What is Covered in Comprehensive Car Insurance

Car insurance is also known by a few other terms, including vehicle insurance and auto insurance. It is one of the most popular types of insurance in the world, and is used by millions of people as a way to protect themselves, their property, and other people on the road. There are a few different types of car insurance on the market, which relate mostly to differing levels of coverage. The items that can be insured by vehicle insurance policies include third party personal, third party property, property, personal, liability, fire and theft, and things like vandalism and natural disasters.

While third party policies are often a mandatory requirement to dirve on public roads, comprehensive car insurance policies are voluntary and come in a number of different flavours. In some jurisdictions, a distinction is made between collision car insurance and comprehensive car insurance, with the former covering the medical expenses and property of the insured party but not necessarily in all situations. While there is no policy that really provides total comprehensive cover in all situations, the category of car insurance known as comprehensive insurance is designed to cover people in most situations that are likely to arise, including a number of rare events such as vandalism, natural disasters, and impacts with animals.

Full coverage is a term used in the car insurance industry to describe a combination of comprehensive and collision coverage. Liability is also generally implied in full coverage situations, although it is always best to check with individual policy providers to check what level of liability protection is on offer. Comprehensive protection is the most detailed protection available to car drivers, although what is considered to be comprehensive by one insurance provider may be very different to that of another.

In most comprehensive policies, coverage will be provided for the following items and situations. Third party property and third party personal coverage is always covered, as is collision coverage to the insured person's vehicle and their own private medical expenses. However, where it differs from simple collision coverage is that protection also exists for fire, theft, vandalism, weather events, and impacts with animals. A more detailed level of liability coverage is also provided in some comprehensive contracts, although these details differ from policy to policy and jurisdiction to jurisdiction.