Comprehensive vs. Collision Coverage

"Full coverage" is a phrase agents hear every day, and it doesn't actually mean anything specific. What people usually mean is liability plus two coverages that protect your own car: comprehensive and collision. They sound similar, they're often bought together, and they cover completely different things. Knowing the difference is how you decide what to keep, what to drop, and where to set your deductible. Here's the plain-English version.

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The simple split

Both coverages pay to repair or replace your vehicle. The difference is the cause of the damage:

• Collision = your car hits something, or something hits your car. Another vehicle, a guardrail, a curb, a pole. Fault doesn't matter — collision pays either way.
• Comprehensive = almost everything not a collision. Theft, vandalism, fire, hail, a windstorm dropping a branch, a deer on Highway 97, a cracked windshield, flooding.

A useful shorthand: if your car got damaged while moving and hitting something, that's collision. If it got damaged by the world happening to it, that's comprehensive.

Do you need both?

Neither is required by the state — Washington only mandates liability. But:

• If you finance or lease, your lender almost always requires both, because they're protecting the car they technically own.
• If you own the car outright, it's a judgment call based on the car's value.

Here's the rule of thumb worth remembering: when the yearly cost of collision and comprehensive starts approaching roughly 10% of your car's value — and especially as the car ages toward a few thousand dollars — paying for them makes less and less sense. You'd be spending a lot to insure a little.

Where deductibles fit

Both coverages come with a deductible — what you pay before insurance kicks in. Raising it (say from $500 to $1,000) lowers your premium, as long as you keep that amount in savings to cover it. Many drivers carry a higher collision deductible and a lower comprehensive one, since comprehensive claims like glass are common and cheaper. Tuning these is part of what we'd quote for your car.

Smart ways to think about it

1. Newer or financed car? Keep both, and pick deductibles you could actually pay. 2. Older, paid-off car? Do the math. Dropping collision (and sometimes comprehensive) on a low-value car frees up premium with little real risk. 3. Live where comprehensive risks are high? Deer country, hail around Spokane, theft in a dense neighborhood — comprehensive earns its keep even on older cars. 4. Don't confuse a lower premium with a better policy. The cheapest option is often the one missing the coverage you'd actually use.

This is a five-minute conversation with an advisor that can save you money or save you from a bad gap — and the same person is there if you ever file the claim. That's the difference between a relationship and a quote box.

A simple way to decide each year

Comprehensive and collision aren't "set once and forget" coverages — the right answer changes as your car ages and loses value. A quick annual gut-check keeps you from overpaying to insure a car that's no longer worth much:

1. Estimate your car's current value. A rough market value is fine. 2. Add up your yearly collision + comprehensive premium, plus your deductible. 3. Compare. If the combined cost is creeping toward roughly 10% of the car's value — and especially as the value drops below a few thousand dollars — it's time to seriously consider dropping collision, and eventually comprehensive.

The logic is straightforward: insurance is for losses you couldn't comfortably absorb. Replacing a $25,000 car out of pocket would hurt, so you insure it. Replacing a $2,500 car is a setback, not a catastrophe — and paying hundreds a year to maybe recover it once rarely pencils out.

Two caveats. First, if you still owe money on the car, your lender decides, not you — they'll require both until it's paid off. Second, location matters: if you park in an area with high theft, or you're in deer or hail country, comprehensive can be worth keeping on an older car even when collision isn't, because those losses are common and outside your control.

This is exactly the kind of small, money-saving review that's easy to skip on your own and easy to catch with an advisor. The same person who right-sizes it with you each year is the one who helps you file when you do have a claim — which is the difference between a relationship and a website that only ever shows you the cheapest box.

Get a quote, or read our other coverage guides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does "full coverage" include liability insurance? Usually, yes — when people say "full coverage" they typically mean liability plus comprehensive and collision. But "full coverage" isn't an official term, so it doesn't guarantee any particular limits or added coverages like uninsured motorist or PIP. Two "full coverage" policies can be very different underneath. It's worth confirming exactly what's included and at what limits rather than assuming the label means you're fully protected.

What's the difference between comprehensive and collision insurance? Collision pays to repair or replace your car when it hits something or is hit — another vehicle, a pole, a guardrail — regardless of fault. Comprehensive covers most non-collision damage, like theft, fire, vandalism, hail, falling objects, hitting an animal, and broken glass. Together they make up what people call "full coverage."

Is full coverage required in Washington? No. Washington only requires liability insurance. Comprehensive and collision ("full coverage") are optional from the state's view, but your lender will typically require both if you finance or lease the car. If you own the car outright, whether to carry them depends on the car's value.

Should I drop collision on an older car? Possibly. As a car's value drops, the cost of collision relative to what you could recover gets worse. A common guideline is to reconsider collision and comprehensive when their yearly cost approaches about 10% of the car's value. The key is having savings to absorb a loss if you do drop them.

Which deductible should I choose for each? Many drivers carry a higher collision deductible (since those claims are larger and less frequent) and a lower comprehensive deductible (since glass and minor claims are common). The right mix depends on what you could comfortably pay out of pocket. Raising a deductible lowers your premium but raises your share of any claim.

Does comprehensive cover hitting a deer? Yes. Striking an animal is considered a comprehensive claim, not a collision claim, even though your car was moving. That distinction matters in the Northwest, where deer strikes are common on rural and mountain roads — comprehensive is what responds.