There really is no average death payout or death benefit on auto insurance policies because it really depends upon the types of coverages you have on your policy as to what, if any, death benefit you would have if you or others insured on your car insurance policy should die from injuries sustained in a car accident.

If you have a basic car insurance policy with only Liability coverages of Bodily Injury and Property Damage than you would not normally have any type of death benefit payout if you were at fault in an accident that resulted in your death and your family was looking to make a first party claim. If the other party was at fault then the death benefit would be through the at-fault party's Bodily Injury coverages (a third party claim) and would depend upon their limits.

If you have Accidental Death Benefit (ADB or ADD) on your policy as part of your optional coverages than it would payout, according to the terms of your policy, if bodily injury causes the death of you or a covered family member. The payout amount would be dependent upon the limits of your ADB.

If you live in a no-fault state than your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverages typically come with a death benefit. For example in Florida the usual PIP policy has a $5000 death benefit payout. In New York the normal PIP coverage has a $2,000 death benefit (in addition to the $50,000 basic No-Fault limit), payable to the estate of a person eligible for No-Fault benefits who is killed in a motor vehicle accident.

Medical Payment (MedPay) coverage, usually an optional coverage, may also come with a death benefit or may cover funeral expenses.

If you want to make sure you have coverage for death resulting from a motor vehicle accident you should read through your policy and discuss any questions you have about a death payout with your agent. Also your state's insurance regulator can give you information on your state's laws and which coverages your state insurers can offer that include death benefits for injuries sustained in an auto accident.

You may decide that you need to add Accidental Death Benefit to your current coverages. As we mentioned earlier this is a supplementary life insurance policy benefit that provides a death benefit in addition to the policy’s basic death benefit if the insured’s death occurs as the result of an accident.