How to read a car insurance declaration page

The declarations page is the one-page summary of your auto policy. It lists who is covered, which cars, the limits, the deductibles, and what you pay. If a claim is denied, this page is usually the first document the adjuster checks. Start with liability limits, written as two or three numbers such as 100/300/100. Those are bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident, and property damage, in thousands. State minimums are often too low for a serious crash. Uninsured and underinsured motorist cover should match those liability limits. Next, find comprehensive and collision deductibles. Comprehensive is theft, weather, and animals; collision is hitting another car or object. A $1,000 deductible lowers the premium, but only if you can pay that amount the week after a claim. Check the listed drivers and the garaging ZIP code. An excluded household member or an old address can void a claim. If you added a teen driver or moved, ask for a new declarations page and keep the PDF with the title and registration.