Comprehensive insurance is just one of the options offered in a standard personal automobile policy. Comprehensive insurance isn’t “comprehensive.” By that I mean, comprehensive coverage is just one part of a personal auto policy. It is included in the optional Part D section that covers physical damage to your vehicle.
The other parts will typically include:
- Part A: Liability Coverage
- Part B: Medical Payments Coverage
- Part C: Uninsured Motorists Coverage
Comprehensive insurance pays nothing toward the damage you might do to someone else’s car in a crash. These payments come from the liability coverage.
The Comprehensive section of your auto insurance policy will pay you for damage to your car that is caused by certain perils. These perils include falling objects, theft, vandalism and fire. For the most part it covers things that can happen to your car when it isn’t moving.
Damage from collisions will usually be paid for by the liability section of the person’s policy who hit you if he or she is at fault or from the (surprise) collision section of your policy.
Collision and comprehensive coverage are both part of Part D of a personal auto policy. This section of your policy may be entitled “Coverage for Damage to your Auto.”
These physical damage coverage are optional unless you have a loan against your car or have leased your car. Even if they are mandated by the contract you have with your lender or lessor, you may be able to reduce the coverage and your costs by raising your deductible for one or both of these parts of your policy.
How Does Comprehensive Insurance On Your Car Work?
Comprehensive insurance reimburses you for some or all of the cost involved when your car is damaged by a covered peril. Typically these costs are incurred at a body shop or glass repair facility.
