San Leandro, CA Oakland, CA Comprehensive or Collision?

When it comes to Auto Insurance claims, what is the difference between comprehensive and collision? Why is it important?

While nobody wants to run into another vehicle, collision with another vehicle is fairly straightforward and the expected handling of a car insurance claim.  Your deductible will apply and your car will be repaired.  Unfortunately, you will likely be charged a point on your driving record when the damage exceeds $1,000.  This point will affect your future premiums and essentially follows you if you move to another insurance company.  It’s a bummer!

But what about collision with an object on the road, maybe even something that fell off a truck causing $2,000 worth of damage to your vehicle?  What happens in that scenario?  Well if you are able to capture the truck driver’s information and report it to your insurance company, the truck driver’s liability insurance may pay the claim and you would not be charged a deductible or a point on your record.  This would be the best outcome.  However, if you are unable to claim liability against the truck driver, and your insurance is paying the claim, they will likely charge a collision point to your record and force you to pay the deductible.  While this doesn’t seem fair, it’s the way it works!

Comprehensive claims are damage or theft to your vehicle when it is not in motion.  A large pine cone recently fell off a tree and fractured my sunroof glass.  Yes what a bummer!  But, this is not a collision claim, so it was not charged to my record.  The not so good news is that I had to pay the deductible.  Generally, comprehensive deductibles are lower than collision deductibles, so this of course is a better outcome than having a collision claim.

We hope you learned something from today’s insurance lesson.  While we don’t make the rules, we can help you navigate the claims process.