Many people wonder what’s the difference between collision and comprehensive coverage on your Washington auto insurance policy. They both cover your vehicles for physical damage so why are there two different coverages?
Collision coverage is what most people think about when they think about how their car insurance will cover their vehicle if there’s damage. Collision coverage only covers for damage to your vehicle from accidents. They could be accidents where you are at fault for the accident or another person is at fault for the accident and there is damage to your vehicle. The company will pay for damages to your vehicle minus your deductible.
Comprehensive coverage, as I like to tell people, covers damage to your vehicle for practically everything other than a collision. For example, if your car was vandalized, stolen, or damaged from an “act of God” like hail or a tree falling these would be covered under comprehensive coverage. Hitting an animal is considered an “act of God” under your personal auto policy, not a collision.
So, when determining your rates, car insurance companies take into account the type of claims you’ve experienced in your recent past. A comprehensive claim is considered outside of your control and generally won’t affect your rates. An at fault collision claim, depending upon the insurance company, could cause you to lose good driver discounts and incur additional surcharges.
When looking to shop rates for your Washington car insurance remember to accurately enter all prior claims (as well as you can remember). This will allow you to get the most accurate quotes based on your current situation. Hiding your past claims and violations won’t do you any good. Almost every company out there now will run in your claims and driving history records prior to binding your policy. And, if the company binds your policy without running your reports they will run them later and adjust your rates accordingly.
Since every insurance company treats claims and tickets in different ways, it’s important to make sure that you compare rates with multiple companies to ensure you get the best rate for your situation…especially when you have claims or violations. It’s very easy to compare rates online today. It only takes 3 to 5 minutes and you can get rates back from multiple companies to look over when you have time. You can start your rates here by entering your zip code in the box above.
