Collision vs. Comprehensive Insurance: Do You Need Both?


Staying protected is the goal of every vehicle owner.

The right insurance coverage can offer the protection needed to cover the high costs of vehicle repair due to unexpected incidents.

Unfortunately, it can be confusing for some drivers to understand the various types of insurance policies and ensure they have the right coverage to protect them in any situation.

For many people, they question whether collision and comprehensive insurance is really necessary.

The short answer is yes.

Although they may appear to provide similar protections, they are very different types of insurance coverage.

Repairing a Vehicle

After any type of accident or incident where a vehicle is damaged, it is important to make arrangements to get the vehicle repaired.

Often, this requires contacting the insurance company to begin a claim to cover the cost.

Before repairs can begin, there is often an inspection that is performed to provide an estimate of the cost of repair that the insurance company needs to process the claim.

Once approved, the repairs can begin. Auto body repair can be quite expensive.

Even minor accidents can cause major damage throughout the vehicle.

The right body shop can help identify these issues and take the proper steps needed to get a vehicle back to its original condition.

Unfortunately, if the vehicle owner does not have the right type of insurance their repairs may not be covered.

Each type of insurance policy and coverage only provides coverage in specific situations. In cases where another driver was at fault, their insurance will cover the damages.

If they do not have insurance or do not have enough insurance, the owner of the vehicle may be stuck for the remainder of the cost.

If the vehicle owner is the at-fault driver, it is also their responsibility to cover the repairs of their vehicle.

In these cases, having the right insurance coverage will help cover these costs. Again, it depends greatly on the type of insurance the driver possesses and the type of accident that caused the damage.

Knowing the different types of insurance coverage can assist in ensuring the proper coverage for any incident.

Required Insurance

Most states require a certain level of insurance before anyone can legally drive on the road.

In most cases, this is liability insurance.

Liability insurance provides coverage for a driver in case they are involved in an accident where they were found at fault.

This insurance provides coverage for the repairs and injuries sustained by the other driver. This insurance does not provide coverage for the policyholder's vehicle.

When an accident occurs that is the fault of the policyholder, it is their responsibility to pay for their own damages.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage provides protection for the policyholder in cases where the accident was due to another driver, but they did not have insurance or did not have enough insurance to cover the costs of the accident.

This insurance often has deductible amounts that the policy owner must pay first before repairs can be made.

Collision Insurance

Collision insurance is probably one of the most important types of insurance to protect a driver's vehicle in cases of a collision.

When an accident with another vehicle occurs, someone is usually at fault. When the policyholder is at fault, it is their responsibility to cover their own vehicle damages.

Collision insurance can provide protection and coverage for these damages.

With the high cost of repairs to a vehicle, this type of coverage can save a driver hundreds or even thousands of dollars when they are at-fault for a car accident.

Collision insurance also provides coverage for collisions that are not with another vehicle. Drivers can easily hit a guardrail, utility pole, or other inanimate objects when incidents occur on the roadway.

These issues are very common when roads are wet or icy. Collision insurance provides coverage for damages caused by these types of collisions.

It can even provide coverage for repairs due to potholes.

Driving can be very risky and the potential for a collision is great. Collision insurance provides protection in many of these situations.

Collision insurance only covers damages to your vehicle when involved in a collision.

However, comprehensive insurance is often required when purchasing collision insurance.

Comprehensive Insurance

Just as the name describes, comprehensive insurance provides coverage to the various other potential damages that are not covered by collision insurance.

Collision insurance only covers damages when a collision occurs. However, there are many types of damages that can occur to a vehicle that do not involve a collision with another vehicle or object.

For example, collision insurance will provide coverage in cases where a driver hits a tree. However, it will not cover if a tree falls on the vehicle.

This is where comprehensive insurance coverage comes in. Comprehensive insurance offers coverage for almost any other type of damage to a vehicle that collision does not cover.

This coverage includes issues due to storms, such as hail damage, fallen trees, or other debris that hit the vehicle while driving or even parked.

This insurance even provides coverage for a vehicle that has been damaged due to a flood.

Comprehensive insurance provides repairs and replacements of windshields due to any type of damage.

Comprehensive insurance also provides protection with instances involving wild animals. Whether the driver hits a deer, or a squirrel eats its way through the wiring of the vehicle, comprehensive insurance provides protection.

Comprehensive insurance also provides coverage for damages caused by theft or vandalism. It can be quite devastating and costly to make repairs or replacing a vehicle due to the criminal behavior of another.

In many cases, these individuals can be impossible to track down and make to pay. Comprehensive insurance provides the coverage needed to take care of these issues.

Owning a vehicle can be a very risky and costly endeavor. Fortunately, vehicle insurance can provide protection in almost any situation.

It is important to know the various types of coverage and get exactly what is needed to ensure complete protection.

This can save drivers a lot of time, money, and frustration when an incident occurs.