Comprehensive and collision insurance are optional types of auto insurance that protect your car in that if it is damaged. These physical damage coverages will pay, minus your deductible, to repair your vehicle.

While these types of car insurance are normally optional, if you are paying on a loan or lease then your lien holder / lender will usually require that you have full coverage on your car, meaning these coverages plus state mandated liability coverages.

Comprehensive is also sometimes referred to as “other then collision” since it basically pays for damages to your vehicle caused by perils other than a collision. For example, comprehensive insurance covers damage to your car if it is stolen; or damaged by flood, fire, or animals. It also pays to fix your vehicle less the deductible you choose.

Collision covers damage to your car when your car hits, or is hit by, another vehicle, or other object. This type of coverages pays to fix your vehicle less the deductible you choose.

This optional coverage will pay for damage to your auto regardless of who causes the accident. Collision Coverage applies if your auto is hit by another vehicle or if your auto hits other objects that cause damage to your vehicle. There are various deductible options, which you can select for this coverage.

So while collision insurance pays for damages your car sustained due to a collision with another object, comprehensive covers damage to your automobile from such things as vandalism, theft, or glass breakage.

Some insurance companies will not sell comprehensive coverage without the collision coverage. And, some insurance companies will require you keep the deductible amount the same for both coverages.

For more information on collision and comprehensive and other types of auto insurance coverage you can read articles, go through the insurance glossary or insurance definitions in our Learning Center.

Get an auto insurance rate quote for “full coverages” of collision and comprehensive, here with us.