A phrase that is not a product
What “full coverage” means
No policy on earth is sold under that name. It is a phrase the trade uses for a particular bundle, it says nothing at all about your limits, and a minimum-limits policy satisfies it completely.
Ask about limits, not about “full coverage”. Full coverage is a phrase, not a product, and no policy on earth is sold under that name. It usually means liability plus comprehensive plus collision, which is three of the seven things a New York motor policy can carry, and it says nothing whatever about your limits. A minimum-limits policy with comprehensive and collision on it satisfies that phrase completely and will not survive a serious injury claim. We quote limits and deductibles by their numbers, and we would rather have the conversation about what 25/50/10 actually pays for than let a slogan stand in for it.
When somebody says full coverage they almost always mean liability plus comprehensive plus collision. That is three of the seven things a New York motor policy can carry, and it describes which coverages are present while telling you nothing about how much of each you have.
Which produces the trap: a policy at the legal minimum of 25/50/10 with comprehensive and collision on it is full coverage by that definition. It is also thin protection for anybody who owns anything, and it will not survive a serious injury claim.
What New York actually requires
Liability of 25/50/10 — $25,000 for one person's injuries, $50,000 for everybody's in one accident, $10,000 for their property. Personal injury protection, the no-fault cover, at $50,000 per person. And uninsured motorist cover at 25/50, which you cannot waive.
That is the legal floor for registering a vehicle. It is not a recommendation and it was set against medical and repair costs that no longer exist. A single serious injury passes $25,000 in a hospital afternoon, and every dollar above your limit is yours personally — your savings, your equity, and in New York a share of your future wages.
The four things full coverage does not cover
Your own injuries beyond the $50,000 PIP limit, if the at-fault driver is uninsured or badly underinsured. That gap is closed by supplementary underinsured motorist cover, which is optional, cheap, and the thing most Queens households are short of.
Anything above your liability limit. Comprehensive and collision protect your car; they do nothing for a judgment against you. The answer there is higher liability limits and a personal umbrella.
Business use. If the vehicle is being used in a trade or for carrying passengers for a fee, the personal policy excludes it entirely, regardless of what else is on the declarations page.
Your possessions in the car, mostly. A laptop stolen from a vehicle is generally a homeowners or renters claim rather than a motor one, which surprises people and is one of the quieter arguments for having renters cover at all.
What to ask instead
Ask for your limits by their numbers. 25/50/10 or 100/300/50 or 250/500/100. Ask what your SUM limit is and whether it matches your liability. Ask what your comprehensive and collision deductibles are. Those five numbers tell you more about your protection than the phrase ever will.
And when comparing two quotes, compare those numbers rather than the totals. A cheaper premium attached to lower limits is not a better deal; it is a different product. Presenting one as though it were the other is, when it is done to get you to drop an existing policy, precisely what New York Insurance Law 2123 prohibits.
In order
How this works in practice
Liability
Pays other people when you are at fault. The only part the state requires, and the part that reaches your assets when it runs out.
No-fault (PIP)
Pays your own medical bills and part of your lost earnings regardless of fault, up to $50,000 a person. Thirty days to file.
Uninsured motorist
Pays when the other driver has nothing or was never identified. Mandatory at 25/50 and not waivable.
Supplementary underinsured motorist
Pays when the other driver had cover and it was nowhere near enough. Optional, cheap, and the one most people lack.
Collision
Repairs your own car after an impact, subject to your deductible.
Comprehensive
Theft, fire, flood, glass, a tree — the losses that are not impacts, subject to your deductible.
The add-ons
Rental reimbursement, towing, glass. Small, useful, and not what anybody means by full coverage.
Questions we are actually asked
What “full coverage” means — frequently asked
What does full coverage mean in New York?
It is not a defined product. It normally means liability plus comprehensive plus collision, and it says nothing about your limits — a policy at the 25/50/10 legal minimum with comprehensive and collision is full coverage by that definition and is thin protection for anybody with assets.
What is the minimum car insurance in New York?
Liability at 25/50/10, personal injury protection at $50,000 per person, and uninsured motorist at 25/50 which cannot be waived. That is the floor for registering a vehicle, not a recommendation.
Is 25/50/10 enough?
For registering the car, yes. For protecting anything you own, no. A serious injury claim passes $25,000 quickly, and the excess is yours personally. Raising liability to 100/300 usually costs a small fraction of the premium, because the expensive part of a motor policy is the first dollar of cover rather than the last.
What should I ask for instead?
Your five numbers: liability limits, SUM limit, PIP, and your comprehensive and collision deductibles. Compare quotes on those rather than on the total premium, because two policies with different limits are different products rather than different prices.
Bring the declarations page and we will read it with you
Ask us what it would cost
Send or bring the summary pages of what you already have — those two sheets are where most of the useful conversation is. We will tell you what we would place it with and what that would cost, what we are paid for doing it, and whether you should move at all. Quite often the answer is that your current policy is priced fairly and you should keep it, and that is an answer we give in writing like any other.