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Car Insurance Learning Center  Learning Center  Auto Insurance Questions & Answers   Questions & Answers  Professional Answers   Auto Insurance Answers

What exactly is full coverage insurance?

There is really no such thing as "full coverage." No insurance company should advertise full coverage, because it’s impossible to buy a car insurance policy where you are fully covered against every exposure. 

Sometimes people say they’ve added full coverage to their car, or that their lienholder requires full coverage, when they are talking about just physical damage coverages of collision and comprehensive.

What most drivers and insurance agents refer to as full coverage is a car insurance policy that includes state-mandated car insurance coverages (this usually is bodily injury liability and property damage liability but also may include uninsured motorist and personal injury protection),  along with physical damage coverages of collision and comprehensive.

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Bodily injury liability covers other people’s bodily injuries and death for which you are responsible.  Property damage liability covers you if your car damages someone else’s property.  These coverages come with maximum limits that you choose at the inception of your policy.

Liability coverages don’t protect your car in any way, so that is why you purchase physical damage coverages.  Collision insurance covers damage to your automobile caused by a collision with another object or by upset. Comprehensive insurance covers damage to your vehicle for damages caused by things other than collision, such as vandalism, theft, or glass breakage.

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Most lienholders require physical damage coverage if you are financing or leasing your vehicle.  These coverages each come with a deductible, an amount due before your insurance benefits kick in.

Whatever car insurance coverages you have are subject to the guidelines and terms of your policy, especially with regards to the payment of claims.  We personally try not to use the term full coverage because it can be misleading and make policyholders upset when they come across a situation that cannot be claimed or that they feel is only partially covered.

Learn more about the various types of coverages that you can get on your car insurance policy, including medical ones such as personal injury protection and medical payments, by reading through our car insurance definitions page.

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Visitor Comments
I got what I was looking for, but not how I needed it.
Comment added: 10:42 AM May-03
i have a 2005 car full coverag if a other car hits me with out insurance is my car still coverd
Comment added: 12:41 AM Mar-20
my car got broken into and it is financed so i have full coverage, but since I have never gotten into an accident or had to use my insurance for anything I didnt really know what "full coverage" included. This answered my questions by 100%.
Comment added: 09:56 PM Sep-27
legal stealing like MADOFF!
Comment added: 11:19 PM May-26
No medical information? All ethics went out the window years ago.
Comment added: 11:18 PM May-26
I totaled my car on July 3, 2008. It was my fault so they say. My question is why did my passenger get paid, but not me. I dont understand. I thought thats why you have full coverage. I have a scar on my left forearm and I also have whip lash. Why is it that I dont get paid for my pain and suffering?
Comment added: 08:16 PM Sep-25
Got what I was looking for!
Comment added: 09:32 PM Jul-26
It excplained the types of coverage, it did not answer what "full coverage" means, and whether "full coverage", subject to the deducible and policy limits, covers the true loss suffered to your vehicle as a result of an accident. Most insurance companies, as I understand it, only covers partial loss you sustained, even if they advertise their coverage as "full coverage".
Comment added: 06:35 PM Jan-18
Do most people believe that? Subject to perhaps a deductible and up to the policy limits, "full coverage" means you are subject to full coverage for the loss to your vehicle if it is caused by an accident? After all, the term "full coverage" should not mean "partial coverage" for our loss. I would like the answer and if there are any stactics on the meaning.
Comment added: 06:32 PM Jan-18
You should suggest what insurance companies have better customer satisfaction in the specific category of insurance policy. For example which insurance company offers more protection, or more extras in comprehensive coverage. Thank you. LG
Comment added: 11:25 AM Oct-10
Question Details
This car insurance answer was last updated 6:39 AM Dec-28.
This Your Policy question was asked 01:00 AM December-27-2011.

Alan requested this car insurance help from CarInsurance.com experts.

Rated 6.97 out of 10 based on 34 votes.
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