Sorting out your auto insurance is an expensive, but necessary, annual expense for most of us.

Many of us that decide to take out that cheap car insurance option will, in the event of making a claim, feel let down by the insurance company somewhat. If you have you ever had to make a claim

against your insurance then you may agree with what I’m saying – I bet some of you will have had to chase the insurance company to get things sorted out, alot of you will maybe have had a game of tug-of-war with the insurer about the costs of the claim, and I would risk a fair stack of chips (we are in Las Vegas after all!) on most having found it stressful.

In its annual report of 2008, The National Association of Insurance Commissioners report revealed that the average premium per vehicle in Nevada state was $1,137 annually, whilst passenger car insurance for the remaining states was significantly less at only $937 per vehicle.

So car insurance is a bit more expensive for residents of Nevada state as a whole, compared to the rest of the country on average – thats interesting, maybe its our crime figures!

To ensure that you get a good deal for your money, make sure you are aware of what you are getting for your dollar. I consider a good policy to be one that meets your minimum liability by law yet also provides other levels of cover that you require without incurring any issues from the insurance company should you need to make a claim. Check out your intended insurance company carefully, do they have a good reputation?

Now, both bodily injury and property damage coverage (liability coverage) can be bought as split-limit coverage or combined single-limit cover. If you choose to purchase liability cover as a combined single limit, then the figures for bodily injury and property damage are combined ie. $40,000 is the combined single limit for all bodily injury and/or property damage, and this figure is the minimum combined single-limit cover allowable by the law of Nevada.

Comprehensive and collision cover are not strictly required by law in Las Vegas, under Nevada law but you may find that it is offered to you by your insurer. It is also not available in some cases where the condition of the vehicle or the age of the driver would prohibit the costs required ie. the person is of minimum age or the vehicle is almost worthless

You are generally not required to carry medical payments but all insurance companies are required by law to offer you a medical payments liability cover of at least $1000 and uninsured/under-insured motorist cover at an amount equal to the bodily injury cover that you decide to purchase.

If you are planning on a car lease in Las Vegas or elsewhere in Nevada, then we would advise you to check your lease agreement carefully since they commonly require that you have a liability cover of $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident and possibly a damage cover over the lower limit of $10,000. These are minimum auto insurance requirements for Las Vegas and the state of Nevada as a whole.

Teri is an insurance actuary in Las Vegas and writes at the las vegas auto insurance guide where you can find more tips for finding auto insurance in Las Vegas and the rest of Nevada.