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motor vehicle insurance

Also known as: automobile insurance, automotive insurance, car insurance
Written and fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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also called:
automotive insurance

motor vehicle insurance, a contract by which the insurer assumes the risk of any loss the owner or operator of a car may incur through damage to property or persons as the result of an accident. There are many specific forms of motor vehicle insurance, varying not only in the kinds of risk that they cover but also in the legal principles underlying them.

Liability insurance pays for damage to someone else’s property or for injury to other persons resulting from an accident for which the insured is judged legally liable; collision insurance pays for damage to the insured car if it collides with another vehicle or object; comprehensive insurance pays for damage to the insured car resulting from fire or theft or many other causes; medical-payment insurance covers medical treatment for the policyholder and his passengers.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, in the United States in the early 21st century, about two-thirds of the money spent on premiums for private passenger auto insurance went to claims. More than half of this amount covered car damage. The rest covered personal injuries. The remaining third of the money spent on premiums covered insurance companies’ expenses—such as commissions, dividends to policyholders, and company operations—and contributed to their profits.

In many countries, other approaches to automobile accident insurance have been tried. These include compulsory liability insurance on a no-fault basis and loss insurance (accident and property insurance) carried by the driver or owner on behalf of any potential victim, who would recover without regard to fault.

Most existing no-fault plans are limited in the sense that they usually permit the insured party to sue the party at fault for damages in excess of those covered by the plan and permit insuring companies to recover costs from each other according to decisions on liability. Total no-fault insurance, on the other hand, would not permit the insured to enter tort liability actions or the insurer to recover costs from another insurer.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Heather Campbell.