Should I Stay or Go?

As we end the year to spend time with family and friends, often pondering what we are doing next year — maybe that mental exercise finds its way to the insurance question: who, how much, and why?

"Should I Stay or Go?" (by the Clash) may start playing in your mind as you mull over the options. That is the question — but will the quote you receive be reflective of all that you are surrendering with the old company, or just show a lower price because you shared your coverages and told the agent you thought the current policy was too expensive? Careful what you ask for, as that may be all that you receive — a lower cost for less coverage.

What Your Renewal Notice Actually Says

Here is what our renewal notice states on the first page:

Continue enjoying great savings and safe driving rewards

We're pleased to offer to renew your automobile policy with Your Choice Auto® Gold Protection for another six months, so you can continue enjoying extra savings and safe driving rewards, including Safe Driving Deductible Reward and Enhanced Accident Forgiveness.

Renewing your policy is easy — when you receive your bill, just send your payment by the due date. And if you're enrolled in Allstate® Easy Pay Plan*, we'll send you your payment withdrawal schedule. (Not enrolled? Call your Allstate Agent to sign up!)

Please give your Allstate Agent a call at (360) 647-1662 if you have any questions. It's our pleasure to keep you in good hands.

Amazingly, when I receive communication that an insured will be moving their business to another vendor, they have no idea necessarily that the new provider is not offering the bolded benefits above.

If you are enjoying safe driving rewards — a credit dollar amount for being a good driver — that may be instead of Drivewise, or in addition to it for some AFCIC pool members. If you have the Gold or Platinum package with your auto, then you have it likely plus the deductible rewards up to $500.

The Auto Replacement Endorsement — Read This Three Times

Additionally, if you have the Auto Replacement Endorsement, Allstate may be protecting the retail cost to replace your vehicle.

Read that bolded phrase three times perhaps to have it sink in. The Auto Replacement Endorsement provides the dollar amount for a vehicle model like yours — one year newer with 15,000 fewer miles — instead of the totality value provided by a third party that many carriers use to come up with the impartial value to pay you for a totaled vehicle (including us, if you do not have the Auto Replacement Endorsement, as your vehicle may be too old to qualify).

If you have never had a car totaled, you may not know how "off" that can look.

In June we had a customer with a 2025 Subaru that was totaled in a weather event beyond the cost allowed to repair it. The customer paid approximately $35,000 for the vehicle that — after 3 months and less than 5,000 miles — was totaled for a number just north of $32,000.

(Many of us have heard or been warned that the minute you drive the vehicle off the lot it goes down 10% in value, and having spent a few years around the car industry there is certainly some merit to that statement.)

The actual amount received by the customer, as they had the Auto Replacement Endorsement, was over $40,000 — as we used the MSRP for the 2026 model that was just coming out.

How about Kari, my staff agent, who received a totality value of some $6,300 for her Ford Escape — that after the Auto Replacement Endorsement was calculated at the market retail value of $9,500, she received $9,500. One year newer and 15,000 miles fewer were the only considerations at work.

A Real-World Example Right Now

Today I received a cancellation notice from a customer who is driving two cars — one is a 2013 Toyota Highlander. The trade-in value and the totality value from my experience seem to be a similar number. The retail average of her vehicle is $9,900 with a $7,700 trade-in according to Kelley Blue Book. Interestingly, the 2014 of the same model — from the first four listings I could find between Bellingham and Renton — were over $14,000. That could be several thousand dollars in value for a $10.00 extra cost every six months should the vehicle be totaled in an accident.

You are probably thinking: what is the likelihood the damage repair costs are $8,000? Honestly, I can tell you that it is probably a coin toss based on how much estimates have been that we are seeing from customers — even with low-speed impact run-ins just in a parking lot. More than a 20 mph impact is faring worse from what we are seeing. Google suggests $4,000–$15,000 for more severe repairs. One labor hour in a body shop runs $110 in Mississippi to $180/hr. in California. Adds up fast.

What a Full Allstate Policy Actually Covers

This is an example of what you have for coverages on a vehicle with Allstate — be sure to compare all listed items to whatever another outfit is saying they will do for you:

Coverage detail for 2013 Toyota Highlander

Coverage	Limits	Deductible
Bodily Injury Liability	$250,000 per person / $500,000 per occurrence	Not applicable
Property Damage Liability	$100,000 per occurrence	Not applicable
Auto Collision	Actual cash value	$1,000 (Safe Driving Deductible Reward — up to $500 reduction available)
Auto Comprehensive	Actual cash value	$1,000
Roadside Coverage	$100	Not applicable
Transportation Expense	Up to $30/day for 30 days	Not applicable
Underinsured Motorists (Bodily Injury)	$250,000 per person / $500,000 per accident	Not applicable
Auto Replacement Protection	Included	Not applicable
Personal Injury Protection — Medical & Hospital	$35,000 per person	—
PIP — Income Continuation	$35,000 / $700 per week	—
PIP — Loss of Services	$14,600 / $40 per day	—
PIP — Funeral Expense	$3,500 per person	—

The Auto Replacement Endorsement is the best reason — besides Accident Forgiveness — to do business with Allstate in my opinion. If it is important to you to learn if it's right for you, please call to discuss. Your policy may be eligible for either the 15-year or newer 7-year option.

The Audi Story — A Cautionary Tale

Recently, an owner of a 2020 Audi S7 who paid $84,895 new had left Allstate — with the Auto Replacement Endorsement on his policy — to go to a new vendor who told him the new carrier had the same benefit available.

This is a rare car. In a nationwide search for the 2021 model with 15,000 fewer miles, only 8 appear for sale today — from $40,995 to $53,728.

This insured Audi owner moved, assured by the insurance professional of its availability. Less than two years after leaving Allstate, the car was totaled in an accident and he was offered less than $40,000 for its totality in 2025.

According to the insured, when he asked the agent about the Auto Replacement Endorsement, he was told that the agent forgot to add it. He called me after he found out that the other carrier has not — two years ago or now — offered the endorsement.

No one needs that kind of savings opportunity or unintended Mayhem.

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Remember: no agent trying to get your business is going to start by asking what other options you might have that they cannot see from the renewal documents. Even less likely to ask you if you are OK without the Gold package, the deductible rewards that took you five years to get to $500, the accident forgiveness protecting you from increases based on at-fault accidents — and likely to avoid discussing the Auto Replacement Endorsement since they probably do not offer one.

Happy Holidays! We look forward to providing only the best options for you.

Dennis Kaiser

360-746-7785 office direct 360-647-1662 main number office