Keep full coverage when…
The car is financed or leased, it is worth a lot, or you could not replace it from savings after a total loss.
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Full coverage car insurance calculator
See roughly what full coverage could cost per month, how much of it is collision and comprehensive, and how the deductible, car value, age and location change the price. Everything runs in your browser.
Quick answer
Full coverage costs more than liability only because it adds collision and comprehensive, which pay for damage to your own car. Their price depends mainly on the car’s value and your deductible, while the whole premium also moves with age, driving record, credit where allowed, mileage and where you live.
*Estimates are illustrative and come from a simplified model of one driver and one car, not from insurer filings or market averages. They are not a quote, an offer or a guarantee. Prices, discounts and the use of credit vary by state and insurer.
Methodology
How the full coverage estimate is calculated
The model starts from a baseline driver — 35 to 44, clean record, suburban, average-cost state, 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year — and prices each part of the policy separately.
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01
Choose the coverage to price
Start with full coverage, then switch to liability + comprehensive or liability only to see how much each part of the policy costs.
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02
Set the deductible and car value
Pick a collision and comprehensive deductible from $250 to $2,000 and the car’s current value; these drive the physical-damage part of the price.
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03
Add driver and location details
Select age, record, credit tier where it is used, mileage, area and state price level, tick your discounts and read the estimated monthly range.
Liability is priced from the limits you choose. Collision and comprehensive are priced from the car’s value and the deductible. Driver and location factors then multiply the total, and ticked discounts come off at the end, capped at 30%. Here is every number the estimate uses:
| Input | Options and effect |
|---|---|
| Liability limits (yearly base) | State minimum: $520 · 50/100/50: $680 · 100/300/100: $820 · 250/500/250: $1,010 |
| Collision / comprehensive (yearly base) | $620 / $210 for a $20,000–$35,000 car with a $500 deductible |
| Collision & comprehensive deductible (collision & comprehensive only) | $250 ×1.18 · $500 ×1 · $1,000 ×0.78 · $2,000 ×0.62 |
| Car value today (collision & comprehensive only) | Under $10,000 ×0.55 · $10,000 – $20,000 ×0.8 · $20,000 – $35,000 ×1 · $35,000 – $55,000 ×1.3 · Over $55,000 ×1.65 |
| Driver age | 18 – 20 ×2.3 · 21 – 24 ×1.6 · 25 – 34 ×1.12 · 35 – 44 ×1 · 45 – 54 ×0.95 · 55 – 64 ×0.92 · 65 – 74 ×0.98 · 75 and over ×1.15 |
| Driving record (last 3–5 years) | Clean record ×1 · One minor ticket ×1.2 · One at-fault accident ×1.45 · Two or more incidents ×1.85 · DUI / DWI ×1.95 |
| Credit (where insurers may use it) | Excellent ×0.82 · Good ×1 · Fair ×1.18 · Poor ×1.55 · Not used / not sure ×1 |
| Miles driven per year | Under 5,000 ×0.88 · 5,000 – 10,000 ×0.96 · 10,000 – 15,000 ×1 · Over 15,000 ×1.1 |
| Where the car is parked | Big city ×1.28 · Suburb ×1 · Small town ×0.9 · Rural ×0.84 |
| Your state’s price level | Lower than average ×0.82 · About average ×1 · Higher than average ×1.32 |
| Discounts | Bundle with home or renters −10% · More than one car on the policy −8% · Usage-based (telematics) program −8% · Pay the term in full −5% · Anti-theft / safety features −3% (combined cap −30%) |
| Range shown | 82% to 122% of the point estimate, because insurers price the same profile differently |
The deductible multipliers follow the Insurance Information Institute’s guidance that raising a deductible from $200 to $500 could reduce collision and comprehensive costs by 15 to 30 percent, and $1,000 can save 40 percent or more. All other multipliers are simplified illustrations, not any insurer’s rates.
Reading your result
Full coverage vs. liability only in the calculator
Switch the coverage type and watch the bars: liability stays the same, while collision and comprehensive appear or disappear. That difference is the price of protecting your own car.
Try liability + comprehensive when…
The car is older and paid off but parked outside or in an area with theft, hail or flooding risk.
Consider liability only when…
The car is worth little compared with what collision and comprehensive cost each year, and you could absorb its loss.
For the decision table and a worked example, read our keep-or-drop guide for older cars and the blog article on full coverage topics.
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Questions
Full coverage calculator FAQ
How much more does full coverage cost than liability only?
It depends mostly on the car’s value and the deductible. In this calculator you can switch between liability only and full coverage with everything else unchanged to see the gap for your inputs. On a valuable car the collision and comprehensive part is often the largest share of the bill; on an older car it shrinks.
Which deductible should I try in the calculator?
Compare $500 and $1,000 first. The Insurance Information Institute says moving from $200 to $500 could cut collision and comprehensive costs by 15 to 30 percent, and $1,000 can save 40 percent or more. Only pick a deductible you could pay from savings right after a claim, and check any cap in your loan contract.
Does the calculator tell me when to drop full coverage?
It gives a hint. If you choose a lower car value, the tips compare the yearly cost of collision and comprehensive with the car’s worth, following Triple-I’s rule of thumb that the coverage may not be cost-effective once it costs more than about a tenth of the car’s value. A lender may still require it on a financed car.
Is this a quote?
No. It is an illustrative estimate from a simplified model whose numbers are all shown on this page. Insurers use many more details, such as your exact vehicle, ZIP code and claims history, so real full coverage quotes can be higher or lower. To see actual prices, check your rate with a referral partner.
Is my information stored?
No. The calculator runs in your browser and nothing you select is saved or sent to us or to an insurer. You only share details if you choose to continue to a partner’s quote form, as explained in our Privacy Policy.
About this calculator
Carprotecthub is an independent advertising and referral website that explains full coverage car insurance to U.S. drivers and links to a partner where they can check rates. It is not an insurance company or agent, does not sell policies, and may be compensated by its partners. The calculator is a free educational tool; it does not collect personal information and does not produce quotes.
Sources
- Insurance Information Institute, Nine ways to lower your auto insurance costs
- Insurance Information Institute, What determines the price of an auto insurance policy?
- Insurance Information Institute, What is covered by collision and comprehensive auto insurance?
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