Which losses belong in this scenario?
In the liability section of the car insurance calculator, give each injured person a separate row. Group damage to other people’s vehicles and property from the same accident in the property field. If a quote shows 50/100/25 on the liability line, each number stands for thousands of dollars. Find the limits on your declarations page or proposed policy. Texas Department of Insurance guide to declarations pages.
- 50 · Bodily injury per person
- Up to $50,000 of covered injury liability for any one person in this example.
- 100 · Bodily injury per accident
- Up to $100,000 of covered injury liability across everyone injured in the same accident.
- 25 · Property damage per accident
- Up to $25,000 of covered damage to other people’s property in that accident. Several damaged vehicles or objects share this amount.
Three ways the same policy limits can respond
Use fictional losses or planning figures. Each example assumes one accident, responsibility for the entered amounts, and losses covered by the policy. The examples isolate the effects of limits. The California Department of Insurance explains the separate constraints for bodily injury and damage to other people’s property. California automobile insurance guide.
1. Two injury patterns with the same total
Keep limits at 50/100/25. Two people have $100,000 of covered injury losses between them. How those losses are distributed changes the result.
| Injury amounts | After the person limits | Modeled injury payment | Above the limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 and $50,000 | $50,000 + $50,000 | $100,000 | $0 |
| $80,000 and $20,000 | $50,000 + $20,000 | $70,000 | $30,000 |
In the second row, $30,000 of the accident limit goes unused. The first person’s $50,000 limit still applies. Entering an average loss for both people would hide that constraint.
2. Three people reach the shared accident limit
Keep 50/100/25. Enter injuries of $80,000, $50,000 and $10,000, plus $35,000 of property damage. The three injury entries total $140,000. After the $50,000 person limit, their capped amounts add to $110,000. The $100,000 accident limit reduces the modeled injury payment to $100,000, leaving $40,000 above the injury limits.
The property calculation uses its own $25,000 limit. The modeled property payment is $25,000, leaving $10,000 above that limit. The injury and property figures answer separate questions about the same accident.
Who receives what? The $100,000 is the group total. Dividing it proportionally among the three people would add a settlement assumption. An individual allocation requires information about the claims and how they are resolved.
3. Change just the middle number
Repeat the second example with 50/150/25. The person caps still produce $110,000. The higher accident limit now allows that entire amount, leaving $30,000 of injury loss above the limits. Raising the shared limit by $50,000 changes this modeled payment by $10,000. The property result stays at $25,000 because its limit and loss are unchanged.
How the liability calculation works
- For each injured person, take the smaller of the entered covered loss and the per-person bodily injury limit.
- Add those capped amounts. Take the smaller of that sum and the per-accident bodily injury limit. This is the modeled injury payment for the group.
- Subtract the group payment from the sum of the original injury amounts to find the injury loss above the limits.
- For property, compare total covered damage to other people’s property with the property-damage limit. The smaller amount is the modeled property payment. The remainder is above that limit.
What could change an actual claim? Fault, policy wording, exclusions, settlements and other available coverage can affect the financial outcome. The amount above a modeled limit is a figure to discuss with an insurer. Policy and claim review determine what is actually payable.
If your declarations show a single combined liability limit, the policy uses a different limit structure. If you are looking at damage to your own car, find collision or comprehensive on the declarations. Medical payments, personal injury protection and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage also have their own terms. Keep those entries separate from the liability losses entered here. Texas guide to auto coverages.
Check current requirements for the state and policy that apply to you. State guidance can distinguish policies by effective date or identify programs with different limits. The worked limits above are examples you can change. Virginia DMV insurance requirements and California guidance on standard policies and its low-cost program.
How much will my car insurance cost per month?
Match the coverage and policy dates
If two quotes differ on the collision deductible, compare the annual cost at five repair amounts before deciding what fits your budget.
First match the vehicle and drivers, liability limits, other selected coverages, deductibles, policy dates and treatment of fees. Check the actual coverage lines even if both quotes share a label. For example, California’s 2026 auto survey includes $2,000 of medical payments and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage in its Basic profile. California auto survey profile definitions.
For a price, start with the total premium that an insurer actually quoted for its six- or twelve-month term. Each insurer calculates a premium from factors such as location, vehicle and driving history. The quote budget comparison puts your two quoted amounts on the same time scale. Texas explanation of insurance pricing.
Six months versus twelve months
Worked price comparison. A $780 six-month quote averages $130 per month, or $1,560 on a twelve-month basis. A $1,500 twelve-month quote averages $125 per month. If the terms and coverage match, the second averages $5 less per month, a $60 difference on the annualized figures. Annualizing the first price assumes another six months at the same rate. The actual renewal premium comes from the insurer.
The monthly average helps with budgeting. To find the actual first payment, request the payment schedule and check for a down payment or installment fees. Count fees once. If coverages differ, ask the insurers to quote matching coverage before using the monthly difference as savings. Texas auto insurance shopping checklist
Will my insurance settlement pay off my totaled car?
Ask for two documents after a financed car is declared a total loss. The insurer’s settlement statement gives its payment for the vehicle. Your lender’s payoff quote gives the amount needed to close the loan. Request a payoff quote for the expected payment date. The figure on a monthly statement can differ from the payoff amount. CFPB guidance on obtaining an auto loan payoff amount.
Worked example. Before the insurer pays, the lender quotes a payoff of $21,450.25. The insurer lists a net settlement of $18,900 after an applicable $500 deductible. Subtract $18,900 from $21,450.25 to find the $2,550.25 still to fund. Subtracting the deductible again would overstate that balance by $500.
If the GAP provider then confirms a $2,000 credit toward the loan, the example leaves $550.25 to reconcile with the lender. GAP products can have eligibility restrictions and exclusions. Compare the provider’s decision with your agreement and ask which amounts it covers. CFPB’s overview of GAP protection and Texas Department of Insurance guide to exclusions.
Use your settlement and payoff figures in the loan balance worksheet.
Sources behind this worksheet
Insurance Calculator maintains the scenario arithmetic and fictional worked examples. The government publications below support the coverage definitions and quotation guidance. Sources checked November 5, 2026.
- California Department of Insurance automobile guide explains liability coverage, limits and policy terms.
- Texas Department of Insurance auto guide describes the different coverage lines a driver may see on a policy.
- Texas declarations-page guide identifies where to find limits, deductibles and premiums.
- California survey profiles document the assumptions used for a specific government comparison.
- Texas premium guidance explains why insurers can return different prices for the same customer.