Comprehensive vs. collision auto insurance: Here’s what you need to know

Key points

• Comprehensive and collision car insurance both cover damage to your vehicle and are part of a full-coverage auto insurance policy.
• Collision insurance covers damage to your vehicle resulting from an accident with another car or an object, like a fence or pole.
• Comprehensive insurance covers damage to your vehicle from non-collision events — like a tree falling on your hood, road debris cracking your windshield or hitting an animal.

Collision and comprehensive car insurance are often bundled together and make up part of a full-coverage car insurance policy. But what type of protection do these two types of coverage offer and when do you need them? 

We’ll help you understand the ins and outs of collision and comprehensive coverage, including what each one covers, when you should consider them and when you may be able to forgo adding them to your car insurance policy.

What is comprehensive car insurance?

Comprehensive car insurance covers damage to your vehicle outside of collisions with other vehicles and objects.

An easy way to think of it: Comprehensive car insurance often covers damage to your vehicle that’s not covered by collision car insurance. In fact, Mark Friedlander, Director of Corporate Communications for the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I), noted that comprehensive is “also known as non-collision.” 

Comprehensive car insurance policies carry a deductible, or the amount your insurer will subtract from your insurance claim payout. You’ll then receive a payout for the rest of damages, up to your policy limits. Comprehensive coverage limits are usually the actual cash value (replacement cost minus depreciation) of your vehicle. 

What comprehensive insurance covers

Comprehensive car insurance covers damage to your vehicle caused by a variety of culprits, including:

• Collisions with animals, such as deer.
• Natural disasters, such as flooding, wildfires and hail.
• Falling trees, rocks and other objects.
• Debris kicked up by another vehicle on the road.
• Fires and explosions.
• Other people, like in instances of vandalism or riots.
• Broken glass and windshields, unless it’s from a collision.
• Vehicle theft.

What comprehensive insurance doesn’t cover

With a name like “comprehensive car insurance,” you’d expect it to cover just about everything. But there’s actually a lot you can’t get covered through comprehensive insurance.

Comprehensive car insurance won’t cover: 

• Damages to your vehicle from a collision.
• Damage to other vehicles.
• Damage to property.
• Medical costs. 
• The items inside your vehicle. Renters or homeowners insurance usually cover these belongings, though.

There’s one other type of damage to your vehicle that you can’t get covered by comprehensive or collision — wear-and-tear.

“Normal wear-and-tear and mechanical issues aren’t covered by your policy,” said Amanda Mezerewski of Travelers Insurance.

“That’s the biggest misconception about coverage,” she added. “An insurance policy is not a warranty.”

Examples of comprehensive insurance claims

• You hit a deer and severely damage the front end of your car.
• Your car gets damaged by a flood during a hurricane.
• A tree from your yard falls on your parked car.
• A truck ahead of you on the highway kicks up rocks that crack your windshield.
• Someone shatters your window to steal your laptop. (Repairs to the window would be covered, but not the replacement laptop.)

What is collision car insurance?

Collision car insurance is a type of coverage that pays for damage to your vehicle in the event of an accident, regardless of who is at fault. It also covers damage to your vehicle from collisions with an object, such as a fence or pole.

Like comprehensive car insurance, collision coverage carries a deductible. If you file a claim, your insurer will cover the cost of damages, up to your policy limits, and subtract the deductible from your claims check. Collision coverage limits are usually based on the actual cash value of your vehicle. 

What collision insurance covers

Collision car insurance typically pays for damage to your vehicle if you:

• Are in a single-vehicle accident, such as hydroplaning and hitting a guardrail.
• Hit an object, such as backing into a pole or hitting a pothole.
• Cause an accident with another driver that damages your car. 
• Are in an accident with another driver and they are at fault but are either uninsured or underinsured but don’t have uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance.
• Are the victim of a hit-and-run.

However, if another driver causes an accident that damages your vehicle, you can also go through that driver’s liability insurance to cover repairs to your car. By going this route, you won’t have to worry about your collision coverage deductible.

What collision insurance doesn’t cover

The term “collision insurance” seems to imply it covers all the costs associated with collisions, but there’s a lot it won’t cover, including:

• Damage to other vehicles.
• Damage to property, such as a pole, guardrail or other property. 
• Medical costs for you or any other individual injured in an accident. 
• Collision with an animal, such as a deer or fox. 
• Vehicle wear and tear.

Learn more about coverage: How does car insurance work?

Examples of collision insurance claims

• You back into a parked car and damage your vehicle.
• You hit a nasty pothole on a back road, and your vehicle suffers some damage.
• You slide on a patch of ice and drive through someone’s fence.
• You swerve to avoid hitting a rabbit and drive into a tree.

Comprehensive vs. collision insurance: Comparing coverages

Collision vs. comprehensive premiums

Collision car insurance costs an average of $814 a year, or about $68 a month. Given that the average annual cost of full-coverage car insurance is $2,067, collision accounts for roughly 39% of the average driver’s total policy costs.

Comprehensive coverage is much more affordable. The average driver pays $367 a year, or about $31 a month, for comprehensive car insurance.

Despite the cost difference, both are crucial components of a full-coverage car insurance plan. If you want full protection on the road, don’t think of it as comprehensive vs. collision — think of it as comprehensive and collision. You need both to protect your assets.

Most drivers see it that way. Triple-I reports that 79% of insured drivers carry comprehensive, and 75% carry collision insurance, based on National Association of Insurance Commissioners data from 2019.

“To be fully financially protected from a wide variety of losses, we strongly recommend carrying both coverages,” said Friedlander.

Shopping for car insurance? Compare car insurance quotes

When to drop comprehensive and collision coverage

Comprehensive and collision car insurance aren’t required to meet any states’ minimum coverage requirements, but they offer you tremendous protection against financial losses if your car is damaged or stolen. And if you’re financing or leasing your car, you may be required to carry these coverages anyway.

But if your car is paid off and you’re trying to cut expenses, does it ever make sense to drop these coverages?

“I’m a big fan of comp and collision,” said Mezerewski, “but I understand that some consumers may be trying to balance their checkbooks, and sometimes that means evaluating their coverages.”

For these drivers, Mezerewski advises waiting until “the vehicle has depreciated beyond the point of deductible plus the cost of these coverages.” At that point, it may make financial sense to drop comprehensive and collision from your car insurance policy.

“But it’s important that the driver understands they’ll no longer have coverage from their insurer to repair or replace their car if they get into an accident,” Mezerewski said.

 Still not sure if you should keep both? Read more about when to drop comprehensive and collision coverage.