Comprehensive and collision coverage protects against damages not covered by liability insurance such as fire, theft, vandalism or hail damage. Buying comprehensive and collision coverage is necessary if you have a car loan or lease.

This guide will help you learn more about comprehensive and collision insurance so that you can decide what type of coverage best fits into your budget.

Key Highlights
  • Collision insurance pays for damage to your car when hit by an object or another vehicle.
  • You may need comprehensive insurance if your car is hit by an animal or is damaged from vandalism, hail, flooding or fire.
  • According to Carinsurance.com’s rate analysis, the annual rate for collision insurance is $596, and $192 for comprehensive, on average.
  • When you decide to drop comprehensive and collision insurance, take your financial situation, car’s condition, age and value into consideration.

Comprehensive vs. collision insurance

Comprehensive and collision coverage are optional types of car insurance that pay to repair or replace your car in certain situations.

Collision coverage pays for:

  • Damage to your car when hit by another vehicle
  • Damage to your car when you hit an object like a pole or fence

Comprehensive insurance pays for:

  • Damage to your car from vandalism, hail, flooding, fire, falling objects, rocks cracking windshields
  • Damage to your vehicle from hitting an animal, like a deer
  • The value of your car if stolen and not found

What do comprehensive and collision cost?

Comprehensive and collision coverage typically won’t bust your budget, as the average cost is fairly affordable. According to a CarInsurance.com rate analysis, the average annual rate for collision is $596; for comprehensive, it’s $192.

Enter your state in the search field below to see your location’s average cost for comprehensive and collision.

Average Cost for Comprehensive and Collision in your State
State Comprehensive Collision Total
Alaska$139$629$768
Alabama$155$563$718
Arkansas$242$573$815
Arizona$159$487$646
California$151$997$1,148
Colorado$239$511$750
Connecticut$117$686$803
DC$164$647$810
Delaware$101$524$625
Florida$159$489$648
Georgia$158$543$701
Hawaii$98$559$658
Iowa$246$391$636
Idaho$131$430$561
Illinois$116$479$595
Indiana$146$513$659
Kansas$423$468$891
Kentucky$286$573$859
Louisiana$251$670$922
Massachusetts$164$555$719
Maryland$135$580$715
Maine$80$408$488
Michigan$243$921$1,164
Minnesota$231$391$623
Missouri$298$473$771
Mississippi$221$492$712
Montana$331$540$871
North Carolina$116$416$531
North Dakota$333$431$764
Nebraska$343$408$750
New Hampshire$88$478$565
New Jersey$102$450$552
New Mexico$203$456$659
Nevada$152$596$748
New York$145$700$844
Ohio$106$403$509
Oklahoma$372$541$914
Oregon$100$443$543
Pennsylvania$146$618$764
Rhode Island$120$728$847
South Carolina$310$609$918
South Dakota$461$417$878
Tennessee$142$505$647
Texas$228$529$757
Utah$106$417$523
Virginia$100$381$481
Vermont$138$466$604
Washington$87$383$470
Wisconsin$212$461$673
West Virginia$175$463$638
Wyoming$346$653$1,000
National average$192$526$723

Insurance Information Institute data show that about 77% of drivers buy comprehensive coverage, and 72% buy collision. But should you? That depends on your particular situation.

Consumers should buy comprehensive and collision coverage under the following circumstances:

  • If your car is less than 10 years old.
  • If your vehicle is over 10 years old and worth $3,000 or more.
  • If you can’t afford to repair or replace your car if it’s severely damaged or stolen.

How to save on comprehensive and collision insurance

You may save on your comprehensive and collision coverage by shopping around and comparing auto insurance quotes from different companies.

But there are some other things you can do to lower your rates:

  • Raising your deductible
  • Calculate how much you can afford to pay for your insurance
  • Compare rates with different companies before making a decision
  • Ask for discounts
  • Improving your credit score

When to drop comprehensive and collision?

If you file a comprehensive or collision claim, your insurer will only pay out up to the fair market value of your car, minus your deductible. Shoppers must assess their financial situation, car condition, age and value when deciding whether to drop comprehensive and collision.

Consider dropping comprehensive and collision under these circumstances:

  • When premiums for these two coverages reach 10 percent or more of the potential payoff should you file a claim. The potential payoff is your car’s actual cash value minus your deductible. For instance, if your car is worth $4,000 and your deductible is $500, your potential payoff is $3,500. If your annual comp and collision premiums surpass $350, it’s time to drop them.
  • If your yearly comprehensive and collision premiums plus your deductible add up to more than the value of your car. For example, the III pegs the average annual rate for both coverages at $660, and with a $500 deductible, that totals $1,160. If you’re driving a very old car that’s in fair condition, with lots of mileage, the value could be below $660. (Sites such as Kelley Blue Book and the NADA have tools you can use to find the value of your used car.)
  • You wouldn’t pay to fix your car if it had mechanical issues.

Her general guidelines for coverage as cars grow older:

A car repair that costs what your premiums and the deductible total are a good barometer. If you would buy a newer car, don’t insure the old one for comprehensive and collision.

Can you drop collision only?

Insurance companies prefer that collision and comprehensive coverage be purchased together, but some will allow customers to buy one without the other. It’s typically more challenging to obtain comprehensive without collision coverage than just collision alone.

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Michelle Megna
Contributing Researcher

Michelle is a writer, editor and expert on car insurance and personal finance. She's a former CarInsurance.com editorial director. Prior to joining CarInsurance.com, she reported and edited articles on technology, lifestyle, education and government for magazines, websites and major newspapers, including the New York Daily News.