The difference between comprehensive deductible and collision deductible

For most insurance companies, you have the choice to choose the amount of your deductible for both your collision and comprehensive coverage.

We have already talked about comprehensive insurance and the difference between that and your collision coverage. Here is a quick review in case you have forgotten.

Collision coverage pays to fix your car in the event of an accident. Comprehensive coverage pays to fix your car in all other incidents. What I like to refer to as “acts of God.”

Some examples for a comprehensive claim are a tree falls on your car, an impact with any kind of animal (deer hits are the most common), somebody vandalizes your vehicle, stone chip damage to windshield, flood damage, etc. I think you get the point.

One more time, I would like to stress how important a police report is at the scene of the incident. This will again give you the proof you need to show the insurance company exactly what happened to your vehicle.

So, if you have a good insurance company, it will let you choose your deductible for collision, which can be one amount.

Then you can choose a different deductible for your comprehensive portion of your policy. This is important for a couple of reasons.

You need to understand that a comprehensive claim will not affect your driving record, so it will not raise your premium. If it does, you need to find another insurance company.

Next, you will be more likely to use your comprehensive, so keep that deductible lower so you don’t have to pay as much.

It also isn’t tied directly to your premium like your collision deductible is. So if you get a stone chip in your windshield, you will only have to pay $100 with a lower deductible than $500 or $1,000, which could be your deductible on your collision portion of your insurance.

Contact your agent to ask what your deductible is on your comprehensive, and lower it as soon as possible. Then when somebody keys your car in a parking lot, it will be a lot easier to handle with a lower deductible.