All About Comprehensive Coverage: Here’s What You Need To Know

Comprehensive insurance is a coverage that helps pay to replace or repair your vehicle if it’s stolen or damaged in an incident that’s not a collision. Comprehensive, sometimes called “other than collision” coverage, typically covers damage from fire, vandalism or falling objects (like a tree or hail). If you’re financing or leasing your car, your lender likely requires comprehensive coverage. If you own your vehicle outright, it’s an optional coverage on your car insurance policy.

WHAT IS COVERED BY COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE? Comprehensive helps cover damage to your car that’s not the result of a collision, such as:

• Theft
• Vandalism
• Fire
• Natural disasters (like a hurricane or a tornado)
• Falling objects
• Damage done to your car by animals
• A civil disturbance (like a riot that results in damage or destruction of your car)

WHAT’S NOT COVERED BY COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE?

• Damage to your car from a collision
• Damage to another person’s vehicle from a collision
• Your (or your passengers’) medical expenses after an accident

COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE DEDUCTIBLES AND LIMITS

When you purchase comprehensive coverage, you will select a set deductible, which is the amount you pay out of pocket toward a covered claim. Let’s say you choose a $500 deductible, and your car is later damaged by hail in a covered claim. If it costs $1,500 to repair your car, you will pay your $500 deductible, and your insurance would pay the remaining $1,000.

Comprehensive coverage has a limit, or the maximum amount your policy will pay toward a covered claim. The limit on comprehensive coverage is typically the actual cash value of your vehicle. If your car is stolen, for example, your insurance company would reimburse you for your car’s depreciated value, minus your deductible. In other words, if you wanted to replace your stolen vehicle with a newer make and model, you would likely have to use some of your own money to do so, in addition to using the reimbursement from your insurer. Keep in mind that the comprehensive deductible and limit are separate from your policy’s collision deductible and limit. To learn more, contact our team at Singh Insurance & Financial Services