Every week we’ll highlight a question sent to our resident insurance expert, Anne Marie Thomas. This week’s question comes from Jim who is asking if there’s a premium for having “accident forgiveness” on your auto insurance.
Jim asks:
“I was told by an agent that a premium was charged to have accident forgiveness on your policy. Is this correct, and if so, have much is the premium on average?”
Accident Forgiveness is an endorsement that many insurers offer but it’s generally not free, explains Anne Marie.
“The availability of the Accident Forgiveness endorsement will vary from insurance company to insurance company. The price for it also varies and you could be looking at an annual cost of $65 to $95 per vehicle,” Anne Marie says.
“Basically, with Accident Forgiveness in place, your premiums will not increase after your first at-fault collision. Also, it’s not available to everyone; generally, only drivers who have already been collision-free for six years are eligible to purchase it.
“If you do decide to buy Accident Forgiveness coverage, it’s important to remember that it is company-specific, meaning that although your current insurer may "forgive" your first at-fault collision in terms of premiums they charge you, the incident is not forgotten. It will be listed on your driving record and insurance history. The collision will follow you, for six years, if you decide to switch insurers or if you're in a second accident.”
Having the lowest auto insurance rate is no accident when you shop around. Compare car insurance quotes today from 30+ providers in a single search at InsuranceHotline.com.
