Every car owner has experienced that one rock flying up and cracking the windshield. What starts as a small star soon explodes into a massive crack across the entire front glass. Depending on your policy and insurance company many times that crack can be fixed for free or replaced for a small charge. If you are wondering if your windshield is covered on your car insurance policy I will explain what is and is not covered and what questions to ask your agent in case you need to file a claim.
In order to have any glass coverage on your auto insurance the policy must include comprehensive coverage which covers most losses beyond running into something. Some car insurance companies offer specific coverage for glass in your car but more on that later. Let's first look at comprehensive coverage and how it will apply to a broken windshield.
If you have comprehensive coverage on your car insurance policy it will cover a replacement of the entire glass subject to your deductible. Most comprehensive deductibles are between $250 and $750 so if the glass only costs $200 to replace it doesn't make sense to make a claim. Most insurance companies will not raise your rates due to filing a comprehensive claim since it is not due to an accident. Be sure you know what your comprehensive deductible is and in most situations it makes sense to have a lower deductible like $250. Comprehensive coverage is usually a small portion of the overall cost of your policy so a lower deductible won't raise your rates by much. Keep the collision deductible above $500 because this is where the majority of your premium is charged especially on a newer vehicle.
In the event your insurance company offers glass coverage as a separate item it is something I would add. This type of coverage is usually $10-40 annually and usually has a $100 deductible for any glass in the car. If you need to replace the windshield or any other glass in the car it is only $100 out of pocket to you. The other nice feature of the glass coverage is free crack repairs. The glass company will fill the crack with epoxy so it will prevent further cracking and hope to extend the life of the glass.
