Wisconsin Auto Insurance

"Being insured is the law in Wisconsin"

Consumers have questions and so did we...

• What are the types of insurance coverage and what are the amounts required for the state of Wisconsin.

• What does the law say pertaining to minimum insurance coverage in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin has strict mandatory policies about vehicle registration, insurance coverage minimums, and financial responsibilities pertaining to every vehicle owned, operated, or parked on its roadways. In Wisconsin, you can obtain your learner’s permit at fifteen and a half, and your restricted license at sixteen, with a full license at sixteen and nine months.

To adhere to Wisconsin's auto insurance rules, you must...

In Wisconsin, you must maintain a current insurance policy with a registered insurance company or broker carrying the minimum insurance requirements or greater. There are many different types of insurance, at competitive rates, so shop around for the best price. Be aware that once insured, if you miss a payment on your policy, your insurance could be cancelled, without notice.

1. Wisconsin requires each driver to carry third party liability insurance, also called PLPD, accidental benefits coverage, and uninsured and unidentified driver’s coverage, which insures you, in case you injure someone, cause a death, or damage someone’s property in a motor vehicle accident.

In Wisconsin, you must have third party liability insurance for bodily injury with each person allowed $25,000.00, up to maximum of $50,000.00, as well as an additional $10,000.00 for property damages. If there are more than two people injured, whoever files first gets the settlement.

2. In Wisconsin, you must carry your driver’s license and proof of insurance, which has not expired, in your motor vehicle. If you driver’s license has been suspended, or your insurance has expired, your vehicle could be towed to the compound by the police. You driver’s license can also be suspended if you owe back child support.

Important facts about auto coverage in Wisconsin:

• Your driver’s license can be suspended, if you are caught driving without adequate insurance, with too many fines, or driving while under the influence of alcohol or refusing to take a blood-alcohol test, and leaving the scene of an accident or failing to file an accident report. Seat belts are mandatory in Wisconsin.
• You are required to change your driver’s license, if you move, within seven days.
• Your insurance agent has access to your driving record to check for fines, suspensions, and accidents that can cause your policy to increase or be cancelled.
• If you are in an accident, and do not have the minimum insurance, you are financially responsible for all injury and damage settlements awarded by the courts.

Comprehensive or collision insurance does NOT meet minimum requirements.

Used Cars in Wisconsin

Auto Insurance FAQ

Question: is it true that you dont have to have auto insurance in wisconsin?
so, it`s not illegal if you dont have any kind of car insurance?

Answer: There is no auto insurance law per se, but there is a financial responsibility law that says you either meet the requirements by having insurance or post a cash bond to cover any damage you cause--in other words, you are self insured. If you have enough cash on hand, forget insurance and do the bond. Wisconsin Liability Coverage limits explanation: 25/50/10 25=$25,000 - 50=$50,000 - 10=$10,000 First number = bodily injury liability maximum for one person injured in an accident. Second number = bodily injury liability maximum for all injuries in one accident. Third number = property damage liability maximum for one accident. So, $85,000 should cover it.

Question: In wisconsin, can auto insurance companies force you to add a policy holder because they live with you?

Answer: Yes, or you can have the person that lives with you get their own policy. You may want to try a website that compares multiple companies at once to get you the best price. I am paying less than ½ after I did.

Question: Insurance Settlement Offer - Wisconsin Auto Accident?
About 1 year ago I was the passenger in a vehicle that was hit head on by another car. The other car's driver lost control of their vehicle, due to snowy road conditions, crossed the yellow line, sideswiped the car in front of us, and hit drivers front corner of our car, at 40 MPH; our car totaled; we managed to get out of vehicle; other cars driver extracted; cited too fast for conditons Was examined at scene by ambulance; went to hospital 12 hours later as pain symptoms throughout my body, primarily in my neck, back, head became evident. Missed one day of work; went to chiro for a couple of months for treatment; still have lingering pain/discomfort in neck and back (pain on bad days is 5 on scale of 1 to 10); not comfortable driving on 2 line high speed roads or snowy conditions. Total medical bills and accident related expenses amounted to $4,600. Other driver's insurance offering to pay $2,000 for pain and suffering. Is this amount sufficient for pain and suffering?

Answer: Sounds about fair to me. You suffered from soft tissue injuries. No broken bones, nothing serious requiring surgery. $2K is a fair offer. I would take it

Question: If due to inadvertant error auto insurance was cancelled and then it was reinstated at 12:01 am 22nd?
and later that same day the vehicle was totaled shouldn't that be covered? We live in Wisconsin.

Answer: Are you saying that at say, 4pm on the 22nd, the vehicle was wrecked? Then yes. However, because the policy was just reinstated a mere hours prior, it can be looked at much more closely. Unfortunately, some people let thier insurance lapse, then reopen thier insurance AFTER they have a claim. Then they try to get the insurance company to pay for it by modifiying the date or time the claim occured. The insurance company wants to make sure that this isn't the case, and may take longer to honor your claim while they determine that no fraud has occured. How was the insurance cancelled anyway? Non-payment or company error?

Question: Re: Auto insurance for teen drivers, What grades do ins companies use to determine the GSD?
I'm hoping that mid-quarter progress reports aren't used in determining the good student discount. I think they probably use each quarter report grades or even just the two semesters. Mid-quarters are just info for parents, and not shared with insurance companies, right? In case it matters, this is in Wisconsin.

Answer: Most auto insurance companies require A-B honor roll grade averages for GSD info. Mid-Quarter grades are not shared with insurance companies - because, quite frankly, the insurance companies dont have the time to care. So, no need to stress too much over your kids midterm reports.

Question: What happens when auto accident is not your fault but considered "no fault?"?
Well, this week I got into an auto accident and there were three witnesses as officer told me. The other driver ran the red light so I collided with them. The one witness said that there was green light for me and the other said it was green for the other lady. But I know she ran the red light but the witness just felt sorry for her. The third witness was no help as the officer mentioned to me because she had no clue about it so I don't know why officer said she was witness. What should I do? I don’t want to take blame for her. Does your insurance goes up for “no-fault” since your insurances pays for your damages? In wisconsin, does your insurance goes up? What happens usually?

Answer: I am assuming what you mean by "no fault," means based on the evidence provided, the police officer couldn't state who was at fault. Both of you are saying you had a green light. When the evidence is inconclusive, often a claim will be rated as driver vs. driver. This means each respective insurance pays for their insured's car, but they don't go after the other insurance for the money. The only consequence to you in this scenario would be paying your deductible and not being able to get it back. Your insurance is going to take recorded statements from everyone they can. Based on driver/witness statements, and the points of impact to both cars, they will decide who is liable. If everyone and everything is inconclusive, your insurance will likely side with you. If you were obeying traffic laws and no one can prove with physical evidence otherwise, they will rate your claim as not-at-fault. This does NOT bar the other company from coming after your insurance for their damages. If the other insurance feels their driver is not at fault, they will argue their case with your insurance. If folks cannot come to an agreement, a couple different things can happen. They are: 1. Intercompany arbitration. If insurances can't agree, in order to protect everyone from the high cost of law suits and legal fees, most companies participate in arbitration. This is similar to suit in that both insurances present all their evidence, and an independent third party will decide who's responsible for what. Arbitration is final and binding. 2. Law Suit. If both parties can't agree, occasionally suits happen. Really, it would have to be financially worth an attorney's time to file suit, so this doesn't happen much unless the other party wants a significant injury settlement. Since you didn't mention it here, I have to assume no one was injured. If you're worried about injuries, mention it to your insurance adjuster and ask if there is an exposure (are they claiming they're injured and to what extent). ----------------- Your insurance shouldn't go up unless you're at fault, and then how much is going to depend on how much your insurance winds up paying out, and a few other factors like your driving record and prior accident history. The best way to answer this question is once your claim is resolved and your insurance knows exactly how much was paid. Best of luck to you--I am glad everyone is (generally speaking), ok!

Question: If someone hits your car, does their insurance company have to give you the check?
Someone hit my car and her insurance is paying for it. The problem is, the insurance wants to send the check directly to the auto body place where i got my estimate. Any other time someone else has damaged my car, their insurance sends the check directly to ME, for me to do what i want with the money and get it fixed where I want to. I am having problems getting her insurance to send me the check, and I dont want the work done where they want to send the check: I only went there for an estimate. What is the law on this? I have always had insurance just mail the money to me directly. What law can I use for this? I am in Wisconsin. Thanks for the answers. Thanks Oh-So quiet. The last i heard from the insurance guy was he was going to send the check to the auto body 'unless he heard differently', so i called him back immediately and left a msg saying i wasnt sure where i was getting the repairs done yet, and i wanted the check sent directly to me. i have not heard back from him today. I think its up to the person to do with the money what they want, since its their loss with a big ol' hole in their car. By the way, my car is paid off free and clear, there is no lien holder on it. To Fred C - to answer your question, i've never pocketed money from an insurance check. My car has been hit once before (in a totally different place) and i got the check directly and used the auto body of my choice to repair it (i think there as maybe $25 left over that i pocketed out of $1500). I just dont want THEIR insurance company to send the check to an auto body place, when thats not the one I want to use. I want to be able to decide when and where i want my repairs done. Thanks! Update: The insurance company finally did send the check directly to me. So now I can put it in my bank, and then get the repairs done when and where I want to. It all worked out. Thanks everyone!

Answer: Don't get a lawyer and don't call the BBB. It sounds like you just have a miscommunication. Pick up the phone and call the adjuster. Say, "Mr/Ms Adjuster, I do not want to have my vehicle fixed at Shop X, and I haven't decided yet what I want to do about my repairs; please advise what I need to do to get you to just issue me the check directly." Period. Since you're dealing with the other insurance company, not your own, that's all you have to do. Only your OWN INSURANCE COMPANY has to protect the leinholder. You have no contract with the other person's insurance company. Now, they MAY have you meet with an adjuster to get another estimate done -- it sounds like they'd been under the impression you wanted to use this shop and they had a previous relationship with them or a Direct Repair contract. If that's the case, they'll do a more shop-neutral estimate through an adjuster and cut the check off of that. They will not pre-pay rental, however. When/if you go to get the car fixed, you'll have to call them back regarding rental procedures. No big deal and no need to make this any harder that it already is.

Question: How long does someone have to collect payment from me if I was involved in an auto accident?
I was involved in a car accident in May '07. I didn't have insurance and I still do not (I live in Wisconsin and it is not required by law to have auto insurance). I gave the woman all of my information and I received a phone call from her insurance company that week as she went to the hospital. I hit her from a complete stop almost immediately as I put my foot on the gas (in my opinion, nothing that would need hospitalization). She had some damage to her bumper. After hearing from her insurance company, they told me they would call with further information. I have heard nothing from them until today (October 22), via a letter in which they are asking for collections for damages. It's 5 months later! Can someone actually do this and what can I do?? I'm 23, I don't have a lot of money and am pretty broke right now. I emailed a few attorneys asking them the same question, but I wanted to get some answers from anyone who has been through the same situation.

Answer: I own a company that handles claims against uninsured motorists for insurance companies, including in WI. They are "subrogating" against you. You are correct, auto insurance is not required in WI. However, "Financial Responsibility" is required, which means you get stuck footing the bill out-of-pocket if you don't have insurance. The other answer is correct about the time frames involved. Five months is nothing. This is legal. My company regularly gets files from insurance companies more than a year after the accident. In WI your drivers license is at risk if you don't repay the damages. The insurance company most likely has reported the fact that you are uninsured to the Dept of Transportation (DOT). If so, you have to show proof to the DOT that you are repaying the damages. The insurance company has to document the amount that they are claiming. For the car, ask for copies of photos, estimate and the settlement check. For injuries, it gets a little tougher because of the privacy laws. They should still be able to provide you with some documentation on any injuries. If the other driver only went to the E/R right after the accident that is OK even if the impact was light. You need to also ask them for a copy of any releases signed by the other driver. Regarding re-payment most companies will let you set up a monthly payment plan, which normally will require a small down payment. Down payments can range from $100 to $500. With monthly payments ranging from $50 to $300. Each company can set their own rules regarding the payment amounts, but you can always try to negotiate them. Most companies will not charge interest if you keep your payments current. Another option they should give you is a discounted "lump sum." Let's say the car damage is $1000 and the medical bills/injury claim is another $1500. The total owed is $2500 but many companies will allow you to pay it off at a discounted rate if you can pay within 21 to 30 days with a cashier check. If the total is $2500 they may let you off the hook for $1800 to $2000. I strongly suggest that you find a way to do this if they give you this option. It not only saves you money it takes away any chance of a monthly payment plan going bad on you if you get behind in payments. The best advice I can give you is to work out a voluntary payment plan with them. If they have to sue you the lawyer will most likely not work with you on easy terms. Once a lawsuit is filed they will get a judgment against you which will be used to add 12% interest per year to the debt. Plus most lawyers won't take monthly payments less than $200. Last but not least, please go buy insurance. As you are now learning the hard way, you can buy an awful lot of insurance for what this accident will cost you now. Good Luck.

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