What's the difference between collision and comprehensive?
Written by Marc Berry
Founder and Insurance Distribution Executive
Reviewed for accuracy by Cameron Berry
Licensed Property & Casualty Agent · NPN 20621185
Last reviewed
Sage isn't paid by anyone today. When that changes, this note and How we make money will say so. Sage doesn't sell policies.
Short answer: Collision covers damage to your car from a crash — hitting another vehicle or object — regardless of fault. Comprehensive covers almost everything else: theft, fire, vandalism, weather, falling objects, and animal strikes.
A simple way to hold it: collision is "I hit something or got hit in a wreck"; comprehensive is "everything non-crash." Both are optional unless a lender requires them, and both carry a deductible you choose. Bundled together they're often called "full coverage," though that's a nickname, not an official coverage type.
Reviewed for accuracy by Cameron Berry
Licensed Property & Casualty Agent · NPN 20621185
Last reviewed