No, car insurance doesn’t cover theft of your belongings.
Let’s say you had money in your glove box, and a thief broke into your car and stole the cash. Or, someone stole a laptop or other valuables from your vehicle. Does car insurance cover the theft of these personal items? No. But you would be covered by home or renters insurance. Here we’ll explain the role insurance plays when items are stolen from a car.
Does car insurance cover stolen items
Car insurance does not cover theft of personal items.
Liability coverage, what the state requires you to have to drive legally, only covers the people you injure and the property you damage. Collision and comprehensive car insurance, if you bought these optional coverages, only cover certain damages to your car, not your personal belongings inside a vehicle.
Collision coverage is for situations where your car hits or is hit by, another vehicle or object.
Comprehensive coverage does cover a stolen car, but it doesn’t cover loose items that are within your vehicle when it’s stolen. However, if your car’s window was broken or any other damage was done to your vehicle when the person broke into it, those damages should be covered by your comprehensive coverage minus your deductible amount.
Items attached to your vehicle, such as the original stereo system, built-in DVD player or navigation system, are covered by comprehensive coverage if your car is broken into and those items are taken or damaged by the thief. Aftermarket parts, such as rims or a stereo system you had installed normally need to be covered under a custom equipment and parts coverage endorsement for your policy to cover them.
If, however, you leave your laptop, phone, GPS device or cash in your car and it is stolen, then you are unable to make a claim against the comprehensive portion of your car insurance policy for these items because they are not covered by auto insurance.
What kind of insurance covers items stolen from a car
Though car insurance does not cover theft of personal items in your vehicle, your home or renters insurance does. You can file a homeowners or renters insurance claim, but be aware that these come with a deductible, the amount you pay before your insurer pays out. So, it only makes financial sense to file a claim if the value of your stolen possessions exceeds the deductible by a fairly high amount. For example, if a laptop, an Apple Watch and a camera valued at $2,500 were stolen, and your deductible is $1,000, it might make sense to file a claim. You’d get $1,500. But if the value of the stolen goods is closer to the $1,000 deductible you have to pay, it isn’t.
What if my car was stolen and it had personal items in it
Some cities have higher auto theft rates than others, and thieves favor some makes and models more than others. Sometimes your car is stolen because you don’t have anti-theft devices installed, or it just happens out of sheer bad luck or timing. Regardless of the scenario, if your car is stolen with valued possessions inside, you would have to file two separate claims. You’d file a stolen car claim under your comprehensive car insurance and a home insurance claim for the personal items.
— Les Masterson contributed to this story.
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Laura Longero
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Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.
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Leslie Kasperowicz
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Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance educator and content creation professional with nearly two decades of experience first directly in the insurance industry at Farmers Insurance and then as a writer, researcher, and educator for insurance shoppers writing for sites like ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and InsuranceHotline.com and managing content, now at CarInsurance.com.
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Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service.