Automobile Insurance Comprehensive Coverage

What Is Comprehensive Insurance?

It’s Coverage For Your Car

If someone rear-ends your car at a stop sign or backs into it in a parking lot, you’re pretty confident that someone’s insurance – yours or theirs – is going to pay for the damage.  But what happens if a bad storm causes a tree to fall on your car while it’s parked in your driveway?  What if a rock shatters your windshield? What if your vehicle is vandalized or even stolen, or parts of your car are stolen?  What if it catches on fire, or is involved in a natural disaster, etc.?  Will you have to pay for that damage out of pocket?

Comprehensive insurance is insurance coverage that protects your car from damage that doesn’t happen as the result of a collision.  To find out what your comprehensive insurance covers, speak with your agent.

Why Do I Need Comprehensive Insurance?

Two main reasons you may need Comprehensive Coverage.

1). Many lenders or lease holders require that you have comprehensive coverage; after all, they have a vested interest in making sure that your vehicle is well maintained. 

2). For you.  If don’t have the desire to replace or repair your car if something happens to it, comprehensive coverage has the potential to save you a lot of money.  But do you need it?  The answer to that question will depend on your unique situation.  If you’re not required to have comprehensive insurance, then you need to decide how much you’ll benefit from coverage.  

Benefits of Comprehensive Coverage

Nevadan’s are not required to have comprehensive coverage, so it may be very tempting to save money by not adding it to your insurance policy.  It may not be right for everyone, because the value of their car is so low, or if they don’t have an auto loan, maybe they have the cash to buy a new car and want to save the money each month.  It may be that the money spent on comprehensive coverage wouldn’t mathematically make sense to pay the increased cost on the policy to cover a car with low value.  In these scenarios, it may make sense to leave it off your policy. 

However, this could be a costly mistake if you own a car that has any kind of value.  We suggest you think twice about that decision.  Comprehensive insurance is often a smart investment that can protect you from hundreds or even thousands of dollars in costly repairs, and worst case, replacing the whole car on your own.

Farmers Insurance in Las Vegas, Nevada – Shelly Rogers Agency

What Does Comprehensive Insurance Cover?

To many of us, the word “comprehensive” seems to suggest that everything is covered.  However, when it comes to auto insurance, that isn’t the case.  There are a few things, like collision damage and hospital bills, that your comprehensive insurance will not cover.  However, comprehensive coverage does take care of a lot that collision coverage doesn’t.  Here are a few things that comprehensive insurance will generally cover.

♦ Weather Damage

If your car is damaged in a hailstorm, a windstorm, tornado, or any other weather-related incident, comprehensive coverage will ensure that your car is repaired to the condition it was in, prior to the incident.  If your car is totaled, then you’ll receive a check for its value.

♦ Flood Damage

Water damage can destroy your vehicle’s upholstery and mechanical parts.  In fact, flooding can easily total a vehicle.  Las Vegas residents should be aware of potential flood damage that happens fairly often, and is a problem that they could potentially deal with.  According to the National Flood Insurance Program, 20% of flood claims come from low or moderate-risk regions.