What Does Comprehensive Auto Insurance Cover?

A man talks on his cellphone while checking out the damage to his car after a fender bender.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

With car insurance rates forecasted to increase 7% on average this year, tacking on optional coverage like comprehensive insurance might feel like an unnecessary added expense. That's especially true for drivers in states that already saw rates jump over 50% in 2024. While there are a few ways to save on insurance premiums, cutting comprehensive car insurance might not be a risk worth taking.

Comprehensive insurance coverage is optional coverage that protects you against damage to your vehicle caused by non-collision events that are outside of your control. The uptick of extreme weather events has increased the chances of wind, rain, flying debris and flood waters causing damage to your car. You don’t want to be caught short when the next storm rolls though.

When shopping for and pricing comprehensive car insurance, remember that this coverage is not a separate type of car insurance policy. Instead, it refers to a specific coverage option on an existing policy.

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What is comprehensive car insurance?

You'd think that the combination of liability, collision and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage would seem to take care of all conceivable risks to drivers — but it doesn’t. None of that other car insurance would cover damage to your car from a falling tree, a collapsing parking garage or your neighbors' kids playing baseball. Comprehensive insurance is a car insurance policy that covers certain damages to your vehicle that are not caused by a collision with another car.

For instance, imagine you leave for school in the morning and as you’re driving, you are hit by a frightened deer that damages your front-end and breaks a headlight. Is this an accident covered under your basic required auto insurance? Not a chance. This is the type of one-off accident that comprehensive car insurance would cover.

Comprehensive auto insurance is supplementary, meaning it’s usually an optional coverage that can be added to an insurance policy. This coverage is usually required if you are leasing or financing your car.

What does comprehensive car insurance cover?

Here are a few types of damage that may be covered by comprehensive car insurance:

Theft of car
Vandalism, fire and explosions
Windshield and glass damage
Falling trees, limbs and other objects
Rocks and other objects kicked up by or falling off cars
Storms, hail, wind, floods, lightning and earthquakes
Accidents with animals (e.g., hitting or being hit by a deer)

Comprehensive coverage also entitles you to some compensation for renting a car if yours is stolen. Check your policy to see how much the policy would pay per day and for how long.

What does comprehensive car insurance not cover?

General wear and tear of a vehicle
Intentional damages
Mechanical or electrical failure unrelated to an accident
Damage to your vehicle caused by failing to take proper preventative measures

Is comprehensive car insurance worth it?

According to the most recent rate analysis by Insurance.com, drivers typically pay about $421 per year for comprehensive coverage, with the average annual cost ranging from $156 in Hawaii and up to $1,246 in South Dakota.

The exact cost of comprehensive insurance on your policy depends on a number of factors unique to each driver. This includes the year, make, model and age of the vehicle, whether you park on the street or in a garage, the vehicle’s rating symbols, loss history, as well as your driving history.

What's the difference between comprehensive and collision insurance?

What is comprehensive coverage compared to collision? Basically, 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. Conversely, comprehensive insurance covers damage to your car caused by almost anything but a collision. So if kids use your car as a soccer net or rats chew through the electrical wires to make a nest — you’re covered.

Bottom line: Should you buy comprehensive insurance?

Anyone that lives in an area that regularly experiences extreme weather or has high auto theft rates can benefit from a comprehensive auto policy. If you don't want to pay for major repairs or to replace your car in the event it's damaged from a non-traffic related causes, you should seriously consider buying comprehensive car insurance.

Comprehensive insurance can cover the cost to fix or replace your car after damage from non-traffic-related causes, such as fires, vandalism or storm damage. The coverage also pays to replace your car if it’s stolen.

Donna joined Kiplinger as a personal finance writer in 2023. She spent more than a decade as the contributing editor of J.K.Lasser's Your Income Tax Guide and edited state specific legal treatises at ALM Media. She has shared her expertise as a guest on Bloomberg, CNN, Fox, NPR, CNBC and many other media outlets around the nation. She is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and the University at Buffalo.