Scottsdale, Arizona
An agent who can tell you if your carrier is still the right one
An agent at one company can quote you that company. That is a useful thing, and it is not the same as knowing whether you are being charged fairly. Sullivan James is independent — the comparison runs across more than thirty carriers.
Scottsdale-based, writing Arizona auto since 2016.
Have my policy reviewedThe legal floor
25 / 50 / 15 is a minimum, not a plan
Arizona requires $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 per accident, and $15,000 for property damage, under A.R.S. §28-4009, for policies issued or renewed on or after 1 July 2020.
Now hold that against reality. $15,000 of property damage does not replace a late-model vehicle. A single emergency admission can pass $25,000 before anyone has discussed a settlement. The state minimum keeps you legal on the road; it does not keep you whole after a bad afternoon.
Raising liability limits is usually one of the cheapest changes on the whole policy. Most people are surprised by how little the next tier costs.
And the other driver's minimum is your problem
If someone carrying the state minimum injures you badly, their limit is what exists — no matter what your treatment actually costs. The gap does not fall on them. It falls on you.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is what closes it. It is one of the least expensive coverages on the policy relative to what it does, and it is the one people most often discover they declined years ago without registering it.
What's on the policy
Six coverages, plainly
Liability
What pays for the harm you cause. Arizona's 25/50/15 floor is genuinely low against modern repair and medical costs — this is the limit most worth raising.
Uninsured / underinsured motorist
Pays when the other driver has nothing, or has the minimum against an injury worth far more. Inexpensive for what it does.
Collision and comprehensive
Your own vehicle, from a collision and from everything else — hail, theft, a rock through the windscreen, a monsoon that drops a tree on it.
Medical payments
Covers your own passengers' medical bills regardless of fault, which keeps small injuries out of a liability fight.
Rental and roadside
Small line items that decide whether a claim is an inconvenience or a fortnight without a car.
Umbrella
Sits above the auto and home liability limits. If you have assets, a pool, or a young driver, this is usually the cheapest protection per dollar you can buy.
Questions
What Scottsdale drivers actually ask
What is the minimum car insurance required in Arizona?
Arizona requires 25/50/15 — $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident, and $15,000 property damage per accident. Those limits apply to policies issued or renewed on or after 1 July 2020, under A.R.S. section 28-4009. They are a legal floor, not a recommendation: a single hospital stay or a newer vehicle will exceed them easily.
Why did my car insurance go up when I didn't do anything?
Because the premium is priced on the pool, not only on you. Repair costs, the price of parts and labour, medical costs and the reinsurance your carrier buys all move rates for drivers with clean records. It is the most common reason people re-shop, and it is not a judgement about your driving.
Should I carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage?
In almost every case, yes. It is the coverage that pays when the driver who hit you carries nothing, or carries the state minimum against an injury worth many times that. It is usually inexpensive relative to what it does, and it is the coverage people most regret declining.
Does adding a teenage driver really change the premium that much?
Yes, and it is one of the best reasons to re-shop rather than simply accept the new figure. Carriers price young drivers very differently from one another, and good-student and driver-training discounts are not applied consistently. The same household can see materially different numbers across carriers.
Is it cheaper to bundle home and auto?
Often, but not always, and the bundle discount is sometimes smaller than the difference between two carriers on the auto alone. That is worth actually checking rather than assuming, which is the advantage of comparing across companies instead of within one.
What is the difference between an independent agency and a State Farm or Allstate agent?
A captive agent represents one company and quotes that company's product. An independent agency holds appointments with many carriers and compares them. Both are legitimate; they answer different questions. If you want to know whether your current company is still competitive, only one of the two can tell you.
Premium already gone up? Here is what actually brings it back down.
Find out where you actually stand
Send the declarations page. You hear the findings within 48 hours — limits, gaps, and whether your carrier is still competitive — with the signed letter in the post after. Free, no obligation to move anything.
Request your coverage auditOr call (480) 382-7332.