Does auto insurance cover broken car windows?
Broken car windows are an expensive problem to fix.. Comprehensive or collision insurance covers damage to broken windows, but you may need to pay a deductible.
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Laura D. Adams
Insurance & Finance Analyst
Laura Adams is one of the nation’s leading finance, insurance, and small business authorities. As an award-winning author, spokesperson, and host of the top-rated Money Girl podcast since 2008, millions of readers and listeners benefit from her practical advice. Her mission is to empower consumers to live healthy and rich lives by planning for the future and making smart money decisions. She rec...
Insurance & Finance Analyst
UPDATED: Aug 20, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident auto insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one auto insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider. Our partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.
UPDATED: Aug 20, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident auto insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one auto insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider. Our partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
On This Page
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.
Compare coverage options with many companies side-by-side. Use our free rate-quote tool to begin. Just enter your ZIP to get quotes that include the window coverage you need.
- To file a claim for broken windows, you need collision or comprehensive insurance in place, depending on what caused the damage
- You will typically need to pay a deductible before the insurance covers the rest
- Insurance companies will specify how much they are willing to pay for repair
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
| State | Monthly Rates |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $12 |
| Alaska | $12 |
| Arizona | $15 |
| Arkansas | $15 |
| California | $8 |
| Colorado | $13 |
| Connecticut | $11 |
| Delaware | $9 |
| Florida | $9 |
| Georgia | $13 |
| Hawaii | $8 |
| Idaho | $9 |
| Illinois | $10 |
| Indiana | $10 |
| Iowa | $14 |
| Kansas | $19 |
| Kentucky | $11 |
| Louisiana | $17 |
| Maine | $8 |
| Maryland | $12 |
| Massachusetts | $11 |
| Michigan | $12 |
| Minnesota | $14 |
| Mississippi | $16 |
| Missouri | $14 |
| Montana | $17 |
| Nebraska | $17 |
| Nevada | $10 |
| New Hampshire | $9 |
| New Jersey | $10 |
| New Mexico | $14 |
| New York | $13 |
| North Carolina | $10 |
| North Dakota | $19 |
| Ohio | $9 |
| Oklahoma | $17 |
| Oregon | $7 |
| Pennsylvania | $11 |
| Rhode Island | $10 |
| South Carolina | $14 |
| South Dakota | $19 |
| Tennessee | $11 |
| Texas | $16 |
| Utah | $9 |
| Vermont | $10 |
| Virginia | $11 |
| Washington | $9 |
| Washington, D.C | $19 |
| West Virginia | $16 |
| Wisconsin | $11 |
| Wyoming | $19 |
| U.S. Average | $12 |
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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
| State | Rates |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $25 |
| Alaska | $30 |
| Arizona | $22 |
| Arkansas | $25 |
| California | $30 |
| Colorado | $22 |
| Connecticut | $29 |
| Delaware | $25 |
| District of Columbia | $37 |
| Florida | $21 |
| Georgia | $27 |
| Hawaii | $25 |
| Idaho | $17 |
| Illinois | $24 |
| Indiana | $20 |
| Iowa | $17 |
| Kansas | $21 |
| Kentucky | $21 |
| Louisiana | $33 |
| Maine | $21 |
| Maryland | $28 |
| Massachusetts | $30 |
| Michigan | $32 |
| Minnesota | $18 |
| Mississippi | $25 |
| Missouri | $22 |
| Montana | $21 |
| Nebraska | $19 |
| Nevada | $24 |
| New Hampshire | $23 |
| New Jersey | $30 |
| New Mexico | $22 |
| New York | $30 |
| North Carolina | $22 |
| North Dakota | $19 |
| Ohio | $21 |
| Oklahoma | $25 |
| Oregon | $18 |
| Pennsylvania | $26 |
| Rhode Island | $31 |
| South Carolina | $21 |
| South Dakota | $17 |
| Tennessee | $24 |
| Texas | $28 |
| Utah | $21 |
| Vermont | $23 |
| Virginia | $22 |
| Washington | $21 |
| West Virginia | $27 |
| Wisconsin | $17 |
| Wyoming | $23 |
| U.S. Average | $25 |
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does liability auto insurance cover broken windows?
You may wonder, does liability cover a broken windshield? No, liability auto insurance does not cover broken windows. To file a claim for damage to your car windows, you will need collision. You can also buy comprehensive cover for your windshield.
Do insurance companies treat windshields and other windows differently?
Are car windows covered by insurance regardless of which window is broken? There may be separate coverage rules for different windows. Some states require specific coverage for cracked windshields, and the extent of coverage can vary. So check your area’s requirements for if a broken car window is covered by insurance or not.
Does insurance cover broken windows due to theft?
So you want to know, does car insurance cover it if someone breaks your window? Yes, if a thief caused damage to your car windows during a break-in, it is typically covered under your comprehensive insurance policy. So even if your window is smashed, comprehensive insurance should take are of the problem.
Does comprehensive coverage include broken car windows?
Is a broken car window covered by insurance? Yes, comprehensive coverage typically covers damage to broken car windows caused by theft, vandalism, weather events, or impact with a wild animal. However, you may need to pay a deductible before insurance covers the rest. When your car window is smashed, some insurance types like comprehensive will cover it.
What are important things to remember about filing a claim for broken windows?
You might ask, should I file a claim for a broken car window? There are a few considerations when filing a claim. To file a claim, you need comprehensive or collision coverage, and you may have to pay a deductible. Insurance companies specify the amount they are willing to pay for repairs.
So if you need a car window replacement, insurance might not cover it. Consider the cost of repairs compared to your deductible before deciding to file a claim.
Does full coverage insurance cover broken windows?
So, does insurance cover broken car windows? Typically yes, but confirm the specific details with your insurance provider. You might wonder how much does insurance pay for broken car windows, but the cost will vary according to the situation as well as your coverage.
Does insurance cover a rear window replacement?
There may be instances where you unfortunately need to know, is rear glass covered by insurance? And if you have comprehensive and collision coverage, the answer is usually yes. But you should always confirm with your insurance company to get a clear answer for the question, is a rear window covered by insurance?
How can I save on auto insurance rates for coverage that includes broken windows?
You probably need to know, does car insurance cover windows and how much does it cost? You can compare quotes from different insurance companies to find affordable rates for collision or comprehensive coverage that includes protection for broken car windows. Use our rate-quote tool by entering your ZIP code to get started.
Free Auto Insurance Comparison
Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap auto insurance rates.
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Laura D. Adams
Insurance & Finance Analyst
Laura Adams is one of the nation’s leading finance, insurance, and small business authorities. As an award-winning author, spokesperson, and host of the top-rated Money Girl podcast since 2008, millions of readers and listeners benefit from her practical advice. Her mission is to empower consumers to live healthy and rich lives by planning for the future and making smart money decisions. She rec...
Insurance & Finance Analyst
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.