Stacked Auto Insurance Coverage: Maximizing Your Policy Benefits

Stacked car insurance is a way to increase your uninsured motorist coverage by combining the bodily injury limits of each vehicle on your policy. Stacked car insurance isn't available in all states, and some insurers may not allow limit stacking even in states where it is permitted. Stacking your insurance is a way to raise your coverage and protection if you are in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver.

Stacked insurance increases coverage for multiple vehicles

Stacked insurance is a way to increase your coverage and protection if you are in an accident, particularly with an uninsured or underinsured driver. It is a good way to protect yourself from large medical bills and expenses resulting from an accident. Stacked car insurance increases your uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist coverage (UIM), depending on the number of vehicles you own. It allows you to combine, or "stack", the limits for each vehicle, giving you a greater total amount of coverage.

In simple terms, stacked car insurance combines both your UM and UIM motorist coverage limits for either multiple vehicles or policies. This means that if you have two or more auto insurance policies in your household, you can stack or combine the uninsured and underinsured auto insurance coverage of two auto insurance policies or two cars on the same policy. For example, if you and your spouse both have separate policies with $100,000 in coverage for uninsured and underinsured auto insurance, choosing to stack will give you a combined $200,000 in coverage.

There are two ways to stack insurance coverage: vertically, within one policy, and horizontally, across multiple policies. For instance, if your household owns three vehicles, each with its own policy and a UM and UIM limit of $15,000/$30,000, you can increase the limits by deciding to stack the policy on each car. So, if someone in your household gets into an accident with an uninsured driver, instead of a maximum payout of $30,000, the insurance company will pay up to $90,000.

Stacked insurance is not available in all states, and some insurers may not allow limit stacking even in states where it is permitted. It is also important to note that only UM and UIM bodily injury coverage can be stacked; coverage for property damage cannot be combined.

Stacking is only available in certain states

Stacking car insurance is not available in all states. In fact, some states completely outlaw the practice. However, there are 32 states that allow insurance stacking to some extent.

States that allow both vertical and horizontal stacking include:

• Tennessee
• Delaware
• New Jersey
• Texas
• Utah
• Georgia
• New York
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• Oregon

States that only allow horizontal stacking include:

• Pennsylvania
• Arkansas
• Ohio

The availability of stacking insurance also depends on your insurance company and existing coverage. Certain states, like Arkansas and Ohio, allow insurers to deny customers the ability to stack coverage, as long as they are clear and unambiguous in the policy.

Even in states where stacking is permitted, insurers can choose not to offer it, as long as they explain their policy to their customers. If your insurance provider does allow you to stack your UM and UIM insurance, they may cap the coverage limits.

Stacking is not offered by all insurance companies

Stacked car insurance is not available from all insurance companies or in all states. In the US, 32 states allow insurance stacking, but some of these states only allow stacking across multiple policies, not within a single policy.

In some states, insurance companies are not required to offer stacking as an option. For example, in Arkansas and Ohio, insurers can deny customers the ability to stack coverage as long as they are clear about this in the policy.

Additionally, there may be other restrictions on stacking insurance. For example, in Alabama, stacking is only permitted for up to three vehicles. In Wisconsin, you can only stack coverage limits on a maximum of three vehicles. Some states, like Michigan, do not allow stacking at all.

Stacking is only available for UM/UIM bodily injury coverage

Stacking auto insurance coverage is a way to increase your protection in the event of an accident, particularly if the other driver is uninsured or underinsured. Stacking your coverage means that you can combine the policy limits from multiple vehicles to increase your overall coverage limit. This is especially useful if you have more than one vehicle.

However, stacking is only available for uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, and only for bodily injury coverage, not property damage. This means that if you are in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver, your UM/UIM coverage will help pay for any medical bills and losses caused by your injuries, including pain and suffering. It will not, however, cover any damage to your property.

Bodily injury coverage under UM/UIM is extremely important to have as part of your auto insurance policy. If you are in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver, their insurance may not be sufficient to cover your medical bills and losses. In this case, your UM/UIM coverage can help fill the gap and ensure that you are not left with large out-of-pocket expenses.

Stacking your UM/UIM coverage for bodily injury simply means that you can combine the limits from multiple vehicles to increase your overall coverage limit for bodily injury. This gives you even more protection in the event of an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver. For example, if you have two cars with UM/UIM bodily injury coverage of $100,000 each, stacking would give you a combined coverage limit of $200,000.

While stacking your UM/UIM coverage for bodily injury can provide valuable peace of mind, it is important to note that it is not available in all states. Additionally, even in states where stacking is allowed, insurance companies may choose not to offer it or may cap the coverage limits. As such, it is important to review your policy carefully and consider speaking with your insurance agent to understand your options and make an informed decision about whether to stack your UM/UIM coverage.

Stacking can be done vertically or horizontally

Stacking auto insurance is a way to increase your protection from uninsured and underinsured drivers by combining, or stacking, your insurance coverage. This is especially useful if you have multiple vehicles or live in a place with a lot of uninsured drivers or low-required limits of liability.

There are two ways to stack car insurance: vertically or horizontally. Vertical stacking involves combining multiple coverage limits from a single insurance policy to get a higher uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) limit. This is done within one policy and requires you to have at least two vehicles on the same policy. By stacking your coverage vertically, you multiply your UM and UIM bodily injury limits by the number of vehicles on your policy.

For example, let's say your car insurance policy covers two vehicles, each with a UM and UIM limit of $25,000. If you want better protection, you can stack your coverage vertically to raise your total coverage to $50,000 per accident. If you have three cars on your policy, the total amount of coverage per accident would be $75,000.

On the other hand, horizontal stacking allows you to combine the coverage limits of multiple policies, usually from the same company. This is done across multiple policies and is useful if you have separate insurance policies for different vehicles in your household. With horizontal stacking, you can increase your coverage limits by combining the UM and UIM limits of each policy.

For instance, if you have $25,000 of UM and UIM coverage on your car insurance policy, and another family member has a separate policy with the same coverage amount, you can use horizontal stacking to increase your total coverage to $50,000 in the event of an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver.

Both vertical and horizontal stacking provide greater protection against accident-related losses and can help ensure that you have sufficient coverage in the event of a collision with an uninsured or underinsured motorist.

Frequently asked questions