Average Cost of Car Insurance in Tennessee
Looking to find out what the average cost of car insurance in Tennessee is? Getting your Tennessee state issued driver’s license is a privilege and a responsibility. As a legal driver on the roads of Tennessee, it is important to know the rules of the road as well as your requirements for insurance.
The requirements for insurance vary from state to state. If you are a new driver or a new legal driving aged resident of the state of Tennessee, it is your responsibility to make sure you meet the necessary insurance requirements. As with any state, it is also a good idea to have more coverage than not enough. As a driver, you really can’t ever have “too much” auto insurance coverage.
Here are some of the basics you should know about getting Tennessee car insurance:
- At this time drivers do not need to demonstrate proof of auto insurance at the time of registering their vehicle. However, the state does require drivers to have and be able to show proof of financial responsibility when behind the wheel.
- For the state of Tennessee, the current liability minimum requirements are 25/50/15. This means that you must carry at least $25,000 per person for personal injuries per accident, $50,000 total for all personal injuries of other people per accident, and $15,000 for personal property damage per accident.
- Tennessee is a state that requires SR-22 for certain high risk drivers. If you are relocating to Tennessee from another state in which you were required to carry SR-22, please check for current regulations concerning this type of insurance for both states. SR-22 can be required for up to a total of from years from the date of your suspension. It is important to keep your required SR-22 for the amount of time mandated in order to continue to drive legally in any state.
Knowing About Average Rates
The average rates of auto insurance coverage in Tennessee can depend on a variety of factors. Some of what can impact your policy rates in any state include, but are not limited to:
- Age and driving record
- Marital status
- Type of car being insured
- Whether or not the vehicle is financed
- Extra safety or anti-theft features
- Where the car is parked when it is not being driven
- Plus so much more
In fact, even your zip code can impact the type of insurance rates you may be paying. Why is this? When your rates are determined, policy providers can even take factors into account such as the rate of accidents or the amount of road work for that particular area. Looking at the average rates from last year, Tennessee is below the national average. For a single driver with a healthy driving record, the average premium costs for the minimum state requirements are about $55 a month.
Things to Keep in Mind for Insurance
Although the state of Tennessee has minimum requirements for the liability you must carry, it is always a good idea to carry a policy for over that amount. Keep in mind that if you are the at fault driver in a vehicular accident, any expenses for injury or property damage over the amount you carry means you will be paying for this out of your own pocket.
You should also keep in mind that liability auto coverage means that you are able to demonstrate financial responsibility for other drivers, passengers, or persons and property involved in an accident but not your own injury or property. In other words, if you don’t have more than the state required coverage, you will be responsible for any medical bills you incur as well as damage to your own vehicle.
It is important to keep your car insurance in good standing and without any lapses, if possible. If you allow your policy to lapse for too long, you could be facing higher rates when you do get around to renewing a policy. In most cases, any lapse in some sort of coverage for greater than 30 days puts you in a high risk driver category as an uninsured driver.
Even if you do not have a car for a while, you should check with your policy provider about what type of minimal insurance you can carry just to keep up with current coverage. In many cases, you can at least carry a policy that would cover you for something like a rental or borrowed car. Either way, you should make it a point to have some type of coverage so you don’t face steep rates when you do try to get insurance after a lapse.
It is also not a good idea to let anyone drive your car unless you know your auto policy or theirs will cover it. Many car owners make the mistake of assuming their auto coverage includes any driver of their vehicle. You don’t want to find out after someone borrows your car and has even a minor accident that your car insurance won’t cover it. In other words, make sure you understand your car insurance policy and what it will and won’t cover in the event of an accident.
Above all else, work hard to keep your driving record clean or improve it if it needs repair. This is one of the best ways to get good rates. Another way to get low cost car insurance in Tennessee is to get your FREE quotes. With just your zip code, you can get your quotes today and make sure you get the coverage you need.