Use 🥃this guide to learn what you need to know about buying, leasi♊ng, selling, maintaining, repairing, and insuring a vehicle or two.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much car insurance do I need?

    Most states require you to have at the very least a minimum amount of coverage for injuries or property damage you cause in an accident. Optional collision coverage covers♛ damage to your own car in an accident. Also optional, comprehensive coverage protects again✨st other risks, such as theft or fire.

  • What should I do if I’m in a car accident?

    In the immediate aftermath of an accident, experts suggest you check for injuries, then try to get your car off the road and out of traffic. Next, check for damage to both vehicles and report the accident to law enforcement. Yoꦇu꧑’ll need to exchange information with the other driver and also decide whether to file an insurance claim.

  • Why do I need to have proof of insurance on hand?

    Simply put, driving without proof of insurance puts you at risk of tickets and fines. Most states allow you to use electronic forms of proof of insurance, but you are required to have proof of insurance in your car to show you are properly insured for bodily injury and property damage li🙈ability.

  • How much does it cost to charge an electric car?

    Though they may cost more to buy, electric cars are generally cheaper to fuel and maintain than conventional cars. Electric car owners do the vast majo🔯rity of their charging at 𝄹home. Charging an electric car will typically add $30 to $60 a month to your utility bill.

  • Is it better to buy or lease a car?

    There’s no universal answer—It really depends on individual priorities. Your decision will depend o🍃n what’s most important to you: getting the best deal,ౠ or driving a new set of wheels every few years.

  • How can I save money if I’m financing a car?

    First, make sure your credit history and credit score are in the best condition possible so you can get a better interest rate on an auto loan. Shop around for loans to see who is offering the best deal; don't settle for the loan the dealership is offering.

Key Terms

How Inflation Has Affected the Price of Cars
A young man reviews a car insurance policy over the phone.
Why Is My Car Insurance So High?
A woman leans on a car and uses a phone.
Should I Buy a New or Used Car?
Close up hand male giving a key new car on hand female outside her car. Concept of rent car or buying car
How to Save for a Car
An employee drives a Tesla Motors Inc. Model S electric automobile, equipped with Autopilot hardware and software, hands-free on a highway in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Monday, Oct. 26, 2015.
How to Cancel Car Insurance
Couple is leasing new car and signing the contract
Can You Lease a Car with Bad Credit?
A young man reviews a car insurance policy over the phone.
How Does Car Insurance Work?
License Plate, Keys, and Papers Proving Evidence of Auto Insurance
How Much Car Insurance Do You Need?
Two men look at their damaged cars after an accident
How Much Does Car Insurance Cost?
Police car parked behind white sedan that's been in an accident, with serious passenger-side damage and broken glass and plastic around it.
Non-Owner Car Insurance: Who Needs It?
Two men shaking hands near two cars, one holds document labeled "Insurance"
How to Find ‘No-Down-Payment’ Car Insurance
Subrogation: The right of an insurer to pursue the party that caused the loss to the insured and recover funds paid in the claim.
Subrogation in Insurance: What it Is and Why It's Important
How Car Insurance Companies Value Cars
How Car Insurance Companies Value Cars
A man drives a car
Standard Auto Insurance: What It is, How It Works
Metromile I♛nsurance Review: Is Pay-Per-Mile Worth It?
Third Party Liability Insurance
Third-Party Liability Insurance Types
A man driving a car adjust the dashboard settings.
Personal Injury Protection: What it is, Hꦅow it Works
Damaged bumpers from car accident
Collision Insurance: What it is, How it Works
A driver makes a phone call while looking at accident damage on the side of a car
Underinsured🎃 Motorist Coverage: Definition, Example, Benefits
Adverse Selection in Car Insurance: What It Is, How It Works, and 𒀰Example
Cars That Depreciate the Least
Red luxury sports car in a parking lot
Luxury Autꦫomobile Limitations: Mean𓂃ing, Overview, Examples
A driver takes a photo of a damaged car after an accident
Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UꦑM🐼): How It Works, Requirements
A person looks at their phone while their totaled car is in the background
What Is Gap Insurance? Definition, How ♚It Works, When to Buy
Car Insurance Claim Form With Toy And Key On Table
Auto Insurance: Definition, Ho꧒w It Work🌃s, Coverage Types & Costs
Car Insurance
Guide to Car Insurance
Family looking at a new car in an auto showroom.
Is a Car an Asset?
Donate a Car
How to Donate a Car
Woman looking at a parking ticket on her windshield
Do Parking Tickets Stay on Your Driving Record?
Salvage title
Rebuilt Car Title: W꧟hat it is, Pros and Cons as a Cons𓃲umer
172651205.jpg
How to Register a Car
Driver in car at night with lights outside
How to Check Your Driving Record
A car accident.
How Long Does an Accident Stay on Your Record?
Close up of dealer giving key to new owner and shaking hands in auto show.
How to Sell a Car With a Lien
6 Reasons to Donate Your Car to Charity
Should Retiree🐟s Buy or Lease Cars? 5 Things𝓡 to Consider
A man loads luggage into the trunk of a rental car
8 Things You Need to Know Before Renting a Car
How To Offset Car Expenses With Tax Deductions
6 Ways to Write Off Your Car Expenses
Young mechanic explaining tire problems to customer below car at auto repair shop
How Much Does Wheel Alignment Cost?
Is a Trade-In or Down Payment Better When Buy𒆙ing a Car?
Row of pre-owned cars for sale
Blue Book: What it is, How it Works, Effect
Clunker
Clunker
Two-car accident, wreck with people still inside one vehicle.
Can Your Insur🌳ance Company Drop You After anജ Accident?
Insurance advisor having a meeting with clients
Construc🎐tive Total Loss: What it is, How it Works, Example
Damaged bumpers from car accident
Private-Passenger Auto Insurance Policyholder Risk Pr🐻ofile
Two cars in an accident with drivers looking at damage
Singl🔯e Interest Insurance: What It Is, How It Works, Benefits
▨Comparative Negligence: Definition, Types, and Examples
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW): Additional insurance coverage offered to an individual renting an automobile.
What Is a Collision Damage Waiv🌱er (CDW)? Definitioꦑn and Coverage
Business Auto Coverage Form: What It Is, Hꦓow It Works, Example
Alloy wheels
Understanding Aftermarket Parts and Car Insurance
A bearded driver wears sunglasses in a black car
Nonsta🔯ndard Auto I♌nsurance: What It Is, How It Works
Class 1 Insurance: What It Iꦇs, How It Woဣrks, Example
Person's fingers signing medical insurance form
Medical Payments Coverage (MedPay): Ove🌞rview and Examples
Preferred Auto Coverage
Preferred Auto Coverage: What It is, How it Works
Basic Reparations Benefits
Basic Reparations Benefi🍌ts: Meaning, How They Work, Example
Underinsured Motorist Endorsement
Underinsured Motorist Endorsement
A teen in glasses smiles while driving a car
Good Student Discount: What It Is, How It 🀅Works, Examples
Omnibus Clause: What It Means, How It Works
Comprehensive Insurance
What Is Cꦯomprehensive Insurance and What Does It Cov꧟er?
Financial advisor consulting with young couple in living room
Black Box Insurance: What it Means, How it Works