What is Comprehensive insurance?
Comprehensive auto insurance pays for covered damage to your vehicle caused by anything other than an accident. Think deer damage to your car, storm or flood damage, and even theft.
What does Comprehensive NOT cover?
Damage due to an auto accident
Intentional acts of destruction
Items in your car
Normal wear and tear on your vehicle
Is Comprehensive coverage required?
Unlike Bodily Injury and Property Damage, which are required by every state, Comprehensive is not. If you finance or lease your vehicle, your lien holder (finance or leasing company) may require it.
When deciding whether or not to purchase Comprehensive insurance, ask yourself if you could afford to replace a stolen or totaled car. If the answer is no, you may want to consider adding Comprehensive coverage.
Deductibles
When you purchase Comprehensive coverage, you will choose your deductible. A deductible is the amount you pay toward repairs or a replacement car before insurance kicks in. The lower your deductible, the higher your monthly insurance rate. So, if you want to pay just $100 toward a repair before Root starts paying, your monthly rate will be more. If you would prefer to pay less each month, you could choose a higher deductible like $1,000. This means that while your monthly insurance rate is lower, you would be responsible for a bigger chunk of a repair bill before Root begins paying. Say, for example, you have $1,300 in hail damage. You would pay $1,000 before Roots pays the balance of $300. It’s important to know that whatever deductible you choose, that dollar amount is per incident, not per year. So each time a tree falls on your car, your deductible needs to be met again.
Comprehensive insurance vs. Collision insurance
Both these coverages protect your car, but from different sources of damage. Without these coverages, you’ll be paying for repairs or a replacement vehicle out of pocket.
Collision auto insurance covers your vehicle when your car is damaged in an accident or if you’re the victim of a hit-and-run.
Comprehensive coverage is for when your car is damaged by weather, an animal, vandalism, or if it’s stolen.