Liability coverage is required for drivers in almost every state. If you’re at the wheel and cause damage to another car or other property, or a crash with injuries, liability can help pay the costs involved.
What is liability car insurance?
If you’re in a crash and it’s your fault, liability coverage can help pay the costs that you are responsible for. That can mean paying to repair or replace the other vehicle, or helping cover medical costs when other people are injured.
To learn more about Liability coverage, including how much it costs, start a free quote for car insurance with Farmers® today.
What does liability car insurance cover?
Liability coverage can help cover the other person’s costs when you’re responsible for damage to their car or for their injuries, whether you dent someone’s fender in a tight parking lot or rear-end an SUV at rush hour and send its driver to the hospital.
Coverage typically applies to you, your family members and anyone else in your household who is named as a driver on your policy. Liability may also apply to someone not in your household who is temporarily driving your car with your permission.
Liability insurance typically covers (up to your policy limits):
- Damage to another person’s vehicle (or payment of its cash value if considered a total loss).
- Damage to other people’s property, such as guardrails, fences and light posts or the laptop in the back seat of a car you hit.
- Medical expenses related to crash injuries to people other than members of your household.
- Lost wages for people whose injuries you caused.
- Costs of defending a lawsuit related to an accident you cause.
Most states require specific amounts of liability insurance for bodily injury and for property damage. Find your state’s liability coverage requirements.
What doesn’t liability car insurance cover?
Liability car insurance doesn’t cover damage to your own car or other property you own, or your own family’s injuries if you are at fault in a crash.
If someone lives with you or has regular access to your car but is not listed on your policy, costs related to damage and injuries they cause driving your car may not be included under your liability coverage.
Liability can be combined with collision and comprehensive coverages — sometimes called full coverage — to cover a broader range of losses.
Not covered by liability
Coverage could be provided by
Damage to your own insured vehicle
Collision or comprehensive
Your own injuries
Personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments
Injuries to your family members riding with you as passengers
Personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments
Damage to your own property, such as hitting your own garage door
Property insurance, such as your home, condo or renters insurance
Theft of your insured vehicle
Comprehensive
Theft of belongings from your vehicle
Personal property coverage of home, condo, or renters
Vandalism
Comprehensive
Fire, flood, hail, other natural disasters
Comprehensive
Residual debt if your car is a total loss and your loan/lease balance is more than the value of the car
Residual debt endorsement or vehicle replacement Plus endorsement (also known as gap coverage)
Not covered by liability
Damage to your own insured vehicle
Coverage could be provided by
Collision or comprehensive
Not covered by liability
Your own injuries
Coverage could be provided by
Personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments
Not covered by liability
Injuries to your family members riding with you as passengers
Coverage could be provided by
Personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments
Not covered by liability
Damage to your own property, such as hitting your own garage door
Coverage could be provided by
Property insurance, such as your home, condo or renters insurance
Not covered by liability
Theft of your insured vehicle
Coverage could be provided by
Comprehensive
Not covered by liability
Theft of belongings from your vehicle
Coverage could be provided by
Personal property coverage of home, condo, or renters
Not covered by liability
Vandalism
Coverage could be provided by
Comprehensive
Not covered by liability
Fire, flood, hail, other natural disasters
Coverage could be provided by
Comprehensive
Not covered by liability
Residual debt if your car is a total loss and your loan/lease balance is more than the value of the car
Coverage could be provided by
Residual debt endorsement or vehicle replacement Plus endorsement (also known as gap coverage)
Check in with a Farmers agent or log in to your account to learn more about what your policy covers and to make sure you have the affordable liability coverage you want.
Other kinds of liability insurance
Related articles
Should I Get Public Liability or Employers Liability Insurance?
Employers liability coverage may be required by law if you have employees. In most states, it’s automatically included in your workers’ compensation policy, which covers the cost of injuries to your employees, including medical bills and time off work.
Is There Anything Umbrella Insurance Doesn’t Cover?
As you might know, a personal umbrella gives you extra liability coverage — in addition to the coverage you already have on your home and auto policies. Liability insurance helps cover your financial responsibility for injury to others and damage to their property.
Will Business Insurance Cover My Company if Someone Sues Me?
Most business owners have the same concerns you do. A lawsuit can jeopardize everything you’ve worked to build. That’s why Farmers® business policies come standard with liability insurance. It helps cover your financial responsibility for injury to others or damage to their property up to the limit you select.
