Does Car Insurance Cover Vandalism?

Car vandalism can happen anywhere, at any time: Thieves stole more than 1 million vehicles in the U.S. in 2023.^[1] Riots, mischievous acts like graffiti tagging, and spiteful incidents like car keying are often unavoidable.

Some car insurance companies provide protection against vandalism, but only if you have the right coverage. Here’s a closer look at what vandalism is, what types of damage car insurance typically covers, and which kind of car insurance you need.

Car vandalism defined

Car vandalism is any damage to your vehicle that someone else causes intentionally. Most U.S. states consider it a criminal offense. From an insurance perspective, insurers often categorize vandalism as a type of non-collision damage.

In other words, if someone slashes your tires, it’s considered vandalism. But if someone drives their car into yours, it’d be considered a collision, or accident.

Some common types of car vandalism your insurance may cover include:

• Broken windows, headlights, windshields, or taillights: Policies typically cover any broken glass around the exterior of the car.

• Scratches or punctures from car keying: These damages include scratches someone deliberately created with sharp or blunt objects.

• Superficial surface damages: This type of vandalism includes graffiti incidents that involve spray paint or damage from someone egging your vehicle.

• Exterior damages: Exterior vandalism damages include slashed tires, snapped antennas, or stolen hubcaps.

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Does a car insurance policy cover vandalism?

Vandalism can happen when you’re on the road, running errands, or parked at home. Certain insurance products cover only exterior vandalism incidents, while others, like homeowners and renters insurance, may cover theft of personal property from your vehicle — even if it’s not parked at home.

You’ll need comprehensive car insurance to cover vandalism. This type of insurance coverage is optional and protects against non-collision incidents. Along with vandalism, comprehensive policies also cover non-collision damage from natural disasters, fire, riots, fallen objects, theft, and contact with animals.

If you only have your state’s minimum liability coverage, you don’t have protection from vandalism. Liability insurance only covers damages to another driver’s vehicle if you cause an accident.^[2]  Many drivers choose to include comprehensive insurance for added protection as part of a full-coverage policy.

How to file a car insurance claim for vandalism

A full-coverage policy provides compensation for property damage losses, like acts of vandalism. But filing a claim can make your rates increase, and you may need to pay a deductible. If the damages are significant, filing a claim may make sense. But with limited damage, it may be cheaper to handle the repairs yourself or skip them altogether.

For instance, it may not be cost-effective to file a comprehensive claim if your car has a small scratch from someone keying it. On the other hand, if your car was covered in spray paint during a riot, it’s probably best to file a claim for coverage.

Talk to your agent or get quotes from local repair facilities to see if paying out of pocket is more affordable. If you decide to file a claim, the process varies a bit between insurers but typically requires the following steps:^[3]

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  1. Contact the police

  Call the police to report the vandalism and file an official police report.

• 

  2. Report the incident to your insurer

  Contact your insurance agent or insurance company to schedule a damage assessment. You can usually do this by phone, email, or using your insurer’s mobile app.

• 

  3. Document the vandalism

  Collect as much information as you can for your insurer, including photos and videos of your vehicle and its surroundings, details of the event, and witness contact information.

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  4. Get a damage estimate

  Your insurer will likely require you to have a repair shop assess the vehicle’s damage to get an estimate for repair or replacement costs.

• 

  5. Pay your deductible

  If your insurer improves your claim, pay your deductible and wait for your insurance company to send you a check to cover the cost of repairs.

Sometimes insurers deny claims or offer a lower settlement amount than expected. If this happens, you can dispute the claim on your own or consider hiring a lawyer to help.

Do you have to pay a deductible when you file a vandalism claim?

You may need to pay a deductible when you file a vandalism claim, but not always. For instance: If something or someone smashed in your window, and you have no-deductible glass insurance, you may not need to pay anything before your insurance kicks in.

You can usually choose your deductible amount when you sign up for comprehensive car insurance coverage. Your deductible amount affects premium rates. Higher deductibles usually have lower monthly premiums, while lower deductibles usually lead to higher premium rates.^[4]

It’s a good idea to research average costs for the types of damage most commonly created by vandalism, like repairing paint scratches and broken glass. Remember that deductibles, monthly premiums, and increases for comprehensive policies may still be cheaper overall than paying for extensive damages out of pocket.

Will filing a claim for auto vandalism raise your insurance rates?

Filing a vandalism claim will likely result in a rate increase. Insurance companies typically raise insurance premiums when you file any type of claim, including unavoidable types of damages from criminal acts, like vandalism.

But some insurance companies won’t raise rates for a first-time claim. These perks are typically features of a specific policy, such as accident forgiveness for new policyholders.

Cost to repair a vandalized car

The average cost of comprehensive insurance is around $134 per year, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Adding comprehensive coverage to your liability insurance policy is usually more cost-effective than paying for vandalism damage out of pocket.^[5]

Factors like make and model, the location of the damage, and the severity of the damage influence the cost of repairs for a vandalized car. For example, repairing superficial paint scratches when someone keys your car may cost less than repairing a broken window or slashed tire.

A repair shop charges between $50 and $1,000 for windshield repairs — from chips and cracks to full windshield replacement. Paint scratches have a wider range based on how deep the scratch is and the location. Small scratches on a door or bumper can start between $50 and $300, but costs can exceed $2,000 for more serious scratches.

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Ways to protect your car from vandalism

Comprehensive insurance helps pay for the damages if someone vandalizes your car. But you can also take preventative measures to protect your car from vandalism:

• Park in a garage. Always park in your own private, personal garage as often as possible. When away from home, consider parking in a covered, ideally gated, parking garage.

• Park in well-lit or secured areas. If a garage isn’t available, park in well-lit areas on main streets where your vehicle is in plain sight. Park in a secured area when possible, such as lots with security cameras or ticket attendants.

• Remove all valuables from your car. Keep expensive personal items safe at home when possible. Keep personal belongings out of sight in your trunk when parking your car in an unsecured area.

• Invest in a security system. Install a car alarm system in your vehicle that has motion or shock sensors. Make sure it has a blinking light or window stickers that deter people from targeting your car.

Car insurance and vandalism FAQs