Golf carts are an increasingly popular form of transportation that can be used not only on the golf course, but also in other settings such as resorts, communities, parks, and more. Golf carts are convenient and fun, but they also come with some risks and liabilities. If you own or plan to purchase a golf cart, you may want to consider purchasing golf cart insurance to protect you and your golf cart from accidental damage and claims.
What is golf cart insurance?
Golf cart insurance is an insurance product designed specifically for golf carts and can provide the following types of coverage:
- Liability: If you cause bodily injury or property damage to others while driving your golf cart, liability insurance can help cover your liability, including legal fees and court costs.
- Collision: If your golf cart collides with another vehicle, object, or animal, collision coverage can help pay for the cost of repairing or replacing your golf cart.
- All Risks Coverage: If your golf cart suffers non-collision damage such as theft, fire, natural disaster, or broken glass, All Risks Coverage can help pay to repair or replace your golf cart.
- Uninsured or Underinsured Driver Coverage: Uninsured or Underinsured Driver Coverage can help pay for damages if you suffer bodily injury or property damage caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver while driving your golf cart.
- Medical Expenses Coverage: If you or your passenger suffers bodily injury while driving a golf cart, Medical Expenses Coverage can help pay for your medical expenses.
- Accessories and Equipment Insurance: If you have installed some customized accessories and equipment on your golf cart, such as stereos, lights, seats, paint, etc., accessories and equipment insurance can help you protect these valuable investments.
Why do I need golf cart insurance?
Some people may think that golf cart insurance is redundant because they only use their golf carts on private grounds or low-speed roads. However, this idea is wrong because even in these settings, there are many potential risks and liabilities. Here are some of the reasons why golf cart insurance is necessary:
- Legal Requirements: in some states or cities, if you want to use a golf cart on public roads, you must obey local traffic laws and carry at least minimum liability insurance. Otherwise, you may face penalties such as fines, demerit points, or suspension of your driver's license. ¹
- Property Safety: Even if you only use your golf cart on private grounds, you are not completely immune to accidents. Your golf cart could be stolen, vandalized, crashed, or burned. If you don't have golf cart insurance, you could be liable for significant financial losses.
- Personal Protection: golf carts are not fast, but they can cause personal injury. You or your passengers could fall, crash or be thrown from a golf cart. If you don't have golf cart insurance, you could be liable for significant medical expenses.
- Liability: If you cause bodily injury or property damage to others while driving a golf cart, you may be at risk for a claim or lawsuit. If you don't have golf cart insurance, you could be liable for significant damages.
How do I buy golf cart insurance?
Purchasing golf cart insurance is not complicated and only requires the following steps:
- Choose an insurance company: you can choose from a number of insurance companies that offer golf cart insurance, such as Progressive¹, Nationwide², Forbes Advisor³, or Allstate⁴. You can make your choice based on their reputation, price, service and reviews.
- Get a quote: You can get a golf cart insurance quote online or over the phone with just some basic information such as your name, address, contact information, golf cart model, year, and occasion of use.
- Choose coverage: You can choose the coverage that suits your needs and budget, including liability, collision, and full coverage. You can also choose some optional coverage items, such as uninsured or underinsured driver's insurance, medical expenses insurance, accessories and equipment insurance, etc.
- Sign the contract: After confirming the quote and coverage, you can sign the contract and pay accordingly. In general, golf cart insurance is very inexpensive, costing only about $75 a year. ¹ Of course, the exact cost will also depend on the coverage you choose and other factors such as your age, driving record, geographic location, etc.
Summary
Golf cart insurance is a very useful and necessary insurance product that can provide comprehensive and effective protection for you and your golf cart. Whether you use your golf cart on public roads or private grounds, you should consider purchasing golf cart insurance to avoid unnecessary risks and liabilities in the event of an accident. Purchasing golf cart insurance is also very easy and inexpensive, all you need to do is to choose a reliable insurance company and select the coverage that suits your needs and budget.
