In Delaware, uninsured motorist coverage comes with every auto liability policy unless a named insured rejects it in writing on a form from the insurer. Under 18 Del. C. 3902, it covers bodily injury and property damage caused by uninsured or hit-and-run drivers, at least at the state's minimum liability limits.

What does Delaware law require?

Section 3902(a) says no auto liability policy for a vehicle registered or principally garaged in Delaware can be issued unless it includes uninsured vehicle coverage. That coverage protects insured people who are legally entitled to recover damages from an uninsured or hit-and-run driver for:

• Bodily injury, sickness, disease or death.
• Personal property damage.

The rejection rules are specific. Coverage isn't required when it's rejected in writing, on a form the insurer provides that describes the coverage being rejected, by a named insured. After that, it doesn't have to be included on a renewal, reinstatement, replacement or other change by the same insurer unless the named insured requests it in writing.

How much coverage is required?

The amount can't be less than the minimum bodily injury and property damage limits under Delaware's financial responsibility law. Delaware's minimum liability limits are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $10,000 for property damage, so uninsured motorist coverage starts there.

What's the $250 deductible?

Property damage under Delaware uninsured motorist coverage carries a $250 deductible per accident, unless you and your insurer agree in writing to a different one. The statute also says property damage includes loss of use of a vehicle. That can matter if you need a rental while your car is being fixed.

Who counts as an uninsured driver?

Section 3902(a)(3) defines an uninsured vehicle three ways:

• A vehicle with no liability insurance, bond or other security in at least the amounts required where it's registered or garaged.
• A vehicle whose insurer denies coverage or becomes insolvent.
• A hit-and-run vehicle that causes bodily injury or property damage.

How do hit-and-run claims work in Delaware?

The statute sets conditions. The injury or damage must come from physical contact between the hit-and-run vehicle and you or your insured car. If there was no contact, the identity of both the driver and the owner must be unknown. Either way:

• The accident must be reported to the police or the proper government authority.
• You must notify your insurer within 30 days, or as soon as practicable after that, that you have a legal action arising out of the accident.

Report the crash right away and write down the report number. Waiting can make a valid claim harder to prove.

Is underinsured motorist coverage included?

Not automatically. Section 3902(b) requires every insurer to offer you the option to buy additional coverage for injury or death up to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident, or a $300,000 single limit, but not more than your own bodily injury liability limits. That additional coverage includes underinsured motorist protection.

An underinsured vehicle is one that has bodily injury coverage, but not enough to cover your damages. If you accept the additional coverage, it amends your policy so it pays for injuries you're entitled to recover from an underinsured driver. Your declarations sheet shows the limits.

Why does this matter for Delaware drivers?

A $25,000 bodily injury limit doesn't go far after a serious crash. If the at-fault driver has only the minimum, your own underinsured coverage may be what pays the rest of your medical bills and lost income. If they have nothing at all, uninsured coverage may be your main source of recovery.

Delaware also requires personal injury protection, which helps with your own medical bills and lost wages regardless of fault. PIP and uninsured motorist coverage work together, but they aren't the same thing.

How do you check your policy?

Look at your declarations page for:

• Uninsured motorist bodily injury and property damage lines, with limits.
• Underinsured motorist limits, if you bought them.
• Your property damage deductible for uninsured motorist claims.
• Your own bodily injury liability limits.

If uninsured coverage is missing, ask your insurer whether a written rejection is on file. If you want it back, request it in writing, since the statute says a renewal with the same insurer doesn't have to include it otherwise. Ask for a revised declarations page so you have proof the change went through. Do the same if you add underinsured coverage or raise your limits.

FAQ

Is uninsured motorist coverage required in Delaware? It must be included in every auto liability policy unless a named insured rejects it in writing on the insurer's form.

Does Delaware uninsured motorist coverage pay for car damage? Yes. It covers personal property damage, subject to a $250 deductible per accident unless you agree in writing to a different deductible, and it includes loss of use.

What do I need for a hit-and-run claim? Physical contact, or a noncontact vehicle whose driver and owner are both unknown. Report it to police and notify your insurer within 30 days or as soon as practicable.

Do I automatically have underinsured coverage? No. Insurers must offer it as additional coverage up to 100/300 or a $300,000 single limit, but not above your bodily injury liability limits.

Next step

Check your declarations page for both uninsured and underinsured lines. Then talk with a licensed local agent about raising those limits to match your liability coverage.

Sources: 18 Del. C. 3902, Uninsured and underinsured vehicle coverage; Delaware Department of Insurance: Auto insurance.

Every vehicle registered in Delaware needs liability insurance of $25,000, $50,000, and $10,000, plus personal injury protection of $15,000 for any one person and $30,000 for all persons in one accident. The insurance card has to be with the driver or in the vehicle. The Division of Motor Vehicles cites 21 Del. C. section 2118.

What the three liability numbers pay

The Department of Insurance auto guide describes bodily injury as $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for one accident, with no more than $25,000 to any one person inside that $50,000 total. Property damage is $10,000. Those figures are the legal floor for a Delaware registration. A policy can be written higher. The guide is a consumer explanation of the same 25/50/10 the DMV page requires.

PIP of $15,000 and $30,000 pays medical expenses and lost wages of the insured and passengers, whether or not the insured was at fault. The guide says PIP includes up to $5,000 for funeral expenses. That funeral figure is inside the PIP benefit. It is not a separate policy you buy at the DMV. Read the declarations page for the PIP limit and for any deductible, because a deductible can erase the benefit. See the deductible trap.

What the state does not require

The auto guide says collision, comprehensive, and uninsured-motorist coverage are not required. A lender can still demand collision and comprehensive. Uninsured-motorist coverage is something the guide says you do not have to buy. A Department bulletin on House Bill 114 says insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage at 25/50/10. Offered is not the same as required. The current text of 18 Del. C. section 3902 was not the source of this article, so this article does not say Delaware drivers must carry uninsured motorist coverage.

If you do buy uninsured-motorist coverage, the guide says it comes with an automatic $250 deductible for property damage, and a police report is required to make that claim. Underinsured-motorist bodily injury does not pay for vehicle damage. Those two sentences are easy to mix. One is a property-damage deductible on a UM claim. The other says UIM bodily injury is not a way to fix your own car. Ask the agent which one is on the quote before you treat "UM" as a single bucket.

Insurance from another state, and the fine

The DMV does not accept out-of-state insurance to title and register a vehicle in Delaware. The card has to be a Delaware-acceptable policy, in your possession or in the vehicle. The fine for a violation is $1,500 for a first offense and $3,000 for a subsequent offense, plus suspension of the registration. Those are the DMV page's numbers.

If a vehicle still has an active registration, surrender the plates before you cancel the insurance. Canceling the policy and leaving the plates on the car is the sequence the page tells you to avoid. The registration and the policy have to come off together. A move out of state does not, by itself, cancel the Delaware registration.

Where the other Delaware insurance papers live

A written complaint, and auto arbitration if informal complaints fail, are a different office path. The consumer line on the complaint page is (302) 674-7310. The auto guide's office number is 302-674-7300. See those two numbers. Do not collapse them.

If homeowners or commercial insurance has been declined, the Department points to the Insurance Placement Facility of Delaware at (800) 462-4972. Policy limits for that plan were not on the page used here. See what was and was not printed. Standard homeowners and business policies do not cover flood. See the flood page. A household-goods move is not this auto policy. Delaware's $75 business license is a tax license, not a mover's operating authority. See that license.

What to circle on the declarations page

Circle $25,000 and $50,000 of bodily injury, $10,000 of property damage, and PIP of $15,000 and $30,000. Circle any PIP deductible. A $15,000 deductible on a $15,000 benefit can leave nothing to pay. Circle whether uninsured-motorist coverage was offered and whether you bought it. If you bought it, circle the $250 property-damage deductible and remember the police-report requirement.

Keep the card in the car. Match it to the declarations page before you rely on a wallet card from another state. The DMV address for the registration rule is the page that cites section 2118. The Insurance Department guide is the page that explains funeral expenses, the UM deductible, and the fact that collision is not required by the state.

FAQ

What liability limits does Delaware require? $25,000 and $50,000 for bodily injury and $10,000 for property damage, plus PIP of $15,000 for one person and $30,000 for all persons in one accident.

Where does the card have to be? In the driver's possession or in the vehicle.

Is uninsured-motorist coverage required? The Department's consumer guide says it is not required. A bulletin says insurers must offer it. Offered is not the same as required to buy.

What is the fine for driving without the required insurance? $1,500 for a first offense and $3,000 for a subsequent offense, plus registration suspension.

Can I cancel the policy and keep the plates? No. Surrender the plates before you cancel insurance on a vehicle that still has an active registration.

Next step

Read the declarations page for 25/50/10 and for PIP of 15/30, and read the PIP deductible before you assume the $15,000 benefit is available. Put a Delaware-acceptable card in the car.

Sources: Delaware DMV, insurance requirements for registration; Delaware Department of Insurance auto guide.

If homeowners or commercial property insurance has been declined, the Delaware Department of Insurance says to contact the Insurance Placement Facility of Delaware, also called the Delaware FAIR Plan, at (800) 462-4972 or defairplan.com. A surplus-lines placement is the other option the page names. Policy limits, deductibles, and covered perils were not on that page.

What you can say, and what you cannot

This article does not invent them. You can say the Department names the plan and the phone number for a property that the voluntary market declined. You can say surplus lines is the other route the same page mentions. You cannot say the plan covers a house up to a dollar figure, because that figure was not on the page. You cannot say it covers fire but not theft, or the reverse, for the same reason. Ask the plan, at the phone number above, for the form it is offering, and read the perils and the limit on that form.

A driver who has been declined in the voluntary auto market applies through an agent to the Delaware Automobile Insurance Plan. The Department page says that. It does not state a DAIP premium or a DAIP limit. Do not copy another state's residual-market caps onto either plan. The auto registration minimums, if a policy is issued, are still 25/50/10 plus PIP of 15/30. See those minimums. The residual plan does not replace the DMV's required limits. It is a way to try to buy a policy after a declination.

Flood and the complaint office are separate

A FAIR Plan policy is not flood insurance unless the form you are handed says it covers flood. Standard homeowners and business policies do not cover flood. The Department's flood page states NFIP ceilings of $250,000 for the home and $100,000 for possessions, and a 30-day wait. See that page. Those flood numbers are not FAIR Plan dwelling limits. Do not move them onto the FAIR Plan quote.

A dispute about a declination or a claim still starts with the company, then the Department at (302) 674-7310 or consumer@delaware.gov. See the complaint. The Department will not be your lawyer. A PIP deductible problem on an auto policy is not a FAIR Plan question. See the deductible.

A cancellation list that was not confirmed

A search excerpt of a Department FAQ described cancellation grounds after a homeowners policy has been in effect more than 60 days, and it cited Title 18, Chapter 41. That FAQ page was not opened in full for these articles. The list is not repeated here. Do not tell a neighbor that Delaware insurers may cancel only for the reasons in that excerpt until the page or the chapter is in front of you. The confirmed fact in this article is the phone number for a property the voluntary market already declined.

Seller disclosures, transfer taxes, and senior school-tax credits do not place the FAIR Plan coverage. See the disclosure and the transfer tax. A mover's revenue license does not insure the house. See that license.

What to take to the call

Take the declination letters, the address, the construction of the building, and the amount of insurance you need. Ask the plan what limit it will offer and which perils are included. Write those answers down and compare them with the form. If the plan's limit is lower than the mortgage requires, the gap is a conversation with the lender, not a number this article can fill in.

If the declination was for an auto policy, call an agent about the Delaware Automobile Insurance Plan instead of the property facility. The two plans are different markets. The phone (800) 462-4972 is the property facility. The auto plan goes through an agent. Using the wrong phone delays both.

What to write beside the phone number

Write down the date of each declination letter before you call (800) 462-4972. The Department page is about a property the voluntary market has already declined, or a driver an agent is sending to the Delaware Automobile Insurance Plan. A quote you have not received yet is not a declination. Surplus lines, the other option the same page names, is a different placement. Ask that agent which company is writing the risk and which perils the form excludes. Keep that form next to any FAIR Plan quote, and do not assume the two cover the same causes of loss.

FAQ

Who do I call if homeowners insurance was declined? The Insurance Placement Facility of Delaware, the Delaware FAIR Plan, at (800) 462-4972.

What are the coverage limits? They were not on the Department page used here. Ask the plan. Do not use another state's caps.

What if an auto insurer declined me? Apply through an agent to the Delaware Automobile Insurance Plan. No DAIP premium or limit was stated on the page.

Does this policy cover flood? Only if the form says so. Standard homeowners policies do not. Flood ceilings on the Department's flood page are NFIP figures, not FAIR Plan limits.

Is there a confirmed list of homeowners cancellation reasons in this article? No. A 60-day cancellation excerpt was not confirmed against the full FAQ or Chapter 41, so it is not repeated.

Next step

If a homeowners or commercial insurer has declined the property, call (800) 462-4972 and ask for the limit and the perils in writing. Do not fill the limit in from memory or from another state.

Sources: Delaware Department of Insurance, if you need insurance.

The Delaware Department of Insurance says standard homeowners policies and standard business policies do not cover flood. Most flood insurance in the United States is the National Flood Insurance Program, sold through local agents. The Department's page says NFIP home coverage goes up to $250,000 and personal possessions up to $100,000.

What the 30 days means

Once purchased, it does not take effect for 30 days. The office phone on that page is (302) 674-7300. The wait starts when you buy the policy, not when the water reaches the door. A policy purchased the week a storm is forecast can still be inside the 30 days. The page's sentence is "once purchased, it does not take effect for 30 days." Ask the agent whether any exception applies to the form you are buying. This article does not add exceptions the Department page does not print.

The $250,000 and $100,000 figures are ceilings the Department states for NFIP home coverage and possessions. They are not a quote for your house. The premium, the deductible, and the building's eligibility come from the flood policy the agent offers. Communities in the Community Rating System can get discounts. The discount percentages were not stated on the page, so they are not listed here. Ask the agent whether your community participates and what discount, if any, is on the quote.

7300 is not the complaint line

The flood page uses (302) 674-7300 as the Commissioner's Office number. The complaint page's consumer line is (302) 674-7310, or 1-800-282-8611 in Delaware. See the complaint numbers. A flood question about how to buy a policy can start at 7300. A dispute about a claim or a cancellation is the complaint path. The Department is not your lawyer on either call.

A FAIR Plan policy, for a house the voluntary market declined, is (800) 462-4972. Its limits were not on the Department page and are not the NFIP ceilings. See that distinction. Auto PIP does not pay for flood damage to a house. See the auto minimums. Comprehensive coverage on a car, if you bought it, is a question for the auto policy, not for this homeowners exclusion.

A disclosure is not a flood policy

Delaware sellers disclose known material defects in writing. The form is not a warranty, and the sections used here do not give the buyer a set number of days to cancel. See the disclosure. A seller's note that the yard has flooded is a fact. It does not buy the NFIP policy, and it does not start the 30-day wait. Budget the flood premium separately from the realty transfer tax. See the transfer tax.

A senior school-tax credit of up to $500 does not pay a flood premium either. See that credit. The credit is against school property tax, on a primary residence, for a homeowner who is 65 or over and who applied by April 30.

What to ask the agent

Ask for an NFIP quote or for the private flood form the agent actually sells. Ask the building limit, the contents limit, the deductible, and the effective date. Compare the effective date with the 30-day sentence on the Department's page. Ask whether a Community Rating System discount applies, and ask for the percentage in writing rather than assuming one.

Keep the homeowners declarations page, which should show that flood is not a covered peril, next to the flood policy if you buy one. They are two contracts. A claim for rising water goes on the flood contract. A claim for a burst pipe, if the homeowners policy covers it, goes on the homeowners contract. Read both forms before you file the wrong one.

What to put on the calendar

Write the purchase date of any flood policy and add 30 days. The Department's sentence is that the policy does not take effect for 30 days once it is purchased. If you are closing on a house before that date, the gap is uninsured for flood unless the agent shows you a form that says otherwise. The page does not print that exception, so do not invent one. Ask whether the building limit is at or under the $250,000 ceiling the Department states, and whether contents are at or under $100,000. Those are ceilings, not the amount you must buy.

A Community Rating System discount, if the agent says one applies, belongs on the quote as a percentage. The Department page says communities can get discounts and does not list the percentages. A percentage you heard from a neighbor is not the quote. The office phone for this topic is (302) 674-7300. A claim fight still goes to the complaint line, (302) 674-7310, after you have contacted the company.

FAQ

Does a Delaware homeowners policy cover flood? No. The Department says standard homeowners and standard business policies do not cover flood.

What ceilings does the Department state? NFIP home coverage up to $250,000 and personal possessions up to $100,000.

When does a new policy start? The Department says that once purchased, it does not take effect for 30 days.

Which phone is on the flood page? (302) 674-7300. The consumer complaint line is (302) 674-7310.

Are Community Rating System discounts listed here? No. The page says communities can get discounts. The percentages were not stated.

Next step

If you want flood coverage, ask an agent for the policy and read the effective date against the 30-day wait. Do not assume the homeowners policy already includes it.

Sources: Delaware Department of Insurance, flood insurance.

The Delaware Department of Insurance complaint page lists 1-800-282-8611 inside Delaware and (302) 674-7310. Email is consumer@delaware.gov. Contact the company first. The Department is not your lawyer. It will not intervene in a pending lawsuit or in a policy that was issued and delivered outside Delaware. No number of days for a company reply is printed on that page.

Which phone is which

Use 7310 as the consumer line on the current complaint page. The auto guide prints a street address the complaint page itself did not: 1351 W North St, STE 101, Dover, DE 19904, with fax 302-739-6278. The guide's phone for that office is 302-674-7300, and the same toll-free number. The Department's flood page also uses (302) 674-7300 as the Commissioner's Office number. Do not collapse 7310 and 7300 into one extension. Call the line the page you are following actually prints.

You can file online, and the complaint page also allows fax, email, mail, or telephone. That is broader than a writing-only rule in some other states. Calling does not make the Department your lawyer, and it does not pause a lawsuit. If a case is already in court, the page says the Department will not intervene.

Auto cancellation appeals and arbitration

An auto cancellation or nonrenewal, other than for nonpayment, can be appealed under 18 Del. C. section 3906. The complaint page is the place that says so. It does not, in the text used here, print the number of days you have to file that appeal. Do not invent a 10-day or 20-day deadline. Read the cancellation notice for the date it gives, and ask the Department if the notice is silent.

If informal complaints fail, the auto guide describes auto arbitration as a three-person panel: an attorney and two insurance adjusters with no stake in the case. The filing fee for an auto matter is $50. That fee is the guide's figure. It is not a fee for every kind of insurance complaint. A homeowners dispute is not automatically this panel. Ask the Department which path applies before you send $50.

What the complaint cannot do

The Department will not act as your lawyer and will not step into a policy issued and delivered outside Delaware. A policy you bought in another state, for a house in another state, is outside that sentence even if you now live in Delaware. A Delaware registration's auto policy is the DMV's concern when the question is whether the car is insured at 25/50/10 plus PIP of 15/30. See those limits. A PIP deductible that matches the limit is a coverage question for this complaint path. See that deductible.

Flood claims on a standard homeowners policy are outside the policy, not a claim the Department can create. See the flood exclusion. The FAIR Plan, if you were declined, is (800) 462-4972. Limits for that plan were not on the Department page. See what not to invent.

Other Delaware filings that are not this complaint

A property-tax appeal in New Castle County has to be received by 4:00 p.m. on March 14. See that deadline. A seller's disclosure dispute is a real-estate statute, not an insurance complaint. See the disclosure. A mover's $75 business license is a Division of Revenue tax license. There is no dedicated household-goods complaint office in the sources used here. See why that license is not a regulator.

Bring the policy number, the denial, and a short timeline. Contact the company first, as the page says, and keep that letter. If the dispute is an auto cancellation other than nonpayment, mention section 3906. If informal complaints have already failed and the matter is auto, the guide's next step is the three-person panel and the $50 fee.

What to keep if you pay the $50

The auto guide describes arbitration after informal complaints fail. Keep the Department's written responses so you can show that the informal step happened. The panel is an attorney and two adjusters with no stake in the case. The $50 fee is for an auto matter. Ask, before you pay it, whether a homeowners or flood dispute uses the same panel. The complaint page does not print a number of days for the company's reply, and section 3906 is cited for an auto cancellation or nonrenewal other than nonpayment without a day count. Use the date printed on the cancellation notice, and ask the Department when the notice is silent.

FAQ

What is the consumer phone? 1-800-282-8611 in Delaware, or (302) 674-7310. Email consumer@delaware.gov.

What is 302-674-7300? The office number on the auto guide and on the flood page. It is not the same extension as 7310.

How many days does the company have to answer? The complaint page does not print a number of days. This article does not invent one.

What does auto arbitration cost? A $50 filing fee, before a panel of an attorney and two adjusters with no stake in the case, if informal complaints have failed.

Will the Department handle a lawsuit or an out-of-state policy? No. It is not your lawyer, and it will not intervene in a pending lawsuit or in a policy issued and delivered outside Delaware.

Next step

Contact the company first, then file with the Department at consumer@delaware.gov or (302) 674-7310. If the dispute is an auto matter and informal complaints have failed, read the guide's arbitration section before you pay the $50 fee.

Sources: Delaware Department of Insurance, file a complaint; auto guide.

Delaware requires personal injury protection of $15,000 for any one person and $30,000 for all persons in one accident. The Department of Insurance auto guide says an agent may quote that $15,000 limit with a $15,000 deductible. Unless you choose otherwise and pay more, the deductible reduces the PIP benefit to zero.

How a matching deductible erases the benefit

Ask whether the quote is restricted or unrestricted PIP. A limit and a deductible are different lines. The limit is the most the policy pays. The deductible is what you absorb first. If both numbers are $15,000, the first $15,000 of a PIP loss is yours, and the policy's $15,000 cap has nothing left to pay. The guide's warning is that this quote can be the default unless you choose otherwise and pay more. "Choose otherwise" means a lower deductible or a broader form, and it costs more premium. A verbal promise that "PIP is included" does not tell you the deductible.

The guide tells you to ask about restricted PIP and unrestricted PIP. Restricted PIP generally limits who the benefit pays. Unrestricted PIP pays a wider group. The guide does not, in the pages used here, print a statute section that defines every passenger the restricted form drops. Ask the agent to show the endorsement and to name who is left out. Do not treat the two words as marketing labels.

What PIP pays when the deductible does not wipe it out

The guide says PIP pays medical expenses and lost wages of the insured and passengers, whether or not the insured was at fault. It includes up to $5,000 for funeral expenses. That $5,000 is part of the PIP description. It is not a reason to ignore the deductible. A funeral bill still meets the deductible before the policy pays, if a deductible applies to that expense. Ask the agent whether the deductible applies to funeral expenses or only to medical bills. The guide states the $5,000 figure. It does not, in the portion used here, spell out every deductible exception.

Liability of 25/50/10 is a separate requirement. It pays people you hurt and property you damage. It is not PIP. See the registration minimums. The card still has to be in the car. The fine for going without the required insurance is $1,500, then $3,000. A PIP deductible of $15,000 does not satisfy the DMV if the policy itself is cancelled. Surrender the plates before you cancel a policy on a car that still has an active registration.

Defensive driving is a discount, not PIP

The same guide says an approved defensive-driving course gives 10 percent off a portion of the auto insurance for three years. A refresher taken just before the three years end gives 15 percent. The discount applies to a portion of the premium, not to the whole bill, and the guide is the source of the words "a portion." It does not lower the PIP deductible. A course certificate and a $15,000 deductible can sit on the same policy. Ask the agent which coverages the 10 percent touches.

Mark the three-year date when you finish the course. The refresher has to come just before that period ends if you want the 15 percent. A course taken a year late is not the refresher the guide describes. Keep the certificate with the declarations page.

Uninsured motorist coverage is still optional

The guide says collision, comprehensive, and uninsured-motorist coverage are not required. If you buy UM, the guide says there is an automatic $250 property-damage deductible and that a police report is required for a UM claim. UIM bodily injury does not pay vehicle damage. None of that changes the PIP deductible. They are separate lines on the declarations page. A bulletin says insurers must offer UM/UIM at 25/50/10. The offer is not a requirement that you buy it, and the current text of section 3902 was not fetched for this article.

A complaint about a PIP deductible you did not understand goes to the Department in writing or by the consumer line (302) 674-7310. The Department is not your lawyer. Auto arbitration, if informal complaints fail, costs a $50 filing fee. See that process. No response time in days was stated on the complaint page, so this article does not invent one.

What to ask before you accept the quote

Ask for the PIP limit, the PIP deductible, and whether the form is restricted or unrestricted. If the deductible equals the limit, ask what it costs to lower the deductible. Ask who is excluded on the restricted form. Ask whether the defensive-driving discount, if you have one, changes the deductible or only a portion of the premium.

Write the answers on the quote and compare them with the declarations page when the policy arrives. A quote that says "$15,000 PIP" without the deductible is incomplete. The guide's point is that the deductible can be the whole story. Flood coverage for the house, the FAIR Plan phone, and a mover's business license do not fix this auto line. See flood and the revenue license only when those are the actual questions.

FAQ

Can a PIP quote pay nothing? Yes. The guide says an agent may quote $15,000 of PIP with a $15,000 deductible, and that unless you choose otherwise and pay more, the deductible reduces PIP to zero.

What should I ask besides the limit? Whether the PIP is restricted or unrestricted, and who that choice leaves out.

Does PIP include a funeral benefit? The guide says PIP includes up to $5,000 for funeral expenses.

What does a defensive-driving course do? Ten percent off a portion of the auto premium for three years. A refresher just before the three years end gives 15 percent. It does not erase a PIP deductible.

Is this the same thing as uninsured-motorist coverage? No. The guide says UM is not required. PIP is part of the registration requirement.

Next step

Before you accept an auto quote, read the PIP deductible next to the $15,000 limit. If they match, ask what it costs to choose a lower deductible or an unrestricted form.

Sources: Delaware Department of Insurance auto guide.