Stacked Vs. Unstacked Insurance

Auto insurance can be tricky to understand. What is covered and what is not? What happens when you are in a crash?

There’s collision, comprehensive, personal injury protection, medical payments, uninsured motorist, and many other options to insure your vehicle and protect you in the event of a car accident. There’s even stacked and unstacked insurance.

You may not be familiar with the difference between stacked and unstacked insurance. Read on to learn more about these coverages and determine which is right for you.

Stacked Insurance

Stacked insurance means that if you have multiple vehicles, you can combine the policy limits. This gives you more coverage than what you would have on a single vehicle. However, you can only stack uninsured and underinsured motorists’ coverage (not collision or comprehensive, for example). On top of that, stacking only applies to bodily injury coverage, so you won’t be able to stack property damage limits. However, this can still be helpful in an accident in which the other driver has little or no insurance.

By default, the policy limits for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage have to match the policy limits you have for bodily injury coverage. You can’t increase these limits unless you stack them. However, stacked insurance costs more than unstacked insurance because you’re essentially using multiple policies. But if you do happen to get in a crash, it could save you money.

Keep in mind that while Florida does allow stacking, not all states do. In Florida, insurance policies typically default to stacked but you can go for unstacked policies to get a lower premium. If you opt not to stack your policies, then you’re not combining the policies. The coverage limit you have on an individual vehicle is the most that your insurer will pay in an accident.

Also, stacking may vary by insurer, so check with your insurance company. If they do allow it, they may have caps on the limits.

How Does Stacked Insurance Work?

You can stack insurance in two ways:

• Combining coverage limits for different vehicles on the same policy
• Combining coverage limits for vehicles on separate policies

If you have two vehicles on the same insurance policy with a coverage limit of $100,000 each, and you are hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver, your insurance company will pay up to $200,000 for medical bills.

Contact Us Today 

When driving a vehicle, it’s a good idea to understand your insurance coverage. That way, you know what’s covered and what’s not in the event of a car accident.

If you have been involved in a car crash, the Florida uninsured driver accident attorneys at Meldon Law can assess your insurance coverage and help you make the right decisions following a car accident. Fill out the online form or call (800) 373-8000 to schedule a consultation. We have four offices to serve you: Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, and Fort Lauderdale.

Source:

kbb.com/car-advice/insurance/stacked-vs-unstacked/