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Independent auto insurance for Tempe, AZ — ASU undergraduates through commuter families through HNW multi-vehicle households. From our Tempe office.

Tempe auto coverage isn’t a one-size-fits-all product. The 18-year-old ASU undergraduate driving a 10-year-old Honda Civic, the Warner Ranch family with two SUVs and a teen learner, and the Maple-Ash HNW household with a daily driver plus a weekend Porsche all need different coverage stacks. Hicks Insurance Group is independent — we shop 14+ carriers to find the right policy for the right Tempe driver.

This page goes coverage-by-coverage through what an auto policy actually does, with Arizona-specific rules and Tempe-specific traffic risks. For the parent overview of all Tempe insurance services, see Tempe Insurance.

Bodily Injury Liability — The Most Important Coverage

Pays third-party bodily-injury claims (medical bills, lost wages, pain & suffering) when you’re at fault.

• Arizona state minimum: 25/50/15 — that’s $25K per person / $50K per accident / $15K property damage.
• State minimum is dangerously low for any Tempe driver. A single Loop 101 accident with serious injuries blows through $50K in hours.
• Recommended floor: 100/300/100 with matching uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM).
• HNW recommendation: 250/500/250 or $1M combined single limit (CSL) — paired with an umbrella policy on top.

Tempe-specific reasons to go above minimums:

• Mill Avenue district pedestrian density (highest in metro outside Old Town Scottsdale)
• US-60 / Loop 101 / Loop 202 high-density commuter freeways
• ASU undergraduate-driver density on parental policies
• Multi-vehicle households common in Warner Ranch / North Tempe

Property Damage Liability

Pays third-party property damage (their car, their fence, the streetlight) when you’re at fault.

• AZ minimum is $15K — wholly inadequate for newer vehicles. Recommended: $100K floor.

Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Pays YOUR injuries when an at-fault driver has no insurance or insufficient coverage.

• Arizona has high UM/UIM relevance — significant uninsured-driver population. AZ allows UM/UIM stacking across vehicles in some cases (consult your policy).
• Match liability: if you carry 100/300 BI, match it with 100/300 UM/UIM.
• HNW: stack across all household vehicles where carrier permits.

Comprehensive (Comp) — Non-Collision Damage

Theft, vandalism, hail, monsoon flooding, animal collision, fire, falling-object damage, glass breakage.

• Tempe weather realities: monsoon hailstorms can total a vehicle. Comp coverage is essential for any vehicle worth $5K+.
• Deductibles: $500 standard; $1,000 saves premium meaningfully; $250 for newer vehicles is sometimes worth it.
• Glass coverage: AZ-specific — many carriers include zero-deductible windshield repair given AZ’s gravel-road / haboob debris reality.

Collision

Damage to YOUR vehicle when you hit another vehicle or object (regardless of fault).

• Required by lenders on financed vehicles.
• Optional for older paid-off vehicles — if your car’s market value is under $3K–$4K, dropping collision can save meaningful premium.
• Deductibles: same $500 / $1,000 trade-off as comp.

Gap Coverage (Loan/Lease Payoff)

Pays the difference between what you owe on the vehicle and its market value if it’s totaled.

• Critical for new vehicles in the first 2–3 years when depreciation drops market value below loan balance.
• Often available for $30–$60/year through your auto carrier; sometimes cheaper than dealer-finance gap.

Optional add-ons that often matter for Tempe

Rideshare endorsement. Phoenix metro is a major Uber / Lyft / DoorDash market. Standard auto policies exclude rideshare; without an endorsement, claims while driving for Uber are denied. AZ carriers offer rideshare endorsements for $5–$20/month.

Rental reimbursement. Pays for a rental car while yours is in the shop after a covered loss. Standard $30/day, $900 max is fine for most; HNW households often want $100+/day, $3,000+ max for like-vehicle rental.

Roadside assistance + towing. Often $5–$15/year add-on. AZ heat means batteries die, tires blow on hot pavement — worth having.

OEM-parts requirement. Standard policies allow aftermarket parts in repair; HNW carrier policies guarantee OEM parts. Matters for late-model luxury vehicles.

Diminished-value coverage. Pays for the loss in resale value of your vehicle after a covered repair. Excluded by default; available on HNW policies.

Teen drivers (ASU territory)

Tempe is ASU’s home. Adding a teen driver to an existing policy in Tempe typically increases premium 50–100%. Carriers vary substantially:

• Some carriers price teens aggressively; we re-shop specifically when a teen joins.
• Multi-policy bundles + good-student discounts + driver-training discounts often offset 30–50% of teen premium.
• For ASU students living off-campus (Tempe South + ASU peripheral neighborhoods), some carriers offer “away from home” discounts when the student is at college 100+ miles away (not applicable to Tempe-resident parents).

What we shop for Tempe drivers

We compare:

• Standard top-tier (State Farm, Progressive, GEICO via independent channels, Travelers)
• HNW carriers for multi-vehicle / classic / exotic households (Chubb, AIG PC)
• AZ-specialty carriers with monsoon / hailstorm / haboob underwriting fluency
• Rideshare-friendly carriers for Phoenix metro Uber/Lyft drivers

You get one quote sheet, not three carrier pitches.

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