If you took out a loan to pay for your car, the lender probably required you have a certain level of insurance coverage in place as a condition of getting financing. The lender wants to protect its interests by making sure that the amount of the outstanding loan is covered if the car is totaled in an accident.
Most states require that vehicle owners have bodily injury liability coverage in place.
Whether the car has an outstanding loan or not, owners must have at least the minimum level of coverage in place. This insurance protects the occupants of the other vehicle and pays for their medical bills and other expenses incurred after an accident.
Once the vehicle is paid off, the owner can consider the level of coverage he or she has in place. The level of protection the lender insisted on may be higher than the minimum level of coverage required by the state where the driver lives. When the financial obligation to make payments on the car stops, the owner can reconsider the level of coverage he or she has in place.
By this point, the car is older and is less costly to replace. The level of collision and comprehensive coverage could be reduced, which would save the owner some money on its cost. The owner may determine that he or she can pay for repair costs themselves and drop the collision coverage altogether.
