If you were asked about whether your auto insurance policy includes comprehensive insurance coverage, would you even know the answer?

In fact, it is quite important that you make sure you understand what exactly comprehensive car insurance is. It may come as a bit of a shock, but many drivers are under the false assumption that their policy already includes coverage for any and all of the issues comprehensive auto insurance takes care of.

To find out, all you have to do is contact your current insurance provider and ask these types of questions about your policy as it stands at present:

• “If my car is stolen will it be replaced?”
• “Is damage to my car that results from flooding or other storm related incidents covered?”
• “Who pays for repairs to my car if the damage is caused by an animal?”
• “If my car is damaged as the result of vandalism, will the repairs be taken care of by my insurance policy?
• “I’ve heard that many types of insurance policies do not cover ‘acts of God.’ Does my car insurance policy currently cover damage from something considered an ‘act of God’?”

All of these are factors that are covered by comprehensive car insurance. If it isn’t already part of the policy you currently have, you could be taking a huge gamble with your coverage. Having gaps in your policy or lacking the coverage you need could result in paying expensive repair costs from your own pocket. Still you may not truly grasp the severity of what this entails.

“Paying Out of Pocket Can’t Be That Bad”

Unfortunately, many drivers are under the false impression that if they were forced to pay some of their car repair expenses out of their own pocket it would be manageable. Unless you have a considerable amount of savings put aside for expenses like this you are most likely fooling yourself into believing something that is not true. Consider some of these scenarios:

• If you do not have comprehensive insurance coverage and your brand new car suffers vandalism you may be paying for all of the repair from your own pocket. If you have priced just the cost of an entire body repaint recently you should already be aware that this is probably not an expense that would be easy to manage unexpectedly.

• You could be leasing a car because you like to be able to change vehicles every few years without the commitment of being tied down to one vehicle. However if you do not have comprehensive car insurance and the car you are leasing gets totaled in a natural disaster, you will probably be stuck buying that car. Not only will you be forced to buy a car when you only wanted to lease it, but that totaled car won’t even be drivable so you will be left paying for a car you can’t do anything with.

• You get a brand new car of your dreams and drive it off the lot feeling certain you have all the insurance required in place for it. The very first night you drive it home your car becomes the innocent victim that gets burned as the result of a nearby house fire. The next day you contact your insurance company to find out about a replacement vehicle only to find out there won’t be one. Without comprehensive insurance coverage you could be left with no new car at all before even having made the very first loan payment on it.

Hopefully, this puts things in a better perspective for you. This should give you a more realistic look at the importance of having comprehensive insurance coverage for your automobile, especially if you are still making payments on it. It is extremely important that you do not assume that you have any coverage for your car other than collision. If you have any doubt in your mind, it is time to work with your insurance provider to review and understand what your policy covers.

“But I Opted Out of Comprehensive to Save on My Premiums”

If you thought you would be a thrifty driver and save money by leaving out the comprehensive car insurance so you would have lower premiums, keep in mind you are getting what you pay for. Cutting coverage means cutting corners on your policy not just your finances. In other words, it is more like taking a gamble with your money and your insurance.

Unless you have a good deal of money set aside in savings for the possibility of needing major car repairs, then saving money on your monthly premiums is not worth the risk. The thing to understand about collision insurance is that it usually covers just what the name implies, collision only. The problem is there are plenty of factors that can cause damage other that a collision that you may not even be considering.

Aside from collision, what happens if:

• The body and/or windshield of your car are damaged or destroyed by hail.
• While you are camping, a bear tears into your soft-top convertible for that bag of chips you forgot about in the back seat.
• A potted plant falls from the balcony of an apartment terrace and destroys your windshield.
• Lightning takes down a tree while you are parked at the local park causing severe damage and possibly even complete destruction.

The bottom line is that life can throw expected obstacles in your path literally, and accidents are not the only expensive car related issue you may have to contend with. If you have been assuming your collision insurance is enough to make the needed repairs or replace your car, you may be completely misinformed.

The good news is you do not have to take the risk another day longer. By offering up just your zip code you could be getting the comprehensive car insurance quotes you need right away.

Put an end to the gamble today and get your comprehensive auto insurance quotes.