Car Insurance in Maine

Maine Car Insurance

In Maine, you are required to have a minimum amount of car insurance coverage to drive. If you've just recently moved to the state, you will need to register your vehicle within 30 days of establishing residency, and you'll need to show proof of car insurance to do so.

Read below to learn more about car insurance requirements in Maine, optional coverage types, and discounts.

Maine Car Insurance Requirements

In Maine, all drivers are required to hold:

  • Liability insurance.
  • Medical payments coverage.
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

Read below to learn more about each of these requirements.

Liability Insurance

Maine mandates that all drivers in the state hold the following minimum amounts of liability insurance:

  • $50,000 for bodily injury or death, per person.
  • $100,000 for total bodily injury or death, per accident, if multiple people were injured in an accident.
  • $25,000 for property damage.

Medical Payments Coverage

In addition to the liability minimums outlined above, Maine also requires all vehicle operators to hold a minimum of $2,000 of medical payments coverage on their auto insurance policy.

This coverage type helps pay for your accident-related medical or funeral expenses you incur, including hospital, X-ray, chiropractic, and surgical expenses.

Medical payments coverage will still pay your expenses if you are found to be at fault for the accident.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Uninsured motorist coverage, sometimes referred to as (UM), is mandatory for all Maine drivers. This coverage protects you in the following scenarios:

  • You are the victim of a hit-and-run accident.
  • The at-fault driver in your accident does not have insurance.
  • The at-fault driver has insurance limits that are too low to cover your expenses.

Uninsured motorist coverage also pays for expenses of your family members or your passengers who were hurt while in your car. Uninsured motorist coverage does not pay for any accident-related property damage.

Required Uninsured Motorist Limits

Your uninsured motorist coverage limits must be equal to those of your liability coverage (see above) UNLESS you ask for a lower limit; in which case, you must get and sign a rejection form from your insurer. You must sign this form BEFORE the date your policy goes into effect.

NOTE: Even if you ask for an uninsured motorist limit that is lower than your liability limits, you cannot go lower than the minimum Maine liability insurance limits ($50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident).

Optional Car Insurance in Maine

While you are only required to purchase the minimum amounts of ME liability insurance to legally drive in the state, you might find that the minimum amounts won't adequately cover your costs in the unfortunate event of an accident.

Numerous additional coverage types are available for purchase to ensure you are protected financially after an incident. These include:

  • Collision coverage – Helps pay costs resulting from a collision with another car or object.
  • Comprehensive coverage – Absorbs some of the costs associated with damage to your vehicle from incidents other than accidents, such as fire, theft, floods, and vandalism.
  • Rental reimbursement coverage – Pays a portion of your rental car expenses while your car is being repaired after an accident.
  • Towing and labor coverage – Pays a portion of your towing expenses up to the limits of your policy.
  • Loan/lease coverage (GAP coverage) – Helps cover the difference between the actual monetary value of your vehicle at the time of loss and the balance you still owe on that vehicle.

If you are interested in any of the above, speak with your car insurance agent to discuss how the additions will affect the price of your insurance policy.

Umbrella Policies

A great way to obtain higher liability limits without paying significantly higher premiums is to consider an umbrella policy.

An umbrella policy will provide protection above that of your standard liability coverage and will cover some losses that your standard insurance policy won't cover.

To get an umbrella policy, you're typically required to have the following limits of liability insurance:

  • $250,000 per person.
  • $500,000 per accident.

Umbrella endorsements generally add an additional limit of $1,000,000.

Questions and Concerns

If you have questions or concerns about your auto insurance policy, you can contact the Maine Bureau of Insurance. Understand, however, that while the Bureau can give you information and offer assistance, it cannot:

  • Provide legal advice or act as a lawyer.
  • Make medical determinations.
  • Determine who is at fault in an accident.
  • Estimate the cash value of your vehicle or the repair expenses.
  • Force an insurance company to insure you if no laws have been broken.
  • Resolve a dispute between you and your insurance company.

Complaints

You can file a complaint with the Bureau of Insurance:

* You may use an additional sheet of paper if you need more room to explain your issue.

Car Insurance Rates in Maine

When you shop around and compare quotes, remember that many factors will go into the calculation of your car insurance rates, including:

  • Your:
    • Driving record.
    • Location.
    • Age.
    • Gender.
    • Marital status.
  • Any previous coverage.
  • How much you use your vehicle, and for what purposes.
  • Your car's:
    • Make.
    • Model.
    • Year.
  • How many drivers will be covered.
  • Previous claims.

Insurance Discounts

One of the best ways to ensure a low-cost insurance policy in Maine is to ask about car insurance discounts for which you might be eligible. Most insurance companies offer some or all of the following discounts:

  • Good student.
  • Safety device.
  • Anti-theft device.
  • Low mileage.
  • Multiple vehicles.
  • Multiple policies (auto and home).
  • Driver education.

While you can save money on car insurance by asking about discounts, the best way to get cheap ME car insurance is to drive safely and maintain a clean driving record.

Most Stolen Cars in Maine

If your car is highly targeted for theft, you may have to pay higher car insurance rates.

The following is a list of Maine's most stolen cars in 2013, according to www.nicb.org:

  1. Ford Pickup (Full Size).
  2. GMC Pickup (Full Size).
  3. Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size).
  4. Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee.
  5. Ford Focus.
  6. Honda Civic.
  7. Dodge Caravan.
  8. Subaru Legacy.
  9. Ford Taurus.
  10. Dodge Pickup (Full Size).
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