Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Car Damage in Driveway?
Understand which insurance policy covers your car if it's damaged in your driveway: your homeowners or your auto insurance.
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Car Damage in Driveway?
Many homeowners often wonder whether their homeowners insurance policy extends to cover damage to their vehicle while it is parked in their driveway. Homeowners insurance policies generally do not cover vehicle damage, even if the incident occurs on the insured property. Vehicles are typically covered by a distinct type of insurance designed specifically for their unique risks. This distinction is important for understanding how to protect your assets adequately.
Understanding Homeowners Insurance Coverage
Homeowners insurance primarily protects the dwelling itself, along with other structures like detached garages, sheds, fences, and the driveway. It also covers personal belongings inside the home and offers liability protection for incidents on the premises.
Vehicles are excluded because they are mobile and present different risks compared to stationary property, necessitating specialized insurance. For instance, if a tree falls on your driveway, damaging the pavement, your homeowners policy would cover repairs to the driveway. However, if that same tree falls and damages your car parked on the driveway, the homeowners policy would not cover the vehicle’s damage.
How Auto Insurance Provides Coverage
Auto insurance is the primary protection for vehicle damage, regardless of where the incident occurs, including your driveway. Two common types of coverage within an auto insurance policy are particularly relevant. Comprehensive coverage protects against damage from non-collision events, including fire, theft, vandalism, falling objects like trees, natural disasters such as hail or floods, and collisions with animals.
Collision coverage addresses damage from an impact with another object or vehicle, or from rolling over. This coverage applies whether you are at fault for the incident or not. Both comprehensive and collision coverages are designed to protect your vehicle’s physical structure, ensuring that damage sustained while parked in your driveway, or anywhere else, is addressed by your auto insurance policy.
Distinguishing Between Policies
The fundamental difference between these two types of insurance is that homeowners insurance safeguards your home and its contents, while auto insurance protects your vehicle. Damage to a vehicle, even if it happens on your property, consistently falls under the purview of your auto insurance policy. This distinction can sometimes lead to confusion, especially in situations where both property and a vehicle are involved in the same incident.
For example, if a tree from your property were to fall and damage a neighbor’s car, your homeowners policy’s personal liability coverage might extend to cover the damage to the neighbor’s vehicle, with limits often ranging from $100,000 to $300,000. This coverage is for damage you are legally responsible for to another person’s property, not for damage to your own car. It is advisable to review both your homeowners and auto insurance policies and discuss specific coverage details with your insurance provider.