Does auto insurance cover broken car windows?

If you wake up one morning to find that someone has broken into your car through a side window, one of your first worries will be the expense of fixing the damage. You may wonder if car insurance covers broken windows. Read on to learn how it works.

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If you have ever found yourself in the situation where your window is broken, either by a car break in or simply an accident, you probably want to know about the details of insurance coverage. Does car insurance cover a broken window from theft? Does car insurance cover a broken back window? Does full coverage cover broken windows or does liability insurance cover a broken window?

Let’s take a look at insurance, broken windows, and what coverage you need to make sure your vehicle is protected no matter what the scenario is.

Does insurance cover broken windows? 

Does your liability auto insurance cover a broken window? Unfortunately no. If you want to file a claim against your insurance for damage to one or more of your car windows, you will need collision or comprehensive coverage. Is a cracked windshield under comprehensive or collision coverage? To find out the difference between collision vs. comprehensive coverage, check out our guide. They are typically add-ons to a basic liability policy and provide you with different types of protection.

So, does comprehensive insurance cover broken windows or does comprehensive coverage cover windshield damage? Comprehensive auto insurance covers glass damage if it’s due to theft, vandalism, weather events, or impact with a wild animal. On the other hand, what is collision auto insurance? Collision insurance will protect you if you hit an inanimate object or another vehicle.

Check out this table to see how much it would cost you on average to add comprehensive coverage to your policy.

Comprehensive Auto Insurance Monthly Rates by State

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The Difference Between a Windshield and Other Windows

There is a big difference between your side window and your windshield. Does glass coverage cover side windows? Side windows typically have tempered glass, which is stronger than ordinary glass but could break into many shards or smaller pieces following a sudden impact.

However, the windshield has laminated glass and will put up with more stress. When something hits the glass with sufficient force, its layers usually stay bound together in one piece.

So there’s a difference in the actual glass that the windows are made from, but let’s take a closer look at what that means for insurance. Does liability cover a broken window, whether that is a side window or a windshield? Or does a car warranty cover a cracked windshield? Or does car insurance cover broken side windows by itself?

Are there separate coverage rules for different windows?

Rules vary by state across the country for many reasons, even when it comes to the type of window. It’s common to ask, “Will auto insurance cover a cracked windshield?” or “Are broken windows covered by car insurance?” Some companies treat this separately, as different states have requirements that dictate if you must replace a windshield due to cracks or chips.

In addition, some states insist that insurance companies extend zero-deductible coverage, while others make this optional. Your back window might not be covered by insurance depending on the requirements. Make sure you look up the details of your policy to see if your car insurance covers broken windows.

How do you file a broken window insurance claim?

Now the question is, what is the process for a broken car window insurance claim? Much will depend on the circumstances of the incident and the type of coverage you have in place. You’ll also need to consider your auto insurance deductible and whether you will need to pay that before insurance kicks in. Sometimes you may have to ask your insurance provider, do I have to pay a deductible if my car is vandalized? 

While you will typically need comprehensive or collision coverage, some companies have a specific offering known as “glass coverage” which may be used as broken car window insurance. Look at the small print on your policy or discuss these options with different companies if you’re looking for a new provider to cover broken car glass. The specifics for a car’s back glass replacement may vary greatly.

Does insurance cover broken windows due to theft?

But if someone breaks your car window, does insurance cover it? Does insurance cover side windows broken by a thief? And does car insurance cover the back window if someone broke it trying to get into your car? If a thief caused side window damage when they broke in to try and steal some of your belongings, insurers would cover this under your comprehensive policy.

If you caused a car crash and your side window broke, your collision coverage will typically pay the bill. If an incident were the other driver’s fault, their insurance would settle and cover you under the other’s driver’s liability policy. If the at-fault driver doesn’t have insurance, you’ll need to look into settling a car accident without insurance.

Collision coverage overall is pretty cheap to add to your auto insurance. Let’s look at the average annual rates of adding collision to your policy.

Collision Auto Insurance Monthly Rates by State

Should you always file a claim?

Are there any situations where you should not file an insurance claim for a broken car window? You might wonder, should I file an insurance claim for broken car windows? In many cases, insurance companies will insist that you pay a deductible when you file a claim for damage to broken windows.

In that case, you will need to look at how much does it cost to repair broken car window to see if it’s worth filing a claim.

Glass repairs often don’t exceed the cost of a deductible (at least not by much), so it may not be worth making a claim. Otherwise, an insurance company may raise your future premiums to compensate for your claims history. You can check your claims history to help you decide if you should file a claim again.

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Are broken car windows covered by my auto insurance?: The Bottom Line

Ultimately, does insurance cover broken car windows? Are side windows covered by insurance? Does insurance cover rear window damage? If you are saying, someone broke my car window, what insurance do I need?, here’s what you need to know. If you want to file a claim against your car insurance for a broken window, you will need comprehensive or collision coverage on your policy, depending on the cause of damage.

Make sure you understand how to file an auto insurance claim including a broken glass insurance claim.

Sometimes, glass-specific coverage is also available. Bear in mind that your policy may have a deductible in place, so you need to compare this to the cost of the repairs as you decide how to proceed when trying to figure out does my car insurance cover broken windows?

See how much you could save by comparing auto insurance companies today. Enter your ZIP to get quotes that include collision and comprehensive coverage.

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