Does Your Car Insurance Company Cover Windshield Replacement
A rock or bird impacting a windshield can cause either a significant crack or necessitate a complete replacement. Either situation is stressful and often leaves auto insurance holders wondering if their insurance company will cover the damage.
Any glass damage on a car will be covered under the insurance policy’s comprehensive physical damage coverage. This covers things such as fires, floods, and windshield damage. How much will be covered will vary from company to company. Most insurance providers will be upfront about the amount of this coverage when any auto insurance quote is obtained. Even so, the policies surrounding windshield replacement can be murky. Typically, the car owner will be required to pay their deductible before the insurance provider will pay out for any damage. As this deductible is often $500 or more, and a replacement windshield is often only $350, insurance is not always the best choice. Companies do offer lower deductibles, sometimes as low as $100, but with a corresponding increase in monthly premiums. In that case, an insured person could pay only $100 to have a windshield repaired. Some states, such as Florida and Kentucky, have laws which prevent insurance companies from charging the deductible in windshield claims. This means that in those states, insurance would pay out for a windshield regardless of its cost, and no deductible would be required.
Companies may offer a waived deductible for glass if the occurrence is ‘no-fault’, such as a rock being thrown up from the road by a vehicle in front of the client, or if the windshield can be repaired for a smaller cost than replacement. Each insurance company will have different policies, so it is worth obtaining multiple auto insurance quotes to see who provides the best options, as glass repair and replacement are very common occurrences in the life of any vehicle. One common misconception about glass replacement is that using an insurance policy to cover it will mean an increase in rates. Again, damage which is considered to be ‘no-fault’ should not have this effect on a policy, but always be sure to confirm this with the insurance provider before proceeding with any work.
While almost any insurance company will cover the cost of windshield replacement under their comprehensive physical damage coverage, the cost of the deductible can often be more expensive than the windshield itself. If not living in a state where glass deductibles have been eliminated, a client needs to weigh the higher premium cost of a low deductible against the upfront cost of replacing a windshield. Windshield replacement, while technically a part of any auto insurance policy, is often more costly than it is worth.
