Will my car insurance policy cover ant damage to my vehicle?

Whether or not your car insurance policy covers damage to your vehicle depends on the terms, clauses and type of coverage specified on your policy. This coverage is broadly classified into two categories - physical damage due to collision with other vehicles or objects and physical damage due to causes other than collision.

Most people are familiar with the first type of damage coverage, usually termed as collision or comprehensive coverage. The car physical damage coverage on every policy, in fact, have wide explanations of what exactly is covered, any limitations present and other factors surrounding the coverage. If the policy's declaration page says that collision coverage is included, then the insurer will pay for any accidental collision loss to your covered auto. Similarly, for loss caused by reasons other than collision, the insurer will pay only if the page shows that coverage for such cause is included.

Most policy agreements will include a list of categories that are covered for physical damage caused by reasons other than collision. The list may include fire, theft, windstorm, hail, water, riot, vandalism, breakage of glass or contact with animals, depending on the terms of the policy. Note that it is unclear whether the insurer will cover damages caused by reasons other than those mentioned in your policy, so it's always best to call your agency and find out.

Again, all these coverage apply to owned autos. Non-owned autos on the other hand should be specifically noted in order to be covered. Such vehicles include but not limited to pickups, vans, passenger autos and trailers. The vehicle should be operated by the named insured in order to be eligible for coverage. The insuring agreements further proceed to list limitations of coverage depending on the type of coverage you have.