Insure Your Vehicle

Introduction

We have discovered that it's often faster and more-cost effective for visitor.us customers to book a policy directly with an insurer, rather than using us as an agent.

So in this section, we'll describe how to book an auto insurance policy on your own.

Insurers that don't require a US driver's license

Most US auto insurers require a US driver's license, but there are two top-rated insurance companies that don't: Progressive and National General.

Progressive and National General are two top-rated US auto insurance companies that don't require a US driver's license.

If you're buying a motorhome, you might consider Good Sam. They are a nationwide club whose policies are underwritten by National General.

Personal auto policy, not a commercial auto policy

Because your vehicle is owned by a Montana Limited Liability Company (LLC), you might be tempted to booking a commercial auto insurance policy. This is not what you want - you want a personal auto insurance policy.

Why?

The type of activity, not the ownership of the vehicle, determine whether you should have a personal auto policy or commercial auto policy.

You won't be doing any commercial activity (e.g., driving rideshare or making deliveries), so a personal auto policy is the right choice. (We'll show you how to record your LLC below.)

Garaging address

The "garaging address," or where the vehicle will spend most nights, is an important factor in helping the insurance company decide how risky your policy might be.

For most Americans, their garaging address will be identical to their registration address.

But international visitors traveling to many places in the US might not spend even one night at their registration address.

Book your insurance policy at an address where your vehicle will spend the most nights during your visit - even if it's just a few nights - so you're not misrepresenting yourself to your insurer.

Recording your Montana LLC on your policy

It's important to let your insurance company know that your Montana LLC owns your vehicle. Fortunately, that's easy to do.

You simply record your Montana LLC as the vehicle's lender.

For example, if you buy a vehicle with financing from Bank of America, Bank of America owns the vehicle, and is furnishing it to you for personal use. In this example, Bank of America would be recorded as a lender on your policy (technically, an "additional insured interest").

Similarly, your Montana LLC owns your vehicle, and is furnishing it to you for personal use.

Therefore, you just need to select "Finance" or "Loan" where requested by your insurer, then provide the name and address of your Montana LLC.

Coverages

Generally, there are two types of coverages available: liability (third party), and collision and comprehensive (first party).

Liability coverage is legally required; collision and comprehensive coverage is optional.

Liability coverage

Liability coverage reimburses others (third parties) whose persons or property you might harm or damage.

The liability limit is the maximum dollar amount that the insurer will reimburse. Liability limits are most often expressed in three numbers, such as 100/300/100, which mean the following:

• First number (100) = the maximum (in thousands of dollars) your insurance company will pay out for injuries per person,
• Second number (300) = the maximum (in thousands of dollars) your insurance company will pay out for injuries per accident, and
• Third number (100) = the maximum (in thousands of dollars) your insurance company will pay out for damage to someone else's property per accident.

visitor.us recommends holding liability limits of 100/300/100 or higher

Comprehensive and collision coverage

Collision coverage can pay to repair or replace your vehicle if it's involved in an accident with either a stationary object or another vehicle.

Comprehensive coverage can pay to repair or replace your vehicle if it's damaged by non-collision events that are outside of your control. This includes theft, vandalism, fire, weather, or other acts of nature.

If your vehicle is damaged (and another driver's insurance doesn't cover the damage), your collision or comprehensive insurance only kicks in after you have paid the deductible.

(The deductible is called the "excess" in other parts of the world.)

The standard deductible is $500, but raising it (to $1,000, for example) will lower the up-front cost of your insurance policy.

Other available coverages

Roadside assistance covers the cost to send someone to repair a flat tire, tow your vehicle to a service station, and other similar services.

If your vehicle is in the shop because of an accident, rental reimbursement covers the cost of a rental car (up to a daily amount that you specify) while your vehicle is out of service.

If someone hits your vehicle, and they a) don't have any insurance, b) don't have enough insurance to cover the damage, or c) drives away without providing their insurance information, uninsured / underinsured motorist coverage kicks in to cover the damage.

Conclusion

Booking an auto insurance policy can be done quickly and cost effectively with Progressive or National General (which don't require a US driver's license) by visiting their website or phoning.

You'll want to book a personal auto policy at the address where your vehicle will spend the most nights, and list your Montana LLC as the vehicle's lender or "additional insured interest."

Liability (third-party) insurance is legally required, and we recommend limits of 100/300/100 or higher. If you want to protect your vehicle from damage, you'll want comprehensive and collision insurance.

When you have your registration (or temp tags) and insurance in place, you're ready to hit the road!