Comprehensive Coverage

Comprehensive insurance is insurance coverage that protects your car from damage that doesn’t happen as the result of a collision. 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? If you have comprehensive insurance, you will only have to pay your deductible to have your vehicle returned to the condition it was in before the damage.

Here’s another scenario in which Comprehensive coverage is important. Let’s say you want to unregister a vehicle you don’t drive anymore, but you don’t want to take a loss if it were stolen or vandalized, or a tree were to fall on it. You can get a policy that only covers comprehensive coverage, which is very inexpensive and so worth it.

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 maintained.

2. For you. If you 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.

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.

Fire Damage

Roadside car fires are not terribly uncommon, but unless you have comprehensive insurance, you’ll be paying for the damage yourself.

Animals

You may assume that if you “collide” into an animal, then that accident will be covered by your collision insurance. However, that’s usually not the case. Comprehensive insurance will cover any damage that would result from hitting an animal. If you swerve to avoid hitting the animal, and then have an accident and don’t hit the animal, that would be a collision.

Vandalism

Smashed mirrors, scratches, dents and slashed tires; unless you have comprehensive coverage, then these acts of vandalism will be yours to cover.

Theft

If your car was stolen tomorrow or if someone broke into it and stole your sound system, would you have the funds to replace it? Comprehensive insurance covers theft, ensuring that if you are a victim, you won’t have to pay for the entire cost of replacement.

Glass and Windshields

Needing a windshield or glass repaired or replaced can happen at any time. Comprehensive coverage OR a special “glass coverage” may be available to be added to your policy, to help protect you against the cost of having to repair or replace a windshield or window on your car. Ask your agent about this coverage for your policy. This is especially important if you are concerned that replacement costs would be high, and understand that your deductible is a factor to consider. Sometimes the deductible on your comprehensive is so high, that you’ll pay the full amount of the glass repair on your own.

Do I Need Both Types of Insurance Coverage?

If you are making payments on your vehicle, your bank lender or lease holder may require you to have “full coverage” which typically includes both comprehensive and collision coverage. Reason being, they have a financial investment in the value of your vehicle, and they have a vested interest in making sure that it stays in good condition.

Maybe you own your vehicle outright; do you still need comprehensive and collision coverage? To decide how much coverage you need, think about your unique situation. Consider the value of your car and the cost to add comp and collision to your policy, minus what you’d pay in a deductible. Do you feel it would be necessary? Do you drive every day, or does your car spend most of the time parked in your garage? Do you have an older vehicle, or is your vehicle only a couple of years old? If you got into an accident tomorrow, or someone hit and ran, could you pay out of your own pocket the cost of repairing or replacing your car?

When it comes to deciding how much coverage you need, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Think about your needs and habits and decide what is best for you. Many times, auto owners that have older cars that aren’t really deemed “collectors” will not add collision or comprehensive coverage to their policy. We strongly recommend at least comprehensive as it will protect the total loss of the vehicle. But sometimes owners figure the extra cost to their policy, plus paying the deductible if the car were to be involved in an accident wouldn’t be worth it.

Build the Best Policy With Nevada Insurance Enrollment

Building the auto insurance policy that is right for you can be difficult. With so many different options available, you may worry that you don’t have the right amount of coverage. Carrying too much coverage on an older car may end up costing you more in the long run, while having too little coverage can leave you with thousands of dollars in unforeseen losses and/or repairs in the event of an accident and lawsuit. Call us today so we can have our licensed auto insurance agents review your options and build the policy that will fit your needs and budget.​