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Nerdy takeaways
- When looking for the best umbrella insurance, ask each company what’s covered — and what’s not.
- You may need to boost the limits on your underlying policies before buying umbrella insurance.
- Get quotes from at least three insurers before making a decision.
If you caused a major car accident and the other driver sued you to cover medical costs, would you have enough insurance to pay the damages? In a financially disastrous situation like this one, an umbrella insurance policy could help.
Umbrella insurance offers extra liability coverage beyond the auto or home insurance you already have. But there can be big differences from one umbrella policy to the next, including coverage details and maximum limits. Here’s how to find the best umbrella insurance for you.
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Answer a few questions to see custom quotes and find the right policy for you. How to find the best umbrella insurance
When comparing umbrella insurance options, consider the following questions.
What’s covered?
A standard umbrella insurance policy covers injuries or property damage to others that you might cause. It can also cover your legal defense for such claims. But the nitty-gritty details may vary between policies.
For example, if your idea of a fun vacation is renting a Jet Ski, know that some umbrella insurers won’t cover these kinds of personal watercraft. The best umbrella insurance coverage for you will include your hobbies and other activities.
Many umbrella policies offer coverage anywhere in the world, which could be useful if you often travel overseas. But some policies may limit what they’ll cover abroad.
An independent insurance agent can help talk you through exactly what’s covered and what isn’t by each policy you’re considering.
Check out our umbrella insurance guide to learn more.
How much underlying coverage is required?
Insurers often require a minimum amount of liability insurance on your underlying policies before you can buy umbrella insurance.
For instance, maybe you’d like to add umbrella coverage to your car insurance. Your auto policy may need to have $250,000 of bodily injury liability coverage and $100,000 of property damage liability coverage. To add umbrella coverage to a homeowners policy, you often need $300,000 of liability insurance.
If your existing policies fall short, increasing your coverage limits will likely raise your premiums.
Can you buy your policies from different companies?
Before they sell you an umbrella policy, many insurers require you to carry your auto, homeowners, condo or renters insurance with them, too. However, RLI offers a stand-alone umbrella insurance policy. This means you could carry your auto or homeowners coverage with someone else.
How much coverage should you buy?
Another factor to look at when shopping is the maximum limit a company offers. Most umbrella policies stop at $5 million, but some go higher. Farmers, for instance, offers umbrella insurance up to $10 million in most states. Chubb's umbrella limits go up to $100 million.
When choosing your coverage limit, add up the value of your assets, such as savings, investments and real estate. These are things you could lose if someone filed a lawsuit against you. Consider choosing an umbrella liability limit at least high enough to cover all your assets.
» MORE: How to calculate your net worth
Where to buy umbrella insurance
Many major carriers offer umbrella insurance. A good first step is to call your current auto and home insurer and request an umbrella insurance quote.
If you have coverage with multiple companies, ask how much it would cost to move all your policies to that company, including the new umbrella. See if a bundling discount could reduce the total cost of your premiums.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Take this opportunity to shop around. Since you’re adding new insurance and might be raising limits on existing policies, you may find your current insurer is no longer the best value. We recommend getting quotes from at least three companies before making a decision.
Umbrella insurance companies to consider
Below are some of the major umbrella insurance companies in the U.S., plus details about their coverage limits and eligibility requirements. Keep in mind that smaller regional insurers may also offer solid coverage at an affordable price. A local insurance agent can help you find them.
Amica
| Insurance type | NerdWallet star rating |
|---|---|
| Auto insurance | |
| Homeowners insurance | |
Coverage limits: $1 million to $5 million.
States available: Washington, D.C., and all states except Hawaii.
Eligibility requirements: Requirements vary by state. Generally, your underlying policies must meet the following minimums:
| Home |
|
| Auto |
OR
|
» MORE: Amica home insurance review
Chubb
| Insurance type | NerdWallet star rating |
|---|---|
| Auto insurance | |
| Homeowners insurance | |
Coverage limits: $1 million to $100 million.
States available: All 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Eligibility requirements: Minimum limits for underlying policies vary by state.
Note: Chubb’s policy is technically an excess liability policy, not an umbrella policy.
» MORE: Chubb home insurance review
Farmers
| Insurance type | NerdWallet star rating |
|---|---|
| Auto insurance | |
| Homeowners insurance | |
Coverage limits: $1 million to $10 million in most states.
States available: All states except Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.
Eligibility requirements: Farmers must insure at least one car with bodily injury liability limits of at least $250,000 per person and $500,000 per accident. You can insure your home with any company as long as it has at least $300,000 of liability coverage.
» MORE: Farmers home insurance review
GEICO
| Insurance type | NerdWallet star rating |
|---|---|
| Auto insurance | |
| Homeowners insurance | Not rated |
Coverage limits: $500,000 to $10 million. (Limits above $2 million require additional eligibility requirements.)
States available: Washington, D.C., and all states except California, Nevada, New York and Washington. In the states where GEICO doesn’t currently sell umbrella insurance, it can offer a policy through a partner.
Eligibility requirements: You generally must have all vehicles insured with GEICO and have the following minimum limits on any relevant underlying policies:
| Auto, RV, motorcycle or golf cart |
|
| Property (homeowners, renters, etc.) | $300,000 of liability coverage. |
| Boat (26 feet or longer, or over 50 horsepower) | $300,000 of liability coverage. |
| Boat (under 26 feet with motor of 50 horsepower or less) | $100,000 of liability coverage. |
» MORE: GEICO home insurance review
Liberty Mutual
| Insurance type | NerdWallet star rating |
|---|---|
| Auto insurance | |
| Homeowners insurance | |
Coverage limits: $1 million to $5 million.
States available: All states except California, Georgia, Louisiana and New Jersey. Coverage limits and requirements vary by state.
Eligibility requirements: You generally must have a Liberty Mutual auto policy with at least the limits below, but requirements may vary by state. The other policy types are optional, but if you have any of them, the liability limit must be at least $100,000.
| Auto |
OR
|
| Homeowners, dwelling, watercraft, farmer's personal liability or general personal liability |
|
Nationwide
| Insurance type | NerdWallet star rating |
|---|---|
| Auto insurance | |
| Homeowners insurance | |
Coverage limits: $1 million to $5 million.
States available: Washington, D.C., and all states except Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana and Oklahoma.
Eligibility requirements: Vary by state. In most cases, all vehicles and your primary home must have Nationwide policies with at least the following limits:
| Home |
|
| Auto |
OR
|
» MORE: Nationwide home insurance review
Progressive
| Insurance type | NerdWallet star rating |
|---|---|
| Auto insurance | |
| Homeowners insurance | |
Coverage limits: $1 million to $2 million.
States available: All except Alaska, Hawaii, Wyoming and Washington, D.C.
Eligibility requirements: Vary by state.
USAA
| Insurance type | NerdWallet star rating |
|---|---|
| Auto insurance | |
| Homeowners insurance | |
Coverage limits: $1 million to $5 million, with higher limits available through the USAA Insurance Agency.
States available: All 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Eligibility requirements: USAA membership is open only to veterans, active military, some federal employees and their families. The following limits apply to underlying policies:
| Homeowners, renters or rental property |
|
| Auto |
|
| Watercraft (if applicable) |
|
» MORE: USAA home insurance review
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