If you live in Connecticut, you need Connecticut auto insurance to drive. Two basic components of the type of insurance you're going to need are personal (bodily) injury and property liability insurance.
Liability insurance covers you in the event you're at fault in an accident; it covers you for bodily injury to other parties, property damage, and for uninsured or underinsured motorists' damages.
With personal or bodily injury insurance, you're protected against other people's claims against you if they're injured in an accident and you're deemed at fault. Some examples of the types of claims against you in regard to personal injury include pain and suffering, lost wages, or medical expenses.
Property damage is also included as part of Connecticut auto insurance's liability coverage. With property damage, you're protected in the event you cause an accident and cause property damage to someone else's vehicle(s) or property.
With uninsured motorist coverage, if a hit-and-run driver who doesn't have auto insurance injures you, you're protected.
Limits for liability coverage
You are absolutely required to carry "minimum limits" for Connecticut auto insurance liability coverage.
These include a minimum of $20,000 per person or $40,000 maximum per accident for bodily injury liability, and $10,000 per accident for property damage liability. If you cancel your policy, the Department of Motor Vehicles will automatically be informed by your insurance company that you have done so.
If you then drive without having car insurance then you will be liable for heavy penalties and fines. In addition if you have an accident and you don't have insurance, then the costs could end up making your eyes water and your bank balance considerably smaller, so make sure that if you do cancel your insurance that you make sure to get a new policy to replace it.
Other types of Connecticut auto insurance you may want to consider
Collision insurance
While liability insurance covers you against claims from OTHER motorists' personal injury or property damage, collision insurance covers you for damage to your own car in the event you're at fault in an accident. In other words, liability insurance does not cover YOU at any point if you're at fault for an accident, but collision insurance does. This type of insurance is optional, but it's strongly recommended if your car is newer than 10 years old and/or you haven't finished paying it off yet, or you lease your car. If you lease your car or you haven't finished paying it off yet, you may be required to carry this type of insurance by the dealership or leasing company.
If your car is older than 10 years old and you own it outright, it may be a better idea not to carry collision insurance. In that event, you'll save money by simply carry liability insurance. However clearly if you can afford the small extra premium then you are probably better off to get it as well.
Comprehensive Connecticut Auto Insurance
Comprehensive insurance covers damage to your car from non-accident related damage, such as vandalism, "acts of God" like trees falling on your car, tornadoes, theft and vandalism.
Again, it's a good idea to carry comprehensive insurance if you don't own your car outright and/or it's not yet 10 years old. However, if you do own your car outright (you're not making payments on it and you're not leasing it), AND it's more than 10 years old, it's generally a better bet not to carry comprehensive insurance. Again, if you're leasing or if you still got car payments to make, the leasing company or dealership may require you to carry comprehensive insurance.
Again, it comes down to a cost benefit analyisis. If the replacement value of your car is $1500, and it will cost $1500 to get comprehensive Connecticut auto insurance, then it would make no sense to get it. If you are driving a more expensive $20,000 car though, then it starts to make a lot more sense. If you look ar urban crime statistics then vandalism or car theft are more common then being involved in a car accident, so being covered for this can definitely give you protection that is worth having.
So do the math and see if it makes sense.
Shopping around for the best price on Connecticut auto insurance
Regardless of whether you need just simple liability insurance, or collision and/or comprehensive coverage as well, the best way to find the best rates on Connecticut auto insurance is to shop online for some different Connecticut Auto Insurance Quotes and see what is on offer.
You can ask for quotes from several different insurance companies with just the click of a mouse, and then choose the policy that best meets your needs at the lowest price.
If you do that now then you will feel calmer at having dealt with the issue of your car insurance, and who knows, you may find a better deal than you thought you could afford!