance. Make sure you keep yourself insured even if it is just the state minimum.

Things That Effect Rates

If you are looking for cheap car liability insurance then there are some things you should know about factors that can affect the rates. For example:

• Your rates can be higher if you have let your auto insurance lapse for 30 days or more. Of course, if you are caught driving while not having this policy as well you will have to pay higher insurance rates. It is a good idea to keep insurance at all times to stay legal and make sure your policy premiums do not skyrocket. Keep in mind even if you do not own a car and will be driving a friend’s car sometimes having non owner’s insurance will keep you legal and prevent your rates from going up due to a lapse in policy coverage. Keep some type of auto insurance policy at all times.

• Your rates can be lower if you opt to pay them annually or every four months as opposed to once a month. If you can budget to pay some time more than every month you will see savings. This is also true if you can pay your down payment up front to start a new policy as opposed to having it divided up over the payment times. Anything you can do to pay a bigger lump sum up front will help you save money on car insurance.

• If you drive a brand new financed car, your rates will be higher and a car liability insurance policy won’t be enough. The higher the sticker price of the car or the sportier is the more you can expect to pay. This is especially true if you bring in a car for trade that you still owe on. If you are going to finance or lease a new car at least try to make it one that is less sporty and more safe. The more safety features a car has the better you may be able to do with your premium rates. Keep in mind also that if you have anti-theft devices like a car alarm, the rates can be lower.

• Set up your premiums payments to be auto pay and you could save a bundle. If you go paperless for your billing, companies often reward customers with great savings. Have your premiums come out of your checking account, savings account or be automatically paid by your credit card and you could see much lower auto liability insurance rates.

While having liability insurance think about certain things that are pros and cons to having this policy:

• The rates are cheaper than with other kinds of insurance. However, it may not be enough for what you really want. When you get quotes to compare you may find you can get better coverage for the cost of what you pay for just liability now.

• Even if your car is not financed and is paid for, you might still want to carry more than liability. If your car has any value or if you do not have health insurance you may want to protect yourself with a policy that is more than liability.

• Having the state minimum liability auto coverage will at least keep you from getting a ticket if you are stopped by the police. Keep in mind if you have an accident and are not at fault but do not have liability insurance you may still be responsible for your own expenses. If you are driving illegally, you usually lose your expenses being covered by the other driver’s policy by default.

• Getting quotes is the best way to find out what you could be paying or saving. For many who already have a policy getting quotes helps them find a new policy that can save them even more money. By using just your zip code, you can find out what your rates for car liability insurance could be.