Comprehensive Insurance Covers Vandalism To Your Vehicle

2 February 2017 by Elijah Steward

Insurance companies classify vandalism as damage to your vehicle not caused by an accident. Since you need comprehensive insurance for your auto insurer to pay for damages to your vehicle caused by vandalism, it's important to know how the coverage works.

Comprehensive Insurance As an Optional Coverage

If your vehicle is vandalized and you don't have comprehensive coverage, your auto insurer won't pay to repair the damage. Even if you think you have full coverage, you may not. What some insurers consider full coverage includes only collision and liability coverage.

Like collision insurance, comprehensive insurance is an optional coverage. However, if your vehicle is financed and you still owe a loan balance, the lender normally requires that you carry collision insurance. The add-on of comprehensive coverage is usually up to you, but any coverage types you add to your auto insurance policy will increase your premium. Still, the additional cost may be worth it if you vehicle is vandalized.

Claim Filing Process

When you file a vandalism claim, you are required to pay your deductible before the insurance company will pay the claim. But it may not be worth the trouble to file a claim if the cost to repair the damage is less than your comprehensive deductible.

Since your insurer must believe that vandals are responsible for the damage, take photographs and get the names of any witnesses when compiling evidence of vandalism. Whether the damage involves slashed tires, smashed windows, or deliberate key scratches on your vehicle's body, the next step is to file a police report. In fact, insurance companies generally require that policyholders file a police report before they will consider a claim for damage due to vandalism.

Your insurer will also want to inspect the damages to your vehicle. If the damage is so severe that your vehicle can't be driven to an inspection location, a claim adjuster will come to your home or the scene where the vandalism occurred. Whatever you do, don't take your vehicle to an auto body shop for repairs before an adjuster assesses the extent of the damage firsthand.

Fraud Investigation

Insurance companies tend to exert extra caution when it comes to claims for vandalism to prevent cases of fraud. Certain risk factors, such as recently taking out a new policy, may cause the insurer to take a closer look at your claim. The more it costs to repair the damage, the more likely the chance that the insurance company will investigate the claim.

Comprehensive coverage also won't cover intentional damage to the vehicle caused by a person named on the policy. So if you get mad at your spouse and take a golf club to the windshield to make a point, don't expect your insurer to pay.

For more information, contact an insurance agency like LA Insurance.

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