Squirrels have no respect for German engineering...
That made me laugh, but it’s true—nature doesn’t care what badge is on your hood. I agree that accident forgiveness sounds appealing, but with premiums already sky-high for luxury models, the math rarely works out unless you’re squeaky clean on your record. One fender bender and rates can still jump, even with forgiveness. Honestly, I’d rather put that extra money toward comprehensive coverage or higher liability limits. Peace of mind matters more to me than a “get out of jail free” card that might not even apply when you need it most.
You hit the nail on the head about peace of mind. Accident forgiveness always sounded good on paper to me, but I’ve never been convinced it’s worth the premium, especially if you’re already paying more for a higher-end car. My own approach has been to beef up comprehensive and liability too—feels like a better safeguard, especially with the unpredictable stuff (like, yeah, squirrels). I wouldn’t say accident forgiveness is a total waste, but it’s not the magic bullet some ads make it out to be.
I get where you’re coming from—accident forgiveness sounds like a comfort, but I’ve always felt it’s more of a “nice to have” than a must. With my old ‘72 Chevelle, I put my focus on comprehensive and liability too. Those random things—hail, tree branches, or, yeah, the infamous squirrel situation—are what have actually cost me in the past.
One thing I do wonder about is how much accident forgiveness actually helps if you’ve got a spotless record already. If you’re not prone to fender benders, is it really giving you anything extra? On the flip side, I’ve heard some folks say it saved their rates after a minor parking lot scrape. Maybe it depends on the insurer or even the area in Ohio? Curious if anyone’s had their premium jump after a first accident without forgiveness... or if it was just a small bump.
I used to think the same way—why pay extra for something you might never use? But after I got dinged for a rear-end in Columbus (my fault, yeah), my premium shot up almost $60/month.
For me, it wasn’t a small bump—it was brutal. Feels like if you’re not squeaky clean, that “nice to have” turns into a wallet-saver real quick. Guess it depends on how much risk you’re willing to roll with, but in my case, I wish I’d had it.“Curious if anyone’s had their premium jump after a first accident without forgiveness... or if it was just a small bump.”
That’s rough, $60 a month is a serious jump. I get what you mean about not wanting to pay for something you might never need, but after seeing how fast rates climb, I lean toward playing it safe. Even careful drivers have off days—one mistake and the cost adds up for years. It stings paying extra upfront, but honestly, peace of mind is worth it for me.
