The best car insurance for an import car owner will be different in every state. There is not specially designated insurance for imported vehicles; but there are requirements that must be addressed before you can insure them at all.

This article addresses the insurance needs of cars imported from other countries (as opposed to those sold here), and the basic car insurance requirements to help you find the best import car auto insurance for your vehicle.

Read on to learn more about finding the best car insurance for your import vehicle and then be sure to enter your zip above for free car insurance quotes!

Import Vehicles and Insurance Laws

Import vehicles, much like any other vehicle in the US, are subject to insurance laws. Before you can purchase insurance for your import vehicle, however, you have to ensure that it is compliant with US laws regarding emissions, bumper and safety concerns.

Many people assume that if they purchase a vehicle from out of the US that is specifically being targeted for sale in the US that it is a vehicle that is already street legal. The problem is, in most cases, a vehicle made outside of the US that was not designed specifically for sale in this country is not likely to be compliant with our laws. You will be unable to purchase the necessary insurance for your vehicle until it meets all of the US safety requirements.

NOTE: If you do not bring your vehicle to US standards within 90 days of bringing it into the country, you are required to either export or destroy the vehicle.

The Best Insurance Company for an Import Car

If you are looking for an insurance company that specializes in insuring import vehicles, then you are going to be disappointed, there are no US insurance companies that have a focus on import vehicles.

This does not mean, however, that you cannot get the right type of coverage for your vehicle; on the contrary, once your vehicle meets US standards, you can purchase quality coverage from dozens of insurance companies.

Interestingly enough, many other countries offer specialty insurance for import and classic cars, this just isn’t the case in the US; rather than specialty companies, most insurance companies simply offer auto insurance on import vehicles and regular vehicles as well.

The Type of Coverage You Need for Your Import Car

It is very possible, if you own an import car, that you aren’t under the same constraints that you would be under if you had purchased a vehicle from a dealer in the US. When you purchase a vehicle in the US and you use a bank to fund the vehicle, then you are automatically required to carry comprehensive and collision coverage for your vehicle. If you purchase a vehicle from overseas, however, you may have either gotten a personal loan, rather than a vehicle loan, or you may not have needed a loan at all.

So, what type of insurance do you need for your vehicle if you aren’t under a lender’s constraint? Well, first of all, you are going to have to purchase your state’s minimums, just as you would with any other vehicle. Then you need to consider two things; the value of the vehicle that you have imported and the cost of the work done in order to make your vehicle.

We don’t want to assume that you have purchased a high dollar vehicle from another country to be imported; it is possible that you are moving to the US from another country and want to bring in your already paid for vehicle. In this case, it is possible that you want to simply carry the sate requirements or something a little higher, for basic protection.

If, however, your purchase is a high dollar one (and making a vehicle US compliant is typically quite costly as well), then you will want to consider purchase comprehensive and collision coverage for your vehicle as well. This will provide you with the maximum coverage for your vehicle. If you are in an accident, you will know just how valuable this insurance coverage will be, especially if you have to get specialty parts in order to make any repairs on your imported vehicle.

How Much Coverage is Enough

There is a lot of debate over how much coverage you should purchase for your vehicle. It seems that each agent that you speak to has a different idea of what your coverage should be. The bottom line is that the amount of coverage that you purchase is dependant on your specific situation; so instead of answering the question of how much coverage you need (we wouldn’t be able to answer that without knowing everything about you and your vehicle), we will give you some things to consider when you are purchasing your auto insurance.

First of all, as mentioned above, you will want to consider the value of your vehicle. If you don’t already know it, your liability insurance, which is the insurance coverage your state will require, does not cover losses to your vehicle in an accident caused by you, but covers the losses for the people that you hit. What this means is that if you run a red light and strike someone else’s vehicle, your insurance company will pay for the other persons damages, but you are responsible for your own.

This means that if you have plenty of money in the bank to cover your own losses, then you don’t need to purchase any sort of additional insurance. If, however, you are like most people and you don’t have the money to cover your own losses out of pocket, then you need to purchase enough collision coverage to cover the cost of replacing your vehicle.

What you owe, (if the vehicle is financed), and the value of the vehicle are two different things. Your insurance company will only pay for the value of your car, so keep that in mind and don’t over buy.

The second thing that you need to consider is self-preservation. When you get behind the wheel of a vehicle, you become responsible for everything that vehicle does. If you cause an accident, you are responsible for every cost associated with that accident. If you don’t have enough insurance, then you are financially responsible for the difference in cost. Yes, the state has a minimum coverage requirement, but you need to make sure that is enough to cover everything.

Many people will purchase much more than the state’s minimum requirements for their vehicle “just in case.” If, however, you want to be more precise, check your states accident statistics, see with the average cost of an accident with injuries costs, and then purchase that amount of coverage. Most states have this information on their DMV website or on the Department of Insurance website.

Lastly, consider your finances. It is well and good to say that you need to purchase X amount of coverage, but if you don’t have the funds to pay for it then you have a problem. If you need to get full coverage but you need to save money too, then there are two things you can do; raise your deductable and get an insurance quote.

Raising your deductible does require that you have more out of pocket money if an accident occurs; however, this often makes it possible for people to purchase more insurance at a reasonable monthly premium. Just ensure that you keep a rainy day fund equal to your deductible so that you can cover those costs if the need should arise.

Import Car Auto Insurance Quotes Online

Getting an auto insurance quote ensures that you get the lowest rate possible for the insurance coverage that you want to purchase. Using our link at the top of the page will take you to our free, no obligation, car insurance rate quote tool, allowing you to get a quote for your import car today!