What is comprehensive car insurance?

Key points

• Comprehensive car insurance is an optional type of auto insurance that covers damage to your vehicle not caused by a wreck.
• A full coverage auto insurance policy includes comprehensive car insurance, as well as liability and collision insurance.
• The average cost of comprehensive car insurance is $367 annually — you can keep prices down by opting for a higher deductible.

Comprehensive car insurance coverage

Though the word “comprehensive” suggests that this type of car insurance covers everything, a comprehensive car insurance policy only covers specific types of losses, including:

• Falling trees, limbs, rocks and other objects.
• Debris kicked up by, or falling off of, other vehicles.
• Broken glass or windshield (not from a collision with another vehicle).
• Fires and explosions.
• Storm damage, like from hail, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.
• Damage caused by other people, including vandalism or damage during riots.
• Theft (of the entire car — not objects inside the car).
• Collisions with animals, such as deer.

What comprehensive car insurance doesn’t cover

Comprehensive insurance isn’t as comprehensive as it sounds. Here is a quick list of what a comprehensive auto policy won’t cover:

• Damage to your vehicle from an accident you caused. 
• Damage to someone else’s vehicle. 
• Legal costs and settlements if you’re sued for causing an accident.
• Medical care of any kind. 
• Theft of personal belongings inside the vehicle.

Tip: Comprehensive car insurance won’t cover personal belongings stolen from inside your car, but your renters or homeowners insurance generally will. If someone’s stolen a laptop, sports equipment or another valuable from your car, check your home or renters insurance policy and file a claim.

How does comprehensive car insurance work

If your vehicle is damaged, stolen or totaled in a covered incident, you’ll file a claim with your car insurance company. Once your car insurance deductible is subtracted from the reimbursement amount, your insurance provider will issue a claims check for the cost of repairs. 

If your car is considered a total loss after a covered issue, your insurer will issue a check for the actual cash value of the vehicle.

The actual cash value of your car isn’t what you paid for it. Because cars depreciate (i.e., lose value over time), the insurance company will calculate what your vehicle was likely worth at the time of the damage or loss.

How much does comprehensive car insurance cost?

The average cost of comprehensive car insurance is $367 a year, or around $31 a month. Prices will vary depending on the insurance provider, your deductible, where you live, the car you drive and other factors.

Our analysis of the cheapest car insurance companies found that Mercury ($216) and Nationwide ($227) offer the cheapest comprehensive insurance rates, on average, though USAA ($235) also offers competitive rates. 

Cost of comprehensive car insurance by insurer

COMPANY	ANNUAL	MONTHLY
Mercury	$216	$18
Nationwide	$227	$19
USAA	$235	$20
Progressive	$265	$22
Farmers	$266	$22
Travelers	$271	$23
GEICO	$300	$25
State Farm	$325	$27
NATIONAL AVERAGE	$367	$31
Erie	$403	$34
American Family	$425	$35
Westfield	$432	$36
Allstate	$502	$42
Safe Auto	$633	$53
Auto-Owners	$641	$53

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The difference between comprehensive and collision insurance

Comprehensive and collision insurance are both optional types of coverage that are included in a full coverage car insurance policy, but what’s the difference? 

Simply put, collision insurance covers (most) collisions and comprehensive insurance covers other damage to your vehicle.

Let’s take a closer look:

• Collision insurance covers damage to your vehicle in the event of an accident. If you collide with another vehicle or even a fence or pole, a collision insurance policy would cover the damage (minus your deductible) to your vehicle. It won’t cover damage to the  other vehicle or the object you crashed into. Collision insurance also covers damage to your vehicle from a hit and run or from potholes.
• Comprehensive insurance only covers one type of collision: with animals. Otherwise, the coverage is for damage to your car from unexpected and unavoidable events, like storm damage or a broken windshield from rocks kicked up on the interstate.

Here are two examples that demonstrate the difference:

• A storm is coming: Heavy rains are forecasted, and your vehicle is a sitting duck that gets damaged by the flood. This damage is covered by comprehensive insurance. But if you try to outrun the storm, hydroplane on the highway and run into a guardrail, the damage is covered by collision insurance.
• A deer runs onto the street: You’re unable to stop and unfortunately collide with the deer. The resulting damage is covered by comprehensive insurance. But if you swerve to miss the deer and crash into a tree instead, the damage is covered by collision insurance.

“Comprehensive coverage typically costs much less to add to a policy than collision,” said Mark Friedlander, Director of Corporate Communications for the Insurance Information Institute. On average, collision coverage costs $814 a year.

Do I need comprehensive auto insurance?

Comprehensive auto insurance is considered optional coverage, but you may be required to buy it if you are financing or leasing a vehicle.

Even if you don’t need it, comprehensive coverage may be worth it, especially if you can not comfortably pay to repair or replace your vehicle in the event that it’s damaged, totaled or stolen.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, 79% of insured drivers carry comprehensive insurance. For most, the average price of $31 per month for comprehensive car insurance is likely easier to cover than the cost to repair a car or replace your vehicle if it’s declared a total loss after damages — especially since new cars cost nearly $50,000 on average, according to Kelley Blue Book.

But there are instances where it might not make sense to carry comprehensive coverage. According to Friedlander, “If you have an older-model vehicle that is worth 10 times less than the cost of the auto insurance premium you pay, it may not be cost-effective to carry comprehensive and collision coverages on your policy.”

Comprehensive car insurance FAQs