Does car insurance cover rock damage?

When you drive around town, you expect for everything to go smoothly.

Unfortunately, things happen, including rock damage to the body of your car or even your windshields and windows.

It’s important to know how to deal with the situation. Car insurance will provide coverage in some instances.

If you’re concerned for your car’s safety and want better auto insurance, compare at least three to four policies today and find the best fit for you! Enter your ZIP code above!

How likely is it to experience rock damage?

During driving lessons, you’re taught to prepare for the unexpected. You’re supposed to keep your eyes on the road at all times.

Think ahead for anything that might occur, including trucks that could throw a rock at your windshield or rocks falling from cliffs.

Anytime you are on a highway with a large truck in front of you, there is the possibility of your windshield being hit. Sometimes, the rock will bounce off and cause no damage. Other times, it’s a large enough rock that will crack the windshield.

There are also areas of the country, particularly in the mountains, where you have to be on the lookout for falling rocks. Warning signs should be posted in areas where this is more likely to occur.

So be on your guard when driving. Weather forecasts will also tell you when falling rocks are going to be more prevalent, particularly when it rains.

When a rock hits your windshield or comes rolling down and hits the top of your car, it can be scary. Not only could you suffer damage to your car, but it could also cause you to lose control of your car. When anything happens, you need to know if you are protected or not.

Is there car insurance coverage to protect against rock damage?

A basic auto insurance policy is going to cover what goes on while driving, for example, getting into an accident with another vehicle.

Most states require coverage for bodily injury and property damage liability.

The liability coverage limits will vary by state. There is also the ability to increase above the minimums.

When you want protection against rock damage, it is not covered by a basic policy. As such, you need to have comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive is something you can add-on when getting online quotes. You choose the amount of coverage, and the insurance company will provide financial protection up to that amount.

Comprehensive covers things that aren’t driving-related, such as:

• Broken windshield
• Falling rocks
• Hail damage
• Damage from shopping carts

This coverage is often required by lienholders as a way of protecting their investment.

In addition to what is required by the state, a lienholder might request for you to obtain a certain level of coverage for both comprehensive and collision protection on your insurance policy.

As you get quotes from an insurance company, you can look at the cost of insurance premiums based on the type of coverage you get and how much coverage you choose.

Often, increasing the coverage by $10,000 or more in an area does not end up costing you a significant amount of money, particularly when broken out by monthly premiums.

How to file a claim with the insurance company

When you have rock damage to your car, it’s important to file an insurance claim with the insurance company. The level of damage will determine how the claim is handled.

If it is windshield damage, many insurance companies won’t need you to visit a body shop. Instead, you report the damage and estimate the time and location it happened.

If you have comprehensive coverage, the insurance company will often pay for the windshield repair once a year without you having to pay a comprehensive deductible.

If the damage is more extensive, such as driving along cliffs when several rocks came rolling down, the claim process will be more time-consuming. You might have to visit an estimator and a body shop to get several quotes on repairs.

There might be the need to replace windows, door panels, and re-do the paint on the car. In this kind of situation, you would likely have to pay your deductible before the insurance company takes care of the repairs.

Read more: Does car insurance cover broken windows?

Rock damage is relatively common across the United States.

If you have comprehensive coverage, car insurance will typically cover the damages. You simply have to file a claim to let them know what has happened. From there, they will guide you towards your next step to ensure the repairs are handled.

Windshields can endure a variety of damage and windshield replacement is not always necessary. Depending on the size and location, mild damages can be repaired quickly. But if the crack is directly within the field of view of the driver, it must be replaced. (For more information, read our “Does Geico cover windshield replacement?“).

The good thing is that the vast majority of cracks will be covered under your comprehensive insurance. Comprehensive insurance is not legally required by state, instead it’s an optional add-on to your policy. Usually it’s paired with collision insurance to cover any damage that might happen to your vehicle.

Most comprehensive policies come with deductibles that need to be paid before any compensation is offered. However, if you opt for no deductible, the cost of your insurance premiums will be drastically higher. In turn, the higher the deductible, the lower the premiums will be.

Fortunately, with comprehensive insurance for glass coverage, it’s possible to get policies in which glass damage is exempt, but make sure that all glass is covered.

So to the question: does car insurance cover rock chips and damage? The answer is yes, provided you have the right coverage.

If your car has recently experienced rock damage and you need better auto insurance, enter your ZIP code below to start comparison shopping today!