Comprehensive coverage
Everything that happens to your car that isn't a collision.
Comprehensive covers damage to your own vehicle from causes other than an impact. Insurers sometimes call it "other than collision", which is a clumsier name but a more accurate one.
Much of what it covers happens while the car is parked and you're nowhere near it.
What it typically covers
- Theft of the vehicle
- Break-ins and vandalism
- Fire
- Hail, wind, and storm damage
- Flood
- Falling objects, including trees
- Hitting an animal — usually comprehensive rather than collision
- Glass damage, sometimes with its own deductible
The animal-strike quirk
Hitting a deer is generally a comprehensive claim, not a collision claim, even though it involves an impact while driving. Swerving to avoid one and hitting a tree is usually collision.
That distinction matters because the two coverages carry separate deductibles, and it catches people out at exactly the wrong moment.
Glass is often treated separately
Many policies apply a lower deductible to glass, or waive it entirely for repair rather than replacement. Some states require insurers to offer full glass coverage.
It's worth asking specifically, because a windscreen claim under a standard deductible often isn't worth making, while under a glass provision it usually is.
Usually the cheaper of the two
Comprehensive is generally less expensive than collision, because the claims tend to be smaller. When people consider dropping coverage on an older vehicle, comprehensive is often the one worth keeping longest — theft and weather don't care how old the car is.
Common questions
Generally comprehensive, despite involving an impact. Swerving and hitting something else is usually collision — and the two carry separate deductibles.
Usually yes, and many policies apply a reduced or waived deductible for glass. Ask specifically, since it changes whether a claim is worth making.
Not by any state, though a lender or lessor generally requires it alongside collision while there's finance on the vehicle.
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This page is general information, not advice about your specific circumstances. A licensed insurance professional can tell you what’s actually available to you.
General information only, not insurance advice. Coverage, availability, and terms vary by insurer and by state, and are subject to underwriting. Quote My Policy LLC is a licensed insurance producer. Nothing here binds coverage.