6 Car Insurance Add-Ons That Could Be Worth Paying For

Buying the right car insurance is crucial. Being fully protected against losses can help drivers protect the assets in their bank accounts.

While the state requires certain kinds of insurance coverage, many drivers actually need more than the minimum. In fact, here are six car insurance add-ons that could be well-worth paying for.

1. Comprehensive coverage

Many different things could happen to cars. They could be stolen, for example, or vandalized. None of those hazards would be covered with the minimum required auto insurance, though. If a driver wants to be sure they don't have to pay to repair or replace a car that is destroyed, lost, or damaged by anything besides an accident, comprehensive coverage is a crucial add-on.

2. Collision coverage

A driver who buys the minimum required coverage would have insurance that pays to repair or replace someone else's car if the policyholder caused a crash. But, that driver would have no coverage for their own car if they caused an accident.

Collision coverage is an essential add-on to make sure that when a driver gets into an accident they are at fault for, the insurer is there to help them get back on the road.

3. Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage

Although drivers are typically required to have liability insurance coverage, there are some who break this rule. And, many others buy only the minimum amount of required coverage, which may not be much.

If a motorist gets into a crash with a driver who either has too little or no insurance, that's a really bad situation to be in. If that uninsured or underinsured driver was at fault but had no coverage, the motorist would need to try to collect from that person personally. And, perhaps not surprisingly, many people who illegally drive without insurance don't have a ton of assets to pay for losses they cause.

Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage is a crucial form of add-on insurance protection that can cover crash victims in this type of situation. It will stand in and pay for the losses the driver without insurance caused the policyholder to endure.

4. Accident forgiveness

Insurance premiums can go up as much as 40% to 50% after an at-fault accident where the damage is substantial. Accident forgiveness can help ensure this does not happen. Accident forgiveness allows drivers to avoid a premium increase after a first accident. This could be a vital add-on that saves a motorist from high insurance premiums for years after something goes wrong behind the wheel.

5. Rental car reimbursement

Rental car reimbursement coverage is an important add-on as well. It doesn't cost much -- usually a few extra dollars in insurance premiums each month. But, if a covered loss happens and a policyholder is without a car, rental car reimbursement will pay for a rental vehicle until repairs are made or until the insurer cuts a check for a replacement.

It can sometimes take weeks to get things resolved after a crash, and rental car reimbursement coverage can ensure policyholders don't have to spend a fortune or go without a vehicle for all that time.

6. GAP Insurance

Many people have auto loans on their cars. Unfortunately, when a vehicle is totaled and the insurer pays out the fair market value, the check the insurer provides isn't always large enough to repay the remaining loan balance.

GAP insurance pays the difference, ensuring that motorists aren't left paying for a car that's no longer drivable. It's actually a required add-on by many lenders and lease providers for that reason.

Each of these six add-ons could save drivers from financial disaster, so they are well worth looking into when deciding what kinds of additional insurance coverage to buy above and beyond the minimum.