Does Insurance Cover Broken Car Windows?
Written by
Ann Herro has been writing about insurance and employee benefits for over 15 years. She covers topics ranging from car insurance to healthcare costs.
Reviewed by
Paul Martin is the Director of Education and Development for Myron Steves, one of the largest, most respected insurance wholesalers in the southern U.S.
Popular Questions:
Does car insurance cover a broken window in my car?
How do I know if my car insurance covers a broken window?
How much damage is covered if my car's window gets broken from a break-in?
How much do I have to pay if I don't have coverage for broken windows?
Expert(s) Found on this Page
Does car insurance cover a broken window in my car?
It depends on what kind of car insurance you have and what broke your window.
There are three main types of car insurance coverage. One type, liability insurance, covers the damage you do to other people or property in an accident. It is mandated by your state so you can pay other parties if you cause a crash. Liability insurance won’t cover you if your car’s window gets broken.
The other two types are called collision coverage and comprehensive coverage. Both of these are optional and cover damage to your own car:
- Collision coverage: Covers your car window if it broke in a collision with another vehicle or an inanimate object, like a mailbox.
- Comprehensive coverage: Covers your car window if it broke because someone smashed it or if it broke during a hailstorm.
Collision coverage and comprehensive coverage can both cover damage to your window in certain situations. Sometimes glass coverage is not included, however, and you may have to purchase additional glass coverage.
How do I know if my car insurance covers a broken window?
To understand the answer to this question, you need to know that there are three main car insurance coverage types: liability, collision, and comprehensive (aka other than collision). Each covers different situations.
- Liability coverage: Covers damage you do to other people, vehicles, or property.
- Collision coverage: Covers damage that other vehicles do to you in a collision. Also covers damage from collisions with inanimate objects, like mailboxes.
- Comprehensive coverage: Covers just about everything else, including theft, natural disasters, and collisions with wild animals like deer.
If you have car insurance, then you definitely have liability insurance since it’s the legally required minimum coverage required by most states. But collision and comprehensive coverage are optional, so you may not have them. Check the details of your policy online or in your policy documents to see what’s listed.
If you have comprehensive and collision coverage in addition to your liability coverage, you'll have broad coverage for many different situations.
However, some insurance companies insure glass differently under separate glass coverage. It’s good to read the fine print to see if you need to purchase separate glass coverage.
If your car insurance isn’t covering everything you want it to, it’s easy to work with an independent insurance agent and add extra coverage.
How much damage is covered if my car's window gets broken from a break-in?
That’s going to depend on these two things:
- The size of your deductible
- Your car insurance coverage limits
A deductible is the amount you agree to pay before your insurance kicks in. If you get into an accident and cause $1,000 worth of damage to your car and your deductible is $500, then you’ll need to pay $500 before your insurance company pays the other $500.
Comprehensive and collision coverage policies usually have a deductible, but some policies offer no-deductible options. Special glass coverage rarely has a deductible.
A coverage limit is what it sounds like. It’s the limit on how much your insurance will pay for any given claim.
- Your liability coverage will have higher limits, such as $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, or more.
- Comprehensive and collision coverage, which covers damage to your own car, is usually limited to the actual cash value of your car.
The actual cash value of your car isn’t what you paid for it. It’s the replacement cost of the car less depreciation, or the amount of value your car loses each year due to age and wear and tear.
So, the answer to your question is that your insurance will pay for the cost of repairs minus any applicable deductible up to the coverage limit.
How much do I have to pay if I don't have coverage for broken windows?
You certainly could choose to pay out of pocket for your broken window. Whether you need collision coverage and/or comprehensive coverage will depend on the value of your car, your budget, and how much savings you have on hand to pay for repairs if something happens to your car.
- If you have an older or cheaper car, paying for collision and comprehensive coverage might not be worth it, depending on the actual cash value of your car. If you have a newer or more expensive car, paying for that extra coverage is likely more cost-effective.
- If money is tight and you need to save money everywhere you can, then paying extra for premiums might not be worth it to you. Make sure that you have enough savings to cover repairs if something happens. Otherwise, you could be left without a car if your vehicle sustains serious damage.
- If you don’t have a lot of savings, buying collision and comprehensive coverage ensures that you’ll be able to afford repairs so that you’re not left without a car. But if you have a lot of savings, planning to pay cash for repairs might make more sense to you.
Replacing your car’s windows can be surprisingly expensive. It could cost hundreds of dollars just to replace a single window. And that’s just one potential scenario where collision and comprehensive coverage could swoop in and save the day.
It’s almost always a good idea to have collision and comprehensive coverage, but the ultimate decision is up to you. An independent insurance agent can go over your options with you and help you decide what's best.