From body damage to mechanical damage, find out what coverage you’ll need to have to cover repairs to your vehicle.
What types of damage does auto insurance cover?
Between mandatory and enhanced coverage options, you may not know which part of your coverage will protect you against certain damage and cover repair costs. Let’s help explain your coverage options and what types of damage is covered.
Will my base policy cover damage to my vehicle?
Your base policy consists of the mandatory coverage that’s required by your province. Depending on the province you live in, your car may be covered for physical damage if you were determined not at fault for the accident. For example, if you were to get into a not-at-fault accident in Ontario, your Direct Compensation Property Damage coverage that’s part of your base policy will cover the damage to your car. If, however, you are at fault for an accident and caused damage to your own vehicle, you’d have to have enhanced coverage added to your base policy for your car’s damage to be covered. Depending on how the damage occurred, there are separate coverage options that you’ll need in order to be covered which we’ll discuss in the questions below.
Does car insurance cover repairs?
Most types of physical damage to your car caused by an at-fault accident are typically covered if you have enhanced coverage like Collision or All Perils coverage. Here’s the difference between the two:
- Collision coverage protects you if you were to get into an accident with another vehicle or object. If your car had damage to its body as a result of a traffic collision, your collision coverage would help cover the costs for most physical repairs.
- All Perils coverage is an all-inclusive option that protects you from collision and comprehensive related incidents. All Perils should cover your car repairs from an at-fault accident.
If you don’t have Collision or All Perils coverage on your policy, your insurance wouldn’t provide coverage for vehicle repair. Instead, you’d likely have to pay for the damages yourself out of pocket.
Does car insurance cover weather-related damage?
Damage from weather-related incidents like hail, fire, wind, and flood should be covered if you have Comprehensive coverage, Specified Perils, or All Perils coverage added to your policy.
- Comprehensive coverage will protect you from incidents that are non-collision related. For example, weather-related damage, damage caused by an animal, damage from falling objects, and theft, just to name a few.
- Specified Perils coverage will protect you from a specific list of perils (or hazards) as outlined in your policy, which typically includes weather-related damage.
- All Perils coverage will protect you from all hazards (including weather-related damage) listed in your policy.
If you find yourself in a non-collision-related incident, the coverage options above will typically cover the repair costs for most types of physical damage to your vehicle.
What type of repairs does car insurance cover?
From body damage like scratches or dents to mechanical damage like radiator damage or engine damage, your car insurance policy should be able to cover repairs if the damage was a result of an accident or sudden loss. For example, if your car gets scratched by a passing car in a parking lot, or if a hailstorm caused dents in your car, repairs will be covered if you have the right coverage options mentioned above.
LEGAL:
The content on this page is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Coverages described herein may be subject to additional eligibility criteria, limitations, and exclusions. In the event you make a claim, potential indemnification is also subject to the receivability of the claim and the type of coverage you bought.
In the case of conflict between the content on this page and your policy wordings, your policy wordings shall take precedence. Please speak to an Advisor or consult your policy wording for further details.
