Coverage Basics
How a Georgia auto policy actually works.
An auto policy is really a stack of separate coverages, each answering a different question. Here's the plain-language version of what each layer does, and how we size it.
Liability: the coverage that protects everyone else, and you
Liability is the legally required core. Bodily injury liability pays for injuries you cause to other people, and property damage liability pays for the cars and property you damage. In an at-fault state like Georgia, that's the whole ballgame after a crash you caused: the other driver files against your policy, or sues you. Georgia generally gives an injured person two years to file an injury lawsuit (O.C.G.A. 9-3-33) and four years for damage to a vehicle or other property (O.C.G.A. 9-3-31). Fault is shared under modified comparative fault (O.C.G.A. 51-12-33): an award shrinks by the injured person's share of blame, and anyone 50% or more at fault recovers nothing. When a claim exceeds your limits, you're personally on the hook for the rest.
Our rule of thumb is simple. Your liability limits should reflect what you have to lose, not what the state requires. For most homeowners we quote 100/300/100 or higher, and for families with meaningful assets we pair auto liability with an umbrella policy, which adds $1 million or more of protection across home and auto and is often affordable relative to the protection it adds.
Collision and comprehensive: the coverages for your own car
Liability never pays for your own vehicle. That's the job of collision and comprehensive, together often called "full coverage." Collision handles crash damage, whether you hit another car, a pole, or hydroplane off a ramp into the ditch. Comprehensive handles nearly everything else: hail, falling trees, flood water, theft, vandalism, glass, fire, and deer. One detail worth knowing: hitting a deer is a comprehensive claim, but swerving to miss it and hitting a tree or another car is usually a collision claim.
Both come with a deductible, the amount you pay before coverage kicks in, and the deductible is your main pricing lever. Raising it from $500 to $1,000 can trim the premium meaningfully if you have savings to cover the difference. On an older car worth a few thousand dollars, it's also fair to ask whether collision still earns its premium at all. We'll run that math with you honestly, even when the answer lowers our own commission.
Uninsured motorist and MedPay: the coverages for your own injuries
When the other driver is at fault and has no insurance or not enough, uninsured motorist coverage steps into their shoes. Under O.C.G.A. 33-7-11, a Georgia policy can't be issued without it unless you reject it in writing, and that rejection carries over to renewals. You also choose how it pays. Added-on (the default) pays on top of whatever the at-fault driver carries, up to your UM limit. Reduced-by, which you have to select in writing, subtracts the other driver's coverage first and pays only the difference. On the same limits, added-on can pay a lot more. Medical payments coverage is the optional piece that pays medical bills for you and your passengers regardless of fault, so you're not waiting on the other insurer to accept the claim.
Proof of insurance: Georgia checks electronically
Georgia tracks coverage through GEICS, the Department of Revenue's electronic insurance database. Your insurer reports each vehicle's VIN and policy dates, and tag offices and police check that record. If the VIN on your policy is off by a single digit, you can be blocked from renewing or transferring a tag, so we double-check it. A lapse while the car is registered brings a $25 fee, more if it isn't paid within 30 days, and possible registration suspension. A gap of 10 or more days between policies counts. See the Georgia DOR lapse page for current fees.
The add-ons: useful, but only where they fit
The remaining pieces are situational, and this is where a real agent earns their keep instead of a checkout page upselling everything:
- Rental reimbursement pays for a rental car while yours is in the shop. Cheap, and worth it for anyone who can't be without a car for two weeks.
- Roadside assistance covers tows, jump starts, and lockouts. Worth having for a dead battery on the shoulder of I-75; skip it if you already have a roadside membership.
- Gap coverage pays the difference between what you owe on a loan or lease and what the car is worth if it's totaled. Essential on new cars with small down payments; unnecessary once the loan balance drops below the car's value.
- Rideshare endorsement extends coverage for Uber, Lyft, and delivery driving. Personal policies commonly exclude the time you're logged into an app, so if the app is on, you need this. Driving for your own company is different again, and needs commercial auto.
None of this needs to be memorized. Bring us your renewal, tell us how you actually use your cars, and we'll walk the stack together, line by line, in plain English.
