If your car is damaged or stolen in an incident other than an accident, comprehensive insurance can assist cover the cost of replacement or repair. Comprehensive coverage, sometimes known as “other than collision,” typically pays for damage caused by fire, vandalism, or falling objects (like a tree or hail). Your lender probably requires complete coverage if you’re financing or leasing your car. It’s optional coverage on your auto insurance plan if you have outright ownership of your vehicle.
You might want to think about comprehensive coverage if you’re searching for auto insurance or reviewing your current plan. Learn about the risks that comprehensive insurance serves to mitigate, how it differs from collision coverage, and how limits and deductibles apply to the policy.
What Is Comprehensive Insurance?
Auto insurance that covers damage to your car from incidents other than collisions is known as comprehensive insurance. Your car will be covered by comprehensive insurance if, among other things, it is damaged by a tornado, a deer run-in, vandalism, a break-in, or is crushed by a collapsing garage.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Comprehensive insurance is made to cover repairs to your car brought on by events other than collisions.
- You might have to get comprehensive coverage in addition to collision coverage if you finance a car.
- If you drive an ancient car that has already lost a lot of value, buying comprehensive coverage might not be a wise financial decision.
- Animals, fallen trees, natural disasters, theft, and vandalism are all covered by comprehensive insurance if they cause damage to your vehicle. Other cars or individuals are not covered by it.
- Your premiums may be reduced by increasing the deductibles on your comprehensive insurance.
- Understanding Comprehensive Insurance
- An automotive insurance policy’s three parts are comprehensive insurance, collision insurance, and liability insurance. Liability insurance is required by law in the majority of jurisdictions, however, collision and comprehensive coverage are optional for auto owners who own their vehicle entirely.
- The auto loan provider may demand comprehensive insurance if someone has financed the vehicle.
What Covers What with Comprehensive Insurance
The following are examples of damages that comprehensive insurance does not pay for:
- interaction with animals, such as running over a deer
- earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes are examples of natural catastrophes.
- Fire
- Vandalism and riots
- Vehicle theft or the theft of certain vehicle components
- shattered windows
- branches, rocks, or hail that have fallen
The definition of comprehensive insurance is defined as an optional plan that guards against harm to your car brought on by unavoidable, non-collision accidents. This includes acts of nature such as weather, fire, theft, vandalism, broken glass and windshields, and incidents involving animals. Despite being frequently referred to as “comprehensive insurance,” comprehensive coverage actually refers to a certain coverage within an existing policy, not a different kind of insurance. Keep in mind that when you loan or lease a vehicle, lenders could force you to carry a comprehensive.
When you’re engaged in an accident that wasn’t caused by a collision, comprehensive coverage helps pay for the costs of the damages to your car. Losses from vandalism, hail, hitting an animal, and theft are all covered under comprehensive coverage. The damage would be covered by comprehensive insurance, for instance, if you hit a deer while driving. Comprehensive coverage won’t kick in, though, if you swerve to avoid the deer and strike a tree because this kind of accident is seen as a collision with an item.
You may secure your vehicle by purchasing optional comprehensive coverage. Unlike some coverages, comprehensive doesn’t let you choose a cap. Based on the real cash value of your vehicle, it will only pay up to that amount. You are in charge of paying your chosen deductible.
- Comprehensive insurance commonly referred to as “other than collision” coverage, is a type of auto insurance that can help cover the costs of damage to your car in cases that aren’t accident-related. For instance, it could assist in covering costs associated with hail, theft, fire, or hitting an animal.
- You should be aware that this coverage is not required. It must be added on top of any other protections you may have, such as liability insurance. However, your lender will probably want it if you’re financing or leasing your car.
- The vast majority of motorists profit from this protection; to learn more, request a quotation from The Hartford1’s AARP® Auto Insurance Program right away.
An automobile insurance coverage called comprehensive insurance will pay for some vehicle damage that wasn’t brought on by a collision with another vehicle. On vehicles that are now being financed by a loan as well as those that are leased, it is necessary. Complementary insurance refers to a type of coverage that can be added to a policy, such as comprehensive auto insurance. You can choose vintage car insurance, which offers flexible usage and coverage tailored exclusively for classic cars, or you can combine comprehensive coverage with liability and collision coverage for ultimate protection.
Here’s an illustration to help you understand what comprehensive insurance can do for you: Imagine you’re rushing out the door for work in the morning and as you open the driver’s side door of your car, you notice a baseball-sized piece of hail has smashed through your windshield.
These two widely used types of auto insurance provide you with protection in the event that your vehicle is destroyed. But the damage that they hide is entirely different. Let’s start with an explanation of each:
- If your car collides with another vehicle in a covered accident, collision insurance will pay for the damage. This could involve making repairs to your insured car or completely replacing it.
- Vehicle damage resulting from covered non-collision occurrences like theft, vandalism, or hail is covered by comprehensive auto insurance. What, therefore, is the real distinction between comprehensive and collision insurance? What matters is how your car was harmed. Collision insurance will protect you if your car rolls over, hits another car, or collides with a stationary object like a telephone pole. Your vehicle will be covered by comprehensive insurance if it is destroyed by vandalism, fire, a natural disaster, or an animal or non-stationary object like a falling tree.
Why get comprehensive insurance
In other words, accidents do happen. Even if you drive defensively, you can’t always control what happens to your car. Sometimes you have to park outside, and suddenly a big storm comes. A deer may occasionally jump into your car as you are driving down a dark country road. These factors are beyond your control, but comprehensive auto insurance can help you be ready for them.
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