Hey everyone, looking for practical advice on what the lowest reasonable car insurance coverage would be for my situation. I’m not trying to run bare minimum because I know that’s reckless, but I also don’t want to overpay for coverage that doesn’t make sense.
Details:
I’m 21 years old, a medical student, and I don’t really have any significant assets right now. I have good health insurance through UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus. I’m in Tampa, Florida, and the car is a 2023 BMW 540i xDrive. It’s paid off/no loan. The car is worth around the low-$40k range. I have about $2,000 cash readily available, so a higher deductible is not a huge issue. I do have one prior at-fault accident from 2023 showing on CLUE.
I want to keep comprehensive and collision because I don’t want to self-insure the whole value of the car, but I’m trying to figure out reasonable liability and UM limits.
The Progressive quote I got for regular driving coverage was about $1,620 paid in full for 6 months after they pulled reports, or about $270/month effective.
That quote was for roughly:
Liability BI/PD: $50k/$100k/$100k
Uninsured Motorist BI: $50k/$100k non-stacked
PIP: $10k basic, $1k deductible
MedPay: $500 per person
Comprehensive: $1,000 deductible
Collision: $1,000 deductible
Rental: $40/day
Roadside: no/optional (I already have BMW roadside coverage)
Progressive Vehicle Protection: no
I also looked at lower/budget setups like:
$25k/$50k/$10k liability
$10k/$20k UM or no UM
$500–$1,000 comprehensive deductible
$1,000–$2,000 collision deductible
My questions:
For someone who is young, in school, and has basically no assets right now, is $25k/$50k bodily injury and $10k property damage too low?
Is $50k/$100k/$100k liability a smarter minimum, even if I don’t have much to sue for right now?
How should I think about future earning potential as a medical student? Does that make higher liability more important?
Does having good health insurance make it reasonable to carry low UM coverage, or is UM still important in Florida?
Is $1,620/6 months for the $50k/$100k/$100k liability + $50k/$100k UM setup reasonable for my profile?
What would you personally consider the lowest reasonable setup for a 21-year-old in Florida with this car?
I know nobody here is my lawyer or insurance agent. Just trying to get a realistic sense of what’s financially responsible versus overkill for a broke med student with a newer BMW.
Lowest reasonable car insurance coverage for a 21 y/o med student with a 2023 BMW 540i?
byu/itsSmooth1 inInsurance
Posted by itsSmooth1