Vehicle insurance (also known as auto insurance, car insurance, or motor insurance) is insurance purchased for cars, trucks, and other vehicles. Its primary use is to provide protection against losses incurred as a result of traffic accidents and against liability that could be incurred in an accident.
Contents[hide]1 Public policy
1.1 Australia
1.2 Canada
1.3 Ireland
1.4 Romania
1.5 South Africa
1.6 United Kingdom
1.7 United States
2 Coverage levels
3 Excess
3.1 Compulsory excess
3.2 Voluntary excess
4 Basis of premium charges
4.1 Gender
4.2 Age
4.3 Marital Status
4.4 Vehicle Classification
4.5 Distance
4.5.1 Reasonable estimation
4.5.2 Odometer-based systems
4.5.3 GPS-based system
4.5.4 OBDII-based system
5 Auto insurance in the United States
5.1 Coverage available
5.1.1 Liability
5.1.1.1 Combined single limit
5.1.1.2 Split limits
5.1.2 Full Coverage
5.1.2.1 Collision
5.1.2.2 Comprehensive
5.1.2.3 Uninsured/underinsured coverage
5.1.2.4 Loss of use
5.1.2.5 Loan/lease payoff
5.1.2.6 Towing
5.1.2.7 Personal Property
6 Behavior based insurance
7 See also
8 External links
9 Note

Public policy
In many jurisdictions it is compulsory to have vehicle insurance before using or keeping a motor vehicle on public roads. Most jurisdictions relate insurance to both the car and the driver, however the degree of each varies greatly.
A 1994 study by Jeremy Jackson and Roger Blackman showed, consistent with the risk homeostasis theory, that increased accident costs caused large and significant reductions in accident frequencies.

[edit] Australia
In South Australia, Third Party Personal insurance from the Motor Accident Commission is included in the licence registration fee for people over 16. A similar scheme applies in Western Australia.
In Victoria, Third Party Personal insurance from the Transport Accident Commission is similarly included, through a levy, in the vehicle registration fee.
In New South Wales, Compulsory Third Party Insurance (commonly known as CTP Insurance) is a mandatory requirement and each individual car must be insured or the vehicle will not be considered legal. Therefore, a motorist cannot drive the vehicle until it is insured. A 'Green Slip,'[citation needed] another name CTP Insurance is commonly known by due to the colour of the pages the form is printed on, must be obtained through one of the seven main insurers in New South Wales.
In Queensland, CTP is a mandatory part of registration for a vehicle. There is choice of insurer but price is government controlled in a tight band.
These state based third party insurance schemes usually cover only personal injury liability. Comprehensive vehicle insurance is sold separately to cover property damage and cover can be for events such as fire, theft, collision and other property damage.

[edit] Canada
Several Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec) provide a public auto insurance system while in the rest of the country insurance is provided privately. Basic auto insurance is mandatory throughout Canada with each province's government determining which benefits are included as minimum required auto insurance coverage and which benefits are options available for those seeking additional coverage. Accident benefits coverage is mandatory everywhere except for Newfoundland and Labrador. All provinces in Canada have some form

of no-fault insurance available to accident victims. The difference from province to province is the extent to which tort or no-fault is emphasized. Typically, coverage against loss of or damage to the driver's own vehicle is optional - one notable exception to this is in Saskatchewan, where SGI provides collision coverage (less than a $700 deductible, such as a collision damage waiver) as part of its basic insurance policy. In Saskatchewan, residents have the option to have their auto insurance through a tort system but less than 0.5% of the population have taken this option.