What Happens to Your Policy Premium when You File a Comprehensive Claim?

There are two main coverage options for your vehicle when you start an auto insurance policy. One, collision coverage, covers damages to your vehicle that are a result of you having a collision with another object, pedestrian or vehicle. The other, comprehensive coverage, is basically what covers all other damage that happens to your vehicle over the course of time. This coverage can be confusing because it appears on the surface to be the same as collision just separated for tracking purposes, but this is not true when it comes to the impact on your policy.

When you file a claim to your collision coverage there will be an investigation by the insurance company into if the happening was your fault or not. This investigation will ultimately determine if you acted negligently in the accident or if you acted according to the expected standard. If you are determined to have been negligent you will have it reflected in your driving history and the premium for your policy will likely go up accordingly. This does not happen with comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage to your vehicle is considered to be anything "other than collision" and is referred to as such at times in your policy. This means it can be anything (including but not limited to fire, theft, vandalism, act of god, etc.) that is completely out of your control. Since the damage or happening is therefore considered to have happened without your negligence there is no charge to your policy and your premiums remain the same.

This is the biggest difference between the two types of coverage and it is why you should be up front with your insurance company about the type of claim you are filing. A comprehensive claim will not affect your policy other than the fact that you will have to pay your comprehensive deductible in order to have the insurance start paying for damages. This will not charge anything extra to your policy and you will be able to continue paying the same premiums.

So when there is damage to your vehicle that is caused by a wind or hailstorm you should file the claim and have the damage repaired. This will not be considered to be your fault and you will be able to have your vehicle repaired to its previous state. When you have a collision claim you are still required to report it to your insurance by the terms of your policy, but it will affect your premium. This is what happens to your policy premium when you file a collision claim as opposed to a comprehensive claim.