Coverage

Trimming the add-ons on your car insurance

Some lines on your bill pay for things you already have covered elsewhere, or no longer need. Others are the reason you bought insurance. Here is how to tell them apart.

By Guardbrook Editorial Team Updated October 26, 2026 6 min read

At a glance

Worth a second look: Rental, roadside, gap
Never cut to save: Liability and UM/UIM
Gap pays only if: Loan exceeds car's value
Check first: Lender and state rules

Illustration: a pair of open scissors, printed on a receipt

Bottom line

Optional add-ons are small lines that add up. Rental reimbursement, roadside or towing coverage, gap coverage, custom equipment coverage and medical payments can each be worth keeping, or a duplicate of something you already have. Check each one against your other coverage, your car's value and your loan, and drop only what you would never use. Leave liability and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage alone: they protect you from the bills that can't be paid out of savings.

Read the bill before you cut

Your declarations page lists every coverage on the policy with its own premium. Optional add-ons are the lines below liability, collision and comprehensive, often a few dollars each. Few of them is large on its own, but three or four together can cost as much as a discount you worked hard to earn. Pull up the page and write next to each line whether you have used it, and whether something else already pays for it. Our guide to reading your declarations page shows where each line sits.

Before you remove anything, check two rules that override your preference: what your state requires on every policy, and what your loan or lease requires on a financed car. Some states build medical coverage into the minimum, and a lender will expect collision and comprehensive to stay.

Add-ons that are worth a second look

Rental reimbursement

In the Texas Department of Insurance's words, it pays for you to rent a car if yours is stolen or being repaired after an accident. Policies set limits on what it pays, so check yours. It is easy to skip if the household has a second car you can share, you can walk, bike or take transit for a week or two, or you could pay for a short rental yourself.

Roadside assistance and towing

Towing and labor coverage pays to tow your car if it can't be driven, and the California Department of Insurance describes add-ons for towing and road service. The same help may come with a motor club membership, a new-car warranty or a credit card. If you already have one of those, compare what each covers; you may be paying twice.

Gap coverage

Covers the difference between what you owe on a car loan or lease and what your insurer pays if the car is stolen or totaled. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau calls it optional, notes that dealers often sell it at signing and that your own insurer may offer it, and says you can cancel such add-ons at any time. Once you owe less than the car is worth, it has nothing left to pay.

Custom equipment

Standard policies limit what they pay for parts that didn't come with the car; the Texas guide lists equipment not permanently installed in your car among items not covered. Some insurers sell an add-on for aftermarket stereos, wheels or similar parts. If the car is stock, or the parts are gone, it pays for nothing.

Each of these is priced separately, so ask the insurer what the line costs before deciding. A $40 add-on you used last year may be worth more than a $15 one you have never needed.

Medical payments and your health insurance

Medical payments coverage, or MedPay, pays medical expenses if you or your passengers are injured, and the California Department of Insurance notes that it can pay for immediate medical care no matter who is at fault. It overlaps with health insurance, but not completely: it can pay for a passenger with no health plan, and it can help with costs your own plan leaves to you. How it coordinates with a health plan, for example whether it pays your plan's deductible, depends on the policy wording, so ask.

Whether to trim it depends on your health plan and your state. Some states require it: Maine requires at least $2,000 of medical payments coverage, and New Hampshire policies must include at least $1,000. In states that require personal injury protection (PIP) instead, the medical part works differently and has its own rules; Texas, for example, puts PIP on every policy unless you reject it in writing.

Keep it or keep it high if your health plan has a large deductible, if you often carry passengers who may lack coverage, or if no one in the household has health insurance.
A lower limit may be enough if everyone in the car is on a plan with low out-of-pocket costs.
Don't drop it where it is required. Check your state's page; our state cost guides list what each state puts on every bill.

What not to cut

Liability coverage pays for injuries and damage you cause to others, and it is the reason your state requires insurance in the first place. Lowering it to the legal minimum to save money leaves your savings, wages and home exposed to any claim above the limit. If anything, review whether your limits are high enough; our page on coverage limits and deductibles explains the trade-off.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) pays you when the driver who hits you has no insurance or too little. The Insurance Research Council estimated that 15.4% of U.S. drivers were uninsured in 2023, and 33.4% were uninsured or underinsured. Rejecting it saves a small part of the premium and moves a large risk onto you.

How to trim in one call

List every optional line on your declarations page with its price.
Check for duplicates: motor club, warranty or card roadside benefits, a second car, your health plan.
Check the rules: your state's required coverages and your loan or lease contract.
Check your loan balance against the car's value before you drop gap coverage.
Ask the insurer for the new total and a revised declarations page, and confirm the change date in writing.

Questions drivers ask

Is rental reimbursement worth it?

It helps if you have no other way to get around while your car is in the shop after a covered claim. If you have a second car or could pay for a short rental, it is a common line to drop.

When can I drop gap coverage?

When you owe less on the loan or lease than the car is worth. The CFPB says you can cancel optional add-ons such as gap at any time, and a refund may be due if you sell, refinance or pay off the loan early.

Do I need medical payments coverage if I have health insurance?

Not always. It can help with what your health plan leaves you to pay and covers your passengers, whoever was at fault. Some states, such as Maine and New Hampshire, require it on every policy.

Should I lower my liability limits to save money?

No. Liability pays for harm you cause to others, and a claim above your limit can come out of your own pocket. See coverage limits.

Where the figures come from

Facts on this page were checked against these sources on October 26, 2026. What an add-on costs depends on your insurer; ask for the price of each line before you change it.