Liability auto insurance is required in nearly every state but what is liability auto insurance? If you cause an accident, liability insurance helps cover the expenses for which you are held responsible. These expenses can include bodily injury coverage and property damage coverage. Basically, liability insurance pays for damage you do to other people or to property in an accident.

Most liability auto insurance policies have limits as to how much they will cover. For example, if you hit someone and they need medical care, your policy may cover this care up to a certain dollar amount only. You will be held financially responsible for any expenses which go over your liability coverage limits. Keep in mind, though, that liability insurance covers injuries that you inflict upon others, it does not cover your own injuries.

Remember, it’s very easy to do thousands of dollars in damage in only a slight fender bender. It all depends on what you hit. Imagine you accidentally drove through a jewelry store’s plate glass window or accidentally hit a Bentley. You could do hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage. It makes sense to purchase the highest dollar value liability auto insurance coverage you can comfortably afford. Comparing multiple quotes online will help you locate the insurer who offers the most liability insurance for the least amount of money.

Review

The Vauxhall Astra is a good all-rounder that’s sharply styled and easy to live with. It’s not the most exciting or involving car to drive but it’s safe and composed with good road manners while there’s a wide range of strong diesel and petrol engines. The interior is well finished too with good quality materials but unfortunately the layout isn’t particularly good with some of the buttons and controls in awkward places. The boot is cramped too – especially when compared to other hatchbacks. But with plenty on the used market and abundance in car supermarkets, there’s no need to pay over-the-odds for one. This car can be bought using van lease hire as well.

Performance

The wide range of engines is kicked off by the 90bhp 1.4-litre model. With a 0-62mph time of 12.8 seconds, it’s acceptable for buyers who spend most of their time in town and fuel consumption is a useful 44mpg; however it’s outclassed on the motorway. The 1.6-litre offers similar performance but better punch while the 1.8-litre has 140bhp and offers more than enough performance for most. Two turbocharged 2.0-litre offerings – with either 170bhp or 200bhp – give Astra the punch to take on hot hatches while ultimate performance comes from the 2.0T VXR with 240bhp, which is covered in a separate review. The 2.0T was replaced by a 180bhp turbocharged 1.6-litre in late 2006 and the non-turbocharged 1.6-litre went from 105bhp to 115bhp. All models can be bought via van leasing or van contract hire.

Other versions

There’s an equally strong diesel choice too with no fewer than three engine sizes and five power outputs – all of which deliver good economy. The 1.3 CDTi (from mid-2005) has 90bhp and although it can feel stressed at times, it returns a good 58mpg. The 1.7 CDTi isn’t a particularly refined engine, it’s available with 80bhp or 100bhp but the 1.9 CDTi is smoother and more powerful – plus with 120bhp and 150bhp it’s as fast as the petrol models. Our choice would be the 150bhp version of the 1.9CDTi which offers strong performance but will return 50mpg (identical to the 120bhp version). In late 2008 an Eco FLEX model which can be bought using van leasing with a 1.7 CDTi engine was introduced. This has 110bhp – 10bhp more than the standard 1.7-litre diesel, and yet thanks to engine management tweaks, emits 119g/km of CO2 and averages 63mpg.

Handling

Thanks to good body control through bends and decent composure on country lanes the Astra is safe and predictable to drive. But it’s fair to say that the Vauxhall isn’t the most exciting family hatchback around – there are faults, such as the steering, which lacks feel and suffers from kickback over rough roads while the sometimes reluctant gearshift is another gripe. Overall it lacks the precision and agility of the class best. Sporty SXi and SRi models have lowered suspension and quicker steering which improves things somewhat and whichever model you go for, all ride well. For trading purposes, we recommend you buy this car using van leasing companiesor van contract hire.