Does auto insurance cover vandalism?

If you find your car tires slashed or graffiti spray painted on your window, one of your first thoughts is whether your car insurance will cover the car vandalism.

Does auto insurance cover vandalism? Unfortunately, while vandalism is no-fault damages out of your control, even the best auto insurance companies won’t cover the damages unless you have comprehensive insurance. 

Read on to learn more about what types of vandalism are covered under comprehensive insurance, when to file a vandalism claim, and other essential details. 

When Auto Insurance Covers Vandalism

If you are frantically searching for the answer to “My car was vandalized, will insurance cover it,” the answer is that you will only be covered for car vandalism if you carry comprehensive insurance on your auto insurance policy. It will cover the cost of vandalism minus your comprehensive deductible.

So, if you have a $500 deductible and $1,000 worth of vandalism damages, insurance will give you $500 for repairs.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, in addition to covering vandalism, comprehensive insurance will also cover damages from the following: 

• Animal collisions 
• Falling objects 
• Theft 
• Weather 

Comprehensive insurance is typically optional. States don’t require drivers to carry it to drive legally. However, if you have a loan or lease on your car, your lender will require you to carry comprehensive insurance. Take a look at the next section to see what will be counted as vandalism and covered under comprehensive insurance. 

Car Vandalism 

What is considered car vandalism?

Car vandalism is any purposeful destruction of your car that results in damages.

We’ve listed some examples of vandalism below so you can see common scenarios that answer driver’s questions like, does insurance cover keyed cars? 

• Dents in the car from someone hitting or kicking your car 
• Keyed or scratched car 
• Slashed or stolen tires 
• Shattered or cracked windows, headlights, tail lights 
• Spray paint or any other damaging substance on the car 
• Something other than gas put in your gas tank, such as sugar 

Basically, any action by another person that damages your vehicle will count as vandalism and be covered under comprehensive insurance. Wondering, does car insurance cover break-ins?

Comprehensive insurance only covers damages to the vehicle from vandalism. If someone breaks into your car and steals your computer, comprehensive insurance will pay for the broken window but not the computer. 

What Happens if I Don’t Have Comprehensive Insurance 

Unfortunately, your auto insurance won’t pay for damages if you don’t have comprehensive insurance. The only course of action you can take is to file a police report and hope that the person responsible will be caught, charged, and legally required to pay for your damages. 

Therefore, you should usually carry comprehensive insurance if your car is less than 10 years old. However, you can consider getting rid of comprehensive insurance if your car is old and not worth much.

A good rule of thumb is that if comprehensive payments soon match the value of your car, you can remove it. In all other cases, you should carry comprehensive insurance. The cost of comprehensive insurance will usually be much less than any repair costs due to vandalism. 

When to File a Claim After Vandalism and When to Pay-Out-Of-Pocket 

So, when should you file a claim after your car is vandalized? If the damages are extensive and will cost more than your deductible, you should file a claim. If your insurance company doesn’t charge a deductible for glass repairs, you should also file a claim for any broken windows or windshields.

However, it is not always worth filing a claim for vandalism. It depends upon the amount of damage and your deductible. If the cost of damage is less than or only slightly more than your deductible, you might consider forgoing filing a claim. 

Filing a claim can cause your rates to increase even over damages that aren’t your fault. So, if the amount you’ll receive from your insurance company will be minuscule, it is likely not worth filing a claim.

The table below demonstrates how insurance rates can rise after car insurance claims. 

Full Coverage Auto Insurance Monthly Rates: One Accident vs. Clean Record

While your rates will likely increase by less than $100 after two comprehensive claims, if the payout from a claim is going to be less than $100 after your deductible, it makes more sense not to make a claim rather than file and pay increased rates for a few years. 

Consequences for Filing a Vandalism Claim 

Comprehensive claims usually don’t have any insurance-related consequences, as they are no-fault claims. Unless you spray paint your own car, comprehensive claims have no penalty.

Therefore, unlike at-fault claims, which can increase rates by hundreds of dollars, comprehensive claims won’t drastically change your rates. 

However, if you file multiple claims for vandalism, you may see a tiny increase in rates. This is because insurance companies may deem the area you live in as high-risk if your tires are being slashed frequently and raise rates a few dollars higher to compensate for multiple claims. 

How to File Vandalism Car Insurance Claim 

Now that you know when and when not to file an insurance claim for vandalism, we will go over the steps you should take when filing a vandalism claim. Filing correctly is essential to ensuring your car insurance claim for vandalism is handled promptly and approved. 

Photograph Damages 

The first thing you should do is take plenty of photographs of the damage to your car. Do this before cleaning up any broken glass, shredded tires, or similar damages.

Your insurance provider will want pictures of the damage before you clean up the aftermath of the vandalism. 

Call the Police and File a Police Report 

Because vandalism is a crime, your insurance company will likely want a police report detailing the damages and event. If you are worried the person is still in the area, it is also smart to call the police right away to ensure you are safe. 

So, give the police a call as soon as the vandalism happens and file a police report while the details remain fresh. Be as detailed as possible and ask for a copy of the report to give your insurance company. 

Contact Car Insurance Company

Once you have your photographs and police report, it is time to contact your insurance company and file a vandalism claim. You may be able to file a claim online or by calling the insurance company directly. 

When you file the claim, your insurance company will ask for photographs, details about the damages, the date and time, the police report, and other relevant information. 

Speak to the Claims Adjuster 

In the majority of cases, the insurance company will send a claims adjuster to inspect the car and assess the extent of the damages. This allows the insurance company to calculate how much damages will cost to repair and issue the correct payment accordingly. 

Once your claim is approved and you’ve spoken to your claims adjuster, it is time to get your car repaired. Your insurance company may require you to take your car to a pre-approved repair shop, or you may be able to take it to any repair shop of your choosing. 

Things to Consider About Vandalism and Car Insurance

One way to make sure the process of filing car insurance claims for vandalism goes smoothly is to pick one of the best comprehensive auto insurance companies. Ensure that the company you sign up with has good customer service ratings and a history of paying claims fairly and promptly. 

If the cost of adding comprehensive insurance to your policy is a deterrent, then you should make sure you are choosing an auto insurance company with plenty of discounts and fair rates.

One of the best ways to ensure this is to shop around and compare quotes. Just make sure you also check company reviews in addition to the prices. 

How to Protect Your Car from Vandalism 

After the hassle of filing a comprehensive claim for vandalism, you may wonder how to protect your car from vandalism occurring in the first place.

Some of the best tips to avoid vandalism include: 

• Don’t leave any valuables in plain view in the car. 
• Improve vehicle security by adding alarms, GPS trackers, security cameras, etc. 
• Park in lots/garages that are enclosed, and always lock your car. 
• Use valet parking or park in well-lit areas. 

Your car is much more likely to be vandalized if you park down a dim street with no people nearby than if you park in a well-lit area with multiple people passing by. People in the area can help deter vandalism, as it is unlikely someone will spray paint your car in a heavily populated area. 

The Final Word on Car Insurance Vandalism Coverage

Does car insurance cover vandalism?

As long as you have comprehensive insurance on your auto insurance policy, any acts of vandalism will be covered. However, remember that it is not always worth filing a claim if your deductible is more than or equal to the cost of damages.  

If you want to add comprehensive coverage to your policy to be protected against acts of vandalism but are worried about the additional cost, shopping around is the best way to ensure you get a fair rate. Use our free rate comparison tool to find the best auto insurance rates in your area.