An SR-22 is an official document some states require to prove you have sufficient car insurance. The SR-22, filed by your insurance company, allows you to keep or reinstate your driving privileges after serious or repeated traffic-related offenses, such as DUIs or driving without insurance.

Premium is the cost of your auto insurance plan, which can be six months or yearly depending on the plan and payment options available.

Primary use is how you most commonly use your vehicle, such as for commuting, pleasure or business.

Personal injury protection in auto insurance, similar to MedPay, Personal injury protection pays for your injury treatment and that of your passengers regardless of who caused the accident. It also pays for some costs that MedPay dose not, such as lost income and physical therapy.

Medical payments coverage in an auto insurance policy pays for your own injury treatment and that of your passengers no matter who caused the crash up to your policy limit.

A limit is the amount your policy will pay for a given accident. It is important to know and understand your policy limit, since each coverage type has it’s own limit.

Liability insurance in your auto policy pays for others’ injury treatment and property damage if you cause a crash, as well as your legal defense costs if you’re sued.

Liability limits often appear in shorthand numbers — for example, 100/300/50 means you have up to $100,000 bodily injury coverage for each injured person, up to $300,000 bodily injury coverage per crash and up to $50,000 property damage coverage per crash.

Gap coverage: If your vehicle is totaled or stolen, gap coverage pays the difference between its dollar value and your remaining auto loan balance, if the balance is the higher number. Sometimes required with an auto loan.

Full Coverage is generally a policy that includes liability insurance plus collision and comprehensive coverage benefits.

Exclusions in auto insurance is what your auto insurance policy does not (pay for) cover.

When buying auto insurance you will want to know the effective date of the plan. The effective date is the exact day your auto policy starts. It is important to understand that you are not covered for accidents that happen before this date.

A dedutible is a predetermined amount your insurer subtracts from your settlement for collision and comprehensive claims. If your auto repairs cost $5,000 and your deductible is $500, you will get a claim check for $4,500.

Generally choosing a higher deductible means cheaper auto insurance rates, but your insurer pays less if a claim occurs. Deductibles do not apply to liability claims.

A declaration page is the page your policy list it’s most important details, including your vehicle’s VIN number and other information, your address, drivers insured on the policy, liability limits and included coverage.

Comprehensive insurance coverage helps to pays to repair your vehicle after animal collisions, and also covers a specific list of non collision issues — including car theft, falling objects and fire, among others. Typically required with an auto loan.

Auto collision coverage’s will pays to fix your vehicle if you cause a crash or have a one-car accident, such as hitting a tree. This type of coverage benefit is typically required if you have an auto loan.