If there's no such thing as "full coverage," how much insurance coverage do you actually need?

"I need full coverage" is one of the most common requests made to Progressive representatives when people call us to shop for auto insurance. Imagine customers' surprise when they discover there's no such thing as "full coverage" — or did you just experience that surprise yourself?

It's true: When people ask for "full coverage," there isn't one single type of insurance policy that meets that request. Sure, there are varying levels of coverage that offer more or less protection depending on what you need, but there's no single type of policy for full coverage, and it can mean different things for different people.

People often say they need full coverage when they know they need more than just Liability coverage. Often, that means you're making payments on your vehicle because you've financed or leased it, so you need at least Comprehensive and Collision coverages, too.

Companies that loan you money for a car, or companies that lease you a car, want to know that if the car is involved in an accident, you'll be responsible for the repairs and injuries involved and they won't. That's why they require you to have insurance coverage to protect damage to your vehicle and not just other vehicles.

You may know you need a certain level of coverage, but do you know how much coverage you need or what types of insurance options you should choose?

Different Levels of Insurance Coverage and Who Needs Them

The mix-n-match options for insurance coverage can yield numerous levels of protection, so for brevity's sake, we'll place the varying levels of what's often considered "full coverage" in the following categories: minimum, intermediate and extensive. Progressive offers all coverages mentioned below, though you may not be able to purchase all of them depending on what state your policy is in.

Minimum Level of Full Coverage
At the very minimum, when people ask for full coverage, they're are asking for Liability, Comprehensive and Collision coverages. With Liability, damage to other vehicles or injuries to other people are covered if you're at fault. With Comprehensive and Collision — often called Comp/Coll — damage to your own vehicle is covered, regardless of who's at fault. Since you pay a specific premium per coverage, this type of policy will cost more than if you just had Liability coverage.

Intermediate Level of Full Coverage
For intermediate coverage, people may choose Liability, Comp/Coll, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and/or Medical Payments (MedPay), Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) and Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Property Damage (UMPD), when applicable. This level of coverage goes one step beyond the previous level because it uses other types of coverage to pay for your own injuries or to protect you in situations where the at-fault party may not have insurance. With PIP and MedPay coverage, your injuries are covered, up to the amounts you select. And it doesn't matter who's at fault for an accident; you can use these coverages either way. UM/UIM and UMPD coverages protect you and your vehicle if another person is at fault for an accident but that person doesn't have insurance or doesn't have enough insurance to cover your damages and injuries. With UMPD coverage, you still have to pay a deductible, but it often is less than the Collision deductible you would pay.

Extensive Level of Full Coverage
For extensive coverage, you can choose all the coverages mentioned already, plus the other bells and whistles available, from Loan/Lease Payoff coverage to Roadside Assistance. If your vehicle is totaled or stolen and you make payments on it, Loan/Lease Payoff coverage pays up to 25 percent towards the difference between what you owe on the vehicle and what your insurance company will pay for a total loss in the event that the amount you owe is more than the settlement amount.

If you need more than Liability coverage for your automobile, there are plenty of options to cover you and your vehicle in almost any situation. There's no single type of full coverage, but your vehicle most definitely can be fully covered. When you're ready to choose what level of insurance coverage you need, we'll be ready to help you — online, over the phone or through an independent agent.