Comprehensive car insurance is an auto insurance coverage that pays for vehicle damage from theft, fire, and falling objects. This coverage also pays for vandalism, natural disasters, animal collisions, and broken glass. A driver without the policy pays the full repair or replacement cost after a theft. Thieves stole 659,880 vehicles across the United States in 2025, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Drivers weigh deductibles, coverage limits, and state rates to choose an affordable policy. Insurance Navy helps drivers find the right insurance at the right price. This guide explains comprehensive car insurance costs, deductibles, coverage limits, and collision differences.
Table of contents
- What does Comprehensive Insurance Cover?
- What Damage is Not Covered by Comprehensive Insurance?
- Is Comprehensive Car Insurance Required?
- Comprehensive Coverage Deductibles and Limits
- What's the Difference Between Collision and Comprehensive Insurance?
- Is Comprehensive the Same as Full Coverage?
- How Much Does Comprehensive Coverage Cost?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Will comprehensive insurance cover a broken windshield?
- Does my car’s age affect comprehensive insurance costs?
- Do I have to pay a deductible if I file a comprehensive claim?
- Will comprehensive insurance pay for a rental car?
- Will a comprehensive claim affect my insurance rates?
- How do I choose the right deductible for comprehensive insurance?
Comprehensive car insurance provides financial protection if your car is stolen or damaged in an incident other than a collision.
Comprehensive insurance, often called "comp coverage," is auto insurance that typically covers theft, fire, or falling tree limbs that damage your vehicle.
Learn more about comprehensive insurance and how it's different from collision and liability insurance coverages, how it works, deductibles and limits, and more.
What does Comprehensive Insurance Cover?
Comprehensive insurance covers vehicle damage from:
Natural disasters (hurricanes, tornados, and floods)
Vandalism, fires, and explosions
Falling objects (hail or tree branches)
Accidents with animals
Civil disturbances
Windshield or glass damage
Comprehensive insurance also covers theft of the vehicle. Thieves stole 659,880 vehicles across the United States in 2025, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Comprehensive is the only auto coverage that pays for a stolen car.
What Damage is Not Covered by Comprehensive Insurance?
Collision damage: Hitting another vehicle or an object, or a rollover, is a collision claim, not a comprehensive claim
Normal wear and mechanical breakdown: Worn tires, a failed transmission, or rust are maintenance costs, not covered losses.
Medical Costs: Injuries resulting from any scenario covered by comprehensive coverage. Instead, these costs are covered by another optional add-on to your policy: medical payments coverage or personal injury protection insurance coverage, which would cover medical expenses.
Legal expenses: any legal fees, such as court fees, will also not be covered by comprehensive coverage.
Towing fees: If your car breaks down and needs towing, comprehensive coverage will not cover these fees. Instead, policy add-ons such as roadside assistance would be beneficial in this situation.
Stolen Items: If items get stolen from your car, comprehensive coverage will cover the damage. However, the items stolen will not be covered. Similarly to medical expenses, other policy options are available to cover these losses.
Is Comprehensive Car Insurance Required?
No state requires comprehensive car insurance. Every state's minimum auto insurance law covers liability only. Comprehensive is an optional coverage that you add to your policy. A financed or leased vehicle is the exception. Lenders and leasing companies require comprehensive and collision coverage on a financed or leased vehicle until the loan is paid off or the lease ends.
The lender requires the coverage because the lender holds a financial interest in the car. If a thief steals the vehicle or a flood totals the vehicle, comprehensive coverage pays the car's actual cash value, which protects the loan balance. Dropping the coverage while the loan is open violates most loan agreements. The lender can then buy force-placed coverage and bill you for that coverage at a higher rate.
Most drivers keep comprehensive coverage after they own the car outright. About 80% of insured drivers purchase comprehensive coverage in addition to liability insurance, according to the Insurance Information Institute's analysis of NAIC data. Comprehensive coverage is worth keeping in 3 cases: you could not pay to replace the car after a theft or storm out of pocket, you live in an area with high theft, hail, flood, or deer-strike risk, or the car's value is well above your deductible.
Comprehensive coverage stops paying off on an older car when the annual premium approaches the car's value minus your deductible. Insurance Navy's guide to insuring older cars explains that decision.
Comprehensive Coverage Deductibles and Limits
When shopping around for comprehensive coverage for your vehicle, you should first consider what your deductible better suits your budget.
In vehicle insurance, a deductible is the amount you are responsible for paying out of pocket toward a covered claim. Insurers usually sell comprehensive coverage with a deductible between $100 and $300, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Many carriers offer deductible options from $0 up to $1,000.
For example, if you have a $500 deductible and $2,000 worth of damages to your vehicle, you would be responsible for paying the first $500 before your insurance company covers the rest up to your coverage limit.
Insurance premiums can also vary depending on your driving record and the car's model and year.
Comprehensive coverage has no dollar limit that you choose. The most your insurer pays on a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value (ACV) of your vehicle at the time of the loss. Actual cash value is what the car was worth based on its age, mileage, and condition, not what you paid for the car.
If a thief steals your car and police do not recover the car, the insurer pays the actual cash value minus your deductible. On a $500 deductible and a car worth $9,000, the payout is $8,500. If you owe more on the loan than the car is worth, gap insurance covers the difference.
Remember that a comprehensive deductible and coverage limit pay for comprehensive insurance claims and differ from your collision deductible and limit.
What's the Difference Between Collision and Comprehensive Insurance?
Comprehensive covers non-collision damage: theft, vandalism, weather, fire, animal strikes, and falling objects. Collision covers damage from hitting another vehicle or a stationary object, whether or not you are at fault.
A simple rule separates the 2 claims. If your car hits something, the claim is a collision claim. If something happens to your car, the claim is a comprehensive claim. Collision insurance pays for parts, vehicle repair, or a replacement vehicle after a crash with another car, a guardrail, or a pole, or after a rollover.
Is Comprehensive the Same as Full Coverage?
No. Comprehensive is a single coverage. "Full coverage" is an informal name for a bundle of coverages, not a policy type. Lenders use the term to describe the coverages they require on a financed or leased car.
It refers to comprehensive and collision car insurance plus state-mandated policy requirements, such as liability insurance. Most insurance providers do not offer anything named "full coverage."
How Much Does Comprehensive Coverage Cost?
Comprehensive coverage costs an average of $238.21 per year in the United States, according to the NAIC's 2023 Auto Insurance Database report. That average equals about $20 per month. The 2023 average rose from $196.36 in 2022, a 21.31% increase in a single year. Your own rate depends on your carrier, your state, your vehicle, and your deductible. Request a quote from each carrier you are considering instead of relying on a national average.
Comprehensive rates change from state to state. State weather risk explains much of the difference. Coastal states with high hurricane and storm exposure tend to charge more for comprehensive coverage. According to the Insurance Information Institute, Florida recorded the highest average auto insurance expenditure in 2022, and Louisiana recorded the second highest.
Your deductible choice changes your premium. A higher deductible lowers your premium. A lower deductible raises your premium. According to Insurance Geek's 2026 analysis, raising your collision and comprehensive deductibles from $250 to $500 or $1,000 typically lowers those coverage costs by 10% to 20%. You pay more out of pocket at claim time in exchange for the lower premium.
Your vehicle's age and actual cash value also set your cost. Age and actual cash value set the maximum your insurer pays on a comprehensive claim. Newer vehicles carry higher replacement values and cost more to insure. According to MoneyGeek's 2026 analysis, full coverage on a 2016 Honda Civic averaged about $170 per month for a driver aged 35 to 55, compared with about $273 per month for a 2025 model.
Insurance Navy compares comprehensive quotes from multiple carriers, so you see the deductible and premium trade-off side by side. Call 888-949-6289, request a free quote online, or visit an Insurance Navy location to speak with a licensed agent.
