Car policy confusing? Ask Poli.
If I cause an accident, what does my policy actually pay?
Liability pays the other party, collision pays your own car, and each is capped separately. Here is how filed forms divide it.
What filed auto forms generally say
Bodily injury and property damage liability generally pay what you are legally responsible for to other people, up to the per-person and per-accident limits on the declarations page.
Damage to your own vehicle is a separate coverage: collision, subject to its own deductible, and it applies whether or not you were at fault.
Liability limits are not shared with your own repair costs. A single accident can exhaust the other party's limit while your collision claim is still paid under a different part of the policy.
Why your policy can still say something else
Split versus combined single limits, whether collision is carried at all, and the deductible are declarations facts, not booklet wording.
Clauses to look for in your own document
- Part A — Liability Coverage
- Limit of Liability
- Part D — Collision Coverage
- Declarations — Coverages and Limits
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PoliSays explains document wording. It is not an insurer, broker, or law firm, and nothing here is advice.