Updated July 2026
What Is Full Coverage Car Insurance Insurance?
Full coverage combines North Dakota's mandatory liability insurance with optional collision and comprehensive coverage. Liability pays for damage you cause to others — North Dakota requires $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage. Collision covers your vehicle in crashes regardless of fault. Comprehensive covers non-collision damage like theft, hail, or hitting a deer. Most lenders require both collision and comprehensive until you pay off your loan.
- You slide through a stop sign in Fargo and hit another car. The other driver has $4,200 in vehicle damage and $8,000 in medical bills. Your liability coverage pays both claims because they fall under North Dakota's minimums. Your collision coverage pays to repair your own vehicle minus your deductible. Without collision, you pay out of pocket to fix your car even though your lender requires coverage.
- A summer storm drops golf-ball-sized hail across Bismarck, causing $3,400 in damage to your vehicle. Comprehensive coverage pays the repair cost minus your deductible — if you carry a $500 deductible, you receive $2,900. Liability-only policies do not cover weather damage to your own vehicle. If you financed the vehicle, your lender will demand proof of comprehensive coverage and may force-place expensive coverage if you drop it.
- You hit a deer on Highway 2 near Minot, causing $5,600 in front-end damage. Comprehensive coverage pays the claim minus your deductible because animal strikes fall under comprehensive, not collision. If you carry liability and collision but dropped comprehensive to save money, you pay the full $5,600. North Dakota has one of the highest deer-collision rates in the country — comprehensive is not optional for most drivers.
Who Needs Full Coverage Car Insurance Insurance?
You need full coverage if you financed or leased your vehicle — your lender requires it and will force-place expensive coverage if you drop it. You should carry it if your vehicle is worth more than $4,000 and you cannot afford to replace it out of pocket after a total loss. You benefit from it if you live in an area with frequent hail, high deer-collision rates, or elevated theft risk.
Calculate your vehicle's actual cash value using Kelley Blue Book or NADA. Add your annual collision and comprehensive premiums plus your deductible. If that total exceeds 50 percent of your vehicle's value, dropping physical-damage coverage and banking the premium difference makes financial sense unless your lender requires it or you cannot absorb a total loss.
How Much Does Full Coverage Car Insurance Insurance Cost?
Full coverage in North Dakota typically adds $85 to $160 per month compared to liability-only policies, depending on your vehicle value, deductibles, and driving record.
- Vehicle value — newer or more expensive vehicles cost more to insure because collision and comprehensive pay actual cash value at the time of loss.
- Deductible selection — choosing a $1,000 deductible instead of $500 lowers your premium by 15 to 25 percent but increases your out-of-pocket cost per claim.
- Driving record — at-fault accidents and speeding tickets raise collision premiums more than comprehensive premiums because they predict future collision risk.
- Garaging location — Fargo and Grand Forks have higher comprehensive rates due to hail frequency and theft rates compared to rural counties.
- Loan or lease status — lenders require collision and comprehensive, and some require lower deductibles, which raises premiums.
- Credit-based insurance score — North Dakota allows carriers to use credit history in pricing, and full coverage premiums are more sensitive to credit than liability-only policies.