Comprehensive vs. collision coverage

Last updated: November 12, 2026

Collision and comprehensive both pay to repair or replace your own car, minus your deductible. The difference is what caused the damage.

Collision covers crashes

• Hitting another car, whoever is at fault
• Hitting a pole, fence, guardrail or other object
• Rolling your car over
• Damage from a pothole, depending on your policy

Comprehensive covers almost everything else

• Theft and vandalism
• Hail, flooding, fire and falling trees
• Hitting a deer or other animal
• Broken windshields and other glass damage

Do you need both?

If you have a car loan or lease, your lender will almost always require both. If your car is paid off, it comes down to whether you could afford to repair or replace it yourself. Comprehensive is often the cheaper of the two, so some owners of older cars keep comprehensive and drop collision.

Neither covers other people

Damage you cause to someone else's car or property is covered by your liability insurance, not collision or comprehensive.

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