Which Type Of Auto Insurance Would Pay For The Repair Of Cracked Windshield Caused By A Rock Hitting

A photo to accompany a story about whether insurance covers windshield replacement

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Something like this has happened to a lot of drivers: y'all're cruising down the highway, and of a sudden, a rock flies on your windshield, leaving a big ugly crack.

Windshield damage happens all too oft, and it can cost a pretty penny to gear up.

That's where optional car insurance coverages, like comprehensive, collision, or total drinking glass insurance, can come into play. Some car insurers also offer no-deductible glass coverage as function of your policy, but that's something you should verify with your provider. If you lot don't have whatever of those coverages, your insurance won't pay for windshield damage at all.

"If that drinking glass can be repairable, most insurance companies will waive your deductible and just repair the impairment to your drinking glass — if the damage is just to your glass," says Charlie Wendland, head of claims at Branch Insurance, an insurance technology company based in Ohio. "In the event that your windshield needs to be replaced, depending on your coverage, it may be subject to a deductible."

Allow's wait at how car insurance will cover you if your windshield cracks or shatters.

Does Automobile Insurance Cover Windshield Damage?

Impairment to your windshield is covered in the majority of cases as long as you take comprehensive insurance. Comprehensive is an optional coverage that protects your car from amercement caused by incidents other than a collision, such as theft, flood, falling rocks and more than.

If your windshield cracks or shatters, your collision insurance would kicking in to cover those repairs. Liability insurance will normally only cover a windshield replacement or repair if the harm has occurred in an accident acquired by another commuter.

Some insurance companies permit customers to purchase full glass coverage. What that means is in that location's no deductible associated with drinking glass-only claims, regardless of whether the glass has to exist repaired or replaced.

"If you have the selection of buying total glass coverage with no deductible, that's something you should definitely weigh the benefits of," says Wendland. "In that location's certainly an increased cost for having no deductible.''

Do You Have to Pay a Deductible for a Windshield Replacement?

There are few things you should consider earlier filing a motorcar drinking glass repair insurance claim. There are certain situations when filing a merits makes sense, and others when it's better to pay for repairs out of pocket. If the cost of repairs is low enough that yous cannot meet your deductible or information technology's shut to your deductible amount, experts say yous shouldn't file a claim.

Pro Tip

Look over your car insurance policy to find out if no-deductible glass damage is part of your comprehensive coverage. If it is, you won't have to pay a deductible for a windshield repair or replacement.

Certain insurance companies may waive your deductible if you choose to repair your auto's windshield instead of completely replacing it, but you lot'll need to verify that with your insurer.

"The first thing I ask when somebody calls me is whether it's repairable. If the crack is smaller than the size of a dollar bill, about half-dozen inches, they tin typically fix that," says Terry Bollom, owner of TAB Insurance Agency in Frisco, Texas.

If your windshield needs to exist replaced, an average windshield without advanced technology built in is effectually $500, says Bollom. "So if your deductible is $500 and it's going to cost $500, so there's no sense in filing a claim. If you had a $500 deductible and it's a $2,500 windshield, so you lot'll want to file that," he says.

"Bank check if your company has a lower glass deductible, versus it just being lumped in with your comprehensive," Bollom also advises. Some insurers can exist more flexible than others about the deductible for windshield replacements.

If the harm is another driver'south fault, their insurance will cover your windshield replacement or repair. In that location's no demand to file a claim with your insurance visitor in that situation, simply you'll need to get the other driver's insurance information.

Will a Windshield Replacement Claim Raise Your Rates?

Any time yous file an car insurance claim — fifty-fifty for a glass repair or replacement — your insurer has the option to increment your rate.

Though a single drinking glass-but claim won't likely increment your rate, be aware that the more claims y'all file, the greater the chances of your rates going upwardly.

"Glass claims aren't really going to injure y'all," Bollom says, "unless you had 10-plus claims in the last 10 years or something."