Speak to a Licensed Sales Agent!
Our customers save $693 on average when they bundle their home and auto insurance policies.
SelectQuote shops and compares home and auto insurance rates from dozens of our trusted carriers to find you the lowest price.
Home Insurance and Car Insurance in Delaware
From Dover to Wilmington, life in Delaware is idyllic and peaceful. With lots of scenic beauty, low taxes, and affordable housing, there’s a lot to love about the First State. For Delaware residents who want to protect their investments in their homes or vehicles, it’s essential to buy insurance coverage that meets their needs.
Whether you’re shopping for coverage for your first home or car or simply want to find a more affordable rate for your home and auto coverage, SelectQuote can help. In this guide, we’ll walk through some of the basic information you need to know about home and auto insurance in Delaware, including how you can save hundreds of dollars with bundled insurance policies through SelectQuote.
Homeowners Insurance in Delaware
Buying home insurance isn’t a legal requirement for Delaware homeowners, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. When you buy home insurance, you’re protecting your investment. A homeowners policy helps pay the costs related to repairs or replacement for your property. Without it, you could be responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs.
Most home insurance policies come in one of two varieties: actual replacement cost and current cash value. Replacement cost policies can be more expensive, but they tend to be more comprehensive and pay the full cost of repairing or replacing your home or property, regardless of depreciation. Cash value home insurance policies simply pay up to your coverage limit.
Homeowners Insurance Coverage Options in Delaware
Outside of cash value or replacement cost limits, most standard Delaware home insurance policies usually include the following types of insurance coverage:
- Dwelling coverage is a standard policy that covers your home’s actual physical structure, including any attached garages.
- Other structures coverage protects detached structures, such as pole barns or sheds.
- Personal property coverage works to cover household belongings. If it’s inside or outside your home, it’s covered.
- Loss of use coverage helps pay the costs of a hotel stay or other lodging if your house is rendered uninhabitable by a covered loss.
- Guest medical protection coverage pays for medical bills for those who are injured on your property, regardless of who was at fault.
Common Causes of Loss in Delaware
The First State is no stranger to storms, including hurricanes and nor’easters, which make wind and hail a frequent source of insurance claims. Fire and lightning are also common culprits, which can lead to thousands of dollars in costly repairs. And don’t forget about non-weather-related causes of loss like theft and vandalism. Stolen property isn’t limited to what’s inside your house—it can also include items left outside or in garages or sheds.
Additional Coverage Options Recommended for Delaware Homeowners
Carefully check your Delaware home insurance policy for coverage gaps or exclusions. Depending on where you live in the First State, you may need to pay additional amounts for extra coverage or purchase separate insurance entirely. Some additional coverage you may need to buy for your home insurance can include the following:
- Flood insurance coverage: Because most home insurance policies don’t cover flooding, you may want to buy a separate policy from your insurer or the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
- Wind and hail coverage: Wind and hail coverage protects your home and belongings after damage due to heavy winds, and it can help replace or repair your roof after a hail storm.
- Water backup coverage: Many home insurance policies don’t cover backed-up drains or sewer lines. Adding this coverage ensures you won’t be responsible for paying the full price of repairs due to these issues.
- Seepage and leakage coverage: This insurance pays for damage that occurs due to slow leaks or seepage from foundation cracks.
Our Home Insurance Companies in Delaware
SelectQuote only works with highly rated insurance carriers in Delaware and every other state. What makes an insurance company a good fit? Excellent customer service, financial stability, and policies that actually protect what you want them to. Our partner home and auto insurance companies offer competitive rates for home insurance, whether you buy other policies with them or not.
What is the average home insurance cost in Delaware?
The average monthly premium for SelectQuote customers in Delaware is $74.94,+ but your costs will likely vary based on many factors. These include:
- The age and value of your home
- Your coverage limits
- Your deductible
- Your address
- Your credit rating
- Additional coverage you purchase
- Applicable discounts
Homeowners Insurance Discounts in Delaware
What discounts are available to Delaware homeowners? You have several options. Many insurance companies offer significant savings for things like home security system installations, customer loyalty, new home purchases or builds, and filing few or no claims over time. However, one of the biggest discounts involves bundling your home and auto insurance coverage together under one policy. SelectQuote customers save an average of nearly $700 annually when they bundle their home and auto policies with SelectQuote.
Bundle Your Home and Auto Insurance to Save Money
When you bundle home and auto coverage, you can save hundreds of dollars per year. Bundling your policies together has never been easier, especially when you shop for insurance with SelectQuote. We compare bundled rates from several carriers at once to find a policy that gives you the coverage you need at the best possible price.
Average Home and Auto Insurance Rates in Delaware
The following table displays the average home and auto insurance rate you can expect to pay in Delaware, especially if you shop for coverage with SelectQuote. Notice the significant savings you can enjoy by bundling your home and auto policy with one carrier.
| Avg. Monthly Home Insurance Rate | Avg. Monthly Auto Insurance Rate | Avg. Monthly Rate of Bundled Policies |
| $74.94 | $343.34 | $148.24 |
Average monthly rates are from effective SelectQuote customer policies between 4/1/2022 and 3/31/2023.
Auto Insurance in Delaware
According to Statista, nearly 178,000 vehicles were registered in the state of Delaware in 2021.1 For the over 800,000 drivers in the state, it’s important to understand that auto insurance isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s a legal necessity.
Buying car insurance in Delaware doesn’t have to be a hassle, no matter whether you need minimum legal coverage or a full coverage policy that helps repair or replace your vehicle no matter what kind of accident or damage occurs. Let’s walk through the basics of buying car insurance in Delaware, from required legal coverage to how insurance impacts your ability to register your vehicle.
Delaware Auto Insurance Laws and Requirements
Delaware car insurance requirements generally match those of other states. State law mandates that all drivers carry minimum legal coverage to operate and register a vehicle. This coverage, known as liability coverage, helps pay for damages you cause in a car accident. Delaware also requires all drivers to carry personal injury protection coverage with a minimum limit of $15,000. It covers medical costs, plus lost wages and death benefits.
Even though it’s possible to purchase only the mandatory coverage, you may want to consider purchasing additional insurance. The following types of auto insurance coverage are usually grouped together as “full coverage.”
- Liability insurance pays for damages you cause in an accident where you’re at fault. It can also pay for medical bills incurred by the other driver or their passengers. Delaware requires all drivers to have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person in any one accident and a maximum of $50,000 per two or more people. You must also carry $10,000 worth of property damage liability insurance. Many people purchase more than the minimum legal coverage.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is not a requirement in Delaware, but most carriers offer it. It helps pay for injuries or damages to you or your vehicle if you’re involved in an accident with someone who isn’t adequately insured.
- Personal injury protection insurance pays for injuries to or the death of passengers in your car in the event of an accident.
- Collision coverage pays for damages to your vehicle that are caused as a result of a collision with another vehicle or object. If you’re leasing or financing a vehicle, your lender typically requires it.
- Comprehensive coverage pays for repairs or replacement of your vehicle if it’s damaged due to events that aren’t covered by collision coverage. It includes things like theft, vandalism, fire, natural disasters, falling objects, animals, and riots. It can also help pay for glass damage. Most lenders require it as a condition of vehicle financing.
- Gap insurance pays the difference between what your car is currently worth and what you currently owe. It’s often a requirement for leasing or financing a vehicle.
| Types of Coverage | Minimum State Requires |
| Bodily Injury Liability | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
| Property Damage Liability | $10,000 per accident |
| Uninsured Motorist | Not required |
| Underinsured Motorist | Not required |
| Personal Injury Protection | $15,000 |
| Collision | Not required |
| Comprehensive | Not required |
| Gap Insurance | Not required |
Delaware Teen Driving Laws
Like many other states, Delaware offers a Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) system for teen drivers who are 16 years old. The GDL laws in the First State place restrictions on young drivers that are similar to other states, including requiring them to be supervised by a parent or other responsible adult for their first year driving. There are also limits on nighttime driving, the number of passengers allowed, distractions, and more.
This law helps reduce the number of car accidents involving teens. While that’s great for safety, it can have the added benefit of reducing car insurance costs for families with teen drivers.
Delaware Car Registration Information
Registering your vehicle in Delaware is a generally straightforward process. You must renew your registration up to 90 days prior to its expiration date. If your vehicle is from the six newest model years and weighs less than 10,000 pounds, it’s not subject to an inspection. Other vehicles receive two-year renewals with passing inspection. You must provide proof of valid liability insurance and odometer readings prior to renewal.
What is the average car insurance cost in Delaware?
Among current SelectQuote customers, the average monthly premium for car insurance customers is $343.34.+ Of course, your policy’s price could vary based on many factors, including the make and model of your vehicle, where you live, annual mileage, driving history, applicable discounts (including bundled coverage), and other information.
Our Car Insurance Companies in Delaware
SelectQuote partners with highly rated carriers in every state, including Delaware. When you shop for auto insurance coverage in Delaware, you can trust that we’ll connect you with some of the most reputable insurance companies available.
Home and Auto Insurance Frequently Asked Questions
As with many other states, buying home and auto insurance coverage in Delaware may cause you to have some questions. The following questions are some of the most common ones we hear when helping people like you shop for insurance coverage.
Is Delaware a no-fault state for car insurance?
Delaware is not a no-fault state for car insurance. Instead, it operates under the “at-fault” system, where the driver determined to be at fault for an accident is responsible for any damages caused. Delaware does, however, require drivers to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance, which pays for your own medical expenses after a car accident, regardless of who is at fault.2
Do I need flood insurance in Delaware?
Flood insurance isn’t a legal requirement in Delaware, and it’s not typically included in most homeowners insurance policies anyway. That said, your mortgage lender may require you to purchase it as a condition of your home loan, especially if you live in an area that’s prone to flooding. You can usually buy flood insurance as a separate policy endorsement from your current home insurance company. If they don’t offer it, you can shop for coverage through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
What are some of Delaware’s homeowners insurance laws?
Delaware has multiple home insurance laws that are designed to protect homeowners and ensure fair treatment by insurance companies. A few of the standout laws you should be aware of include the following:
- Nonrenewal of policy: According to Delaware Code Title 18, Chapter 41, insurers cannot refuse to renew your policy based on certain conditions, such as claims due to weather.
- Consumer rights: Insurance companies and employees are required to be fair, reasonable, and adhere to all state laws and regulations. That includes conducting timely, thorough, and unbiased investigations of reported claims.
- Readability requirements: Delaware’s Administrative Code requires that all insurance policies meet basic readability requirements, ensuring that terms and conditions are easily understandable by the average policyholder.3
Do I need mobile home insurance in Delaware?
While mobile home insurance is not legally required in Delaware, you’ll likely need it as a requirement for both mortgage companies and mobile home parks. This coverage is often comparable to that of traditional homeowners insurance policies, with a few caveats. Mobile homes are often at greater risk of damage from fire and wind than stick-built homes, which could lead to differences in coverage.
SelectQuote Can Shop Delaware Home and Auto Insurance to Save You Time and Money
Whether you’re trying to find a new home and auto policy to save money or simply want to bundle your existing coverage together, SelectQuote can help. We help thousands of insurance shoppers in Delaware and other states find affordable insurance by comparing rates from several companies at once. Find the policy that best fits your unique needs and budget today!
Sources:
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/196010/total-number-of-registered-automobiles-in-the-us-by-state/
- https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/delaware-car-insurance-requirements.html
- https://regulations.justia.com/states/delaware/title-18/700/
We do the shopping. You do the saving.
