By Madeline Klein on February 5, 2019 in Insurance Basics
If someone breaks into your car, we feel for you. Maybe they broke a window. Maybe they stole some electronics. Maybe they took the entire car. No matter what happened, it’s no fun dealing with the aftermath of a break-in.
Hopefully, you have some insurance to help cover damages and to help pay for anything that was stolen. Here’s what to know about coverage for all the stuff in your car.
Comprehensive Coverage helps pay for a damaged car
You may have more than just stolen personal property to worry about after a car break-in. If your car was damaged, like a window was broken, you’ll have to deal with getting that fixed as well. If you have Comprehensive Coverage, that typically covers vandalism to your car, and your broken window would fall in that category.
After the break-in, you’ll want to take photos of your car and get in touch with your provider immediately to start a claim.
What else does Comprehensive Coverage help with?
There are some other damages that your Comprehensive Coverage may help fix or replace. Comprehensive can help with things that are fixed to your car and are not simply personal belongings inside. Those are things like:
- Broken locks
- Damage to your stereo
- Cosmetic damage, etc.
Basically, it can help with anything that is attached and a part of your car. Again, if you need to make a claim, reach out to your provider as soon as you can.
Does car insurance cover theft of personal items?
Typically, homeowners or renters insurance would help cover any personal items stolen from your car. The break-in could have been on your property or somewhere else. Either way, that insurance policy could help cover stolen items like electronics, purses/wallets, jewelry, etc.
Homeowners or renters insurance might also apply if your car was stolen with those items inside. Just know that in either of those situations, you’d have a separate deductible for the homeowners/renters policy and any claim you make with your auto insurance provider.
Car safety tips
The more you can do to prevent a break-in, the better off you’ll be. You can try to deter thieves with some of these tips:
- Lock your car
- Install an anti-theft device
- Don’t keep valuable items in the car
- Park in a well-lit area
We know you’re probably already doing a lot of these things, but you can never be too careful.