Collision Insurance Coverage

What does collision insurance provide? For a covered accident, collision coverage extends beyond your own vehicle to include:

• Temporary substitute cars
• Newly-acquired cars
• Cars you're using but aren't owned by anyone in your household

Your amount of coverage is limited to the actual cash value of the vehicle. Collision coverage also requires a deductible, the amount you'll need to pay before you start receiving benefits.

Higher deductibles lower your premium but increase the amount you must pay out of your own pocket if a loss occurs. Ask yourself how much you would be willing to pay on short notice in order to save on your premium, or talk to your State Farm^® agent.

What does collision insurance cover?

Collision insurance covers your vehicle when:

• You’re in a single-car accident involving only your car
• You’re in an accident with another vehicle
• Your vehicle collides with an object such as a tree or structure
• Your vehicle hits an obstruction in the road
  
  

What collision insurance doesn't cover

Damage from sources like these aren't covered by collision insurance:

• Theft
• Falling or flying objects
• Flood
• Hail
• Fire
• Hitting or being hit by an animal
• Natural disasters
• Storms
• Vandalism

To insure against dangers like these, you need comprehensive coverage.

What’s the difference between collision and comprehensive coverage?

Collision insurance protects you from claims by other drivers and pays for repairs from collisions. But it also differs from coverage types like comprehensive coverage in some key areas.

The main difference from comprehensive insurance, is that comprehensive coverage pays for damage to your vehicle for accidents that aren’t caused by a collision, such as weather-related incidents like hail.

Collision coverage differs also from liability coverage, which protects you from claims made by other drivers if you’re at fault in an accident.

Should you buy collision coverage?

To help you figure out if you should purchase collision coverage, you should estimate the approximate value of your vehicle.

While there are a number of online resources that can help with this, including Kelley Blue Book, we recommend you speak with a State Farm^® agent. In addition to helping you determine the value of your vehicle, our agents can tell you how much extra you'd pay to add collision coverage.

Once you know the approximate value of your car and the cost to carry collision coverage, then you can make an informed decision about purchasing that coverage. Many people find that it's a good idea to cover newer cars, but as cars get older, their values decrease, and you might consider omitting or dropping this coverage to save money on your auto insurance.