How do you know if you have comprehensive car insurance

Comprehensive insurance is a car insurance policy that covers certain damages to your vehicle that are not caused by a collision with another car. It is required on leased vehicles, and on vehicles that are currently being paid for by a loan. Comprehensive auto insurance is supplementary, meaning it’s an optional coverage which can be added to an insurance policy. For maximum protection, you can pair comprehensive coverage with liability and collision coverage, or choose classic car insurance that provides flexible usage and coverage designed specifically for classic cars.

If you're wondering "What is comprehensive insurance going to do for me?"  Here’s an example: you’re dashing out of your house for work in the morning and as you’re opening the driver’s side door of your car, you realize a baseball-sized chunk of hail has crashed through your windshield. You think to yourself, all windshield damage is equal under my state-minimum insurance policy, right?

Wrong.

To avoid paying for damages like this out of pocket, you need comprehensive insurance. A windshield shattered by hail would be covered by comprehensive insurance, while a windshield shattered by a traffic accident would be covered by either your collision insurance or the other driver’s liability insurance.

What does comprehensive insurance cover?

Every accident is unique – whether comprehensive insurance covers your accident is determined by a wide set of circumstances. Here are a few types of damage that may be covered by comprehensive insurance:

• Theft 
• Fire
• Vandalism
• Contact with animals
• Falling or flying objects
• Hail
• Windshield damage
• Windstorms
• Earthquakes
  

Find out more about what is covered by Nationwide comprehensive auto insurance.

Comprehensive vs. collision insurance

What is comprehensive coverage compared to collision? You could say they’re two halves of a whole. Collision insurance covers you if your car is damaged by another vehicle, a stationary object or by rolling over. If you’re in a collision, you’re covered by collision insurance. Simple enough, right? Conversely, comprehensive insurance covers just about everything else. As mentioned above, comprehensive covers you if your car is damaged by everything from theft to natural disasters. You could say that collision is for when you hit something else, and comprehensive is for when something else hits you (provided that something else isn’t another car).

Comprehensive vs. full coverage insurance

Yes. Some people mistakenly use these terms interchangeably, but there is an important difference, namely that most insurance providers do not offer anything called “full coverage.” In other words, there is no single auto insurance policy that covers everything.

As mentioned, comprehensive insurance is an optional coverage that can be added to your state-required liability insurance which provides additional protection for accidents not caused by a vehicular collision. Rather than having one super policy, you can pair different types of coverage.

Is comprehensive insurance required by law?

You’re not required by law to have comprehensive insurance. That said, lenders will often require you to have it if your car is leased or not fully paid off.1 Comprehensive insurance also covers damage from sources that are often beyond your control. So, unless you’ve learned to command the weather, every tree branch near you, and every would-be thief in the area, then comprehensive coverage is a good idea.

Learn more about comprehensive coverage and get a quote today so you can build a custom policy that’s right for you.

1 https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/insurance/comprehensive-auto-insurance, Accessed March 2022..

Why get comprehensive insurance

Simply put: accidents happen. No matter how cautious you are behind the wheel, you can’t always control what happens to your car. Sometimes you have to park outside, and a strong storm hits out of nowhere. Sometimes you have to drive a dark country road, and a deer jumps into your vehicle. You can’t control these things, but you can prepare for them by purchasing comprehensive auto insurance.

Why get collision insurance

Even when you’re cool and composed behind the wheel, you still can’t control the vehicles around you. Collisions can happen to even the safest drivers. That’s why every driver should be ready with collision insurance. Collision insurance will help pay the costs of repairing or replacing your vehicle even if you’ve gotten into an accident with a driver who does not have insurance.1

Factors to consider

You may be wondering if having both types of coverage is necessary. In order to determine if you need collision insurance and comprehensive insurance, consider the following:

The value of your car

The higher your car’s value, the more expensive it is to repair or replace! Purchasing comprehensive and collision coverage can protect you from having to pay those costs out of pocket.

Risk of an accident

If you drive more, especially on roads with a higher volume of traffic, then you may be more likely to get into an accident. If your risk is higher, you’ll want to make sure you’re protected with collision insurance.

Your current savings

Do you have sufficient savings to pay the cost of repairing or replacing your car out of pocket? If not, then purchasing coverage is imperative.

Your area

Some locations are more hazardous than others! If your area has more reports of vehicle damage due to fallen branches or animals crossing the road, then purchasing a comprehensive auto insurance policy may be a good idea.

Do I need comprehensive and collision insurance?

Anyone who owns a car would be wise to have comprehensive and collision insurance. In some cases, a car owner who rarely drives or lives in an area with incredibly low risk of damage might be able to get by without incident, but accidents happen in even the safest places. Having comprehensive and collision coverage is especially important for drivers who live in more hazardous areas. For example, if you live in Montana, ranked the least safe state to drive in for 2022 by WalletHub, then comprehensive and collision are must-haves.2 Drivers with high-value cars who drive longer distances should also seriously consider both coverages, as should anyone whose financial situation would not allow for surprise costs like vehicle repair and replacement.

Learn more about liability insurance and get help deciding the right auto coverage for you with these car insurance resources.

Is full coverage insurance the same as comprehensive?

What are the 3 types of car insurance?

What is considered comprehensive coverage?

Does full coverage mean comprehensive?