Windshield Insurance Claims

Let’s face it: windshields are fragile. Throughout the life cycle of a car, its windshield will likely get shattered, broken, chipped, or pitted at least once, making windshield insurance a crucial component of the driver’s toolkit.

Will My Auto Insurance Cover Windshield Replacement?

These are several possible scenarios based on your insurance:

• Comprehensive insurance: This insurance policy provides cracked windshield insurance. Windshield insurance claims can be made when the damage results from collision, falling objects, theft, and natural factors such as fire or floods. This type of insurance is provided when the car is on an installment payment or lease.
• Full windshield coverage: Multiple insurance providers present “zero deductible” options for a windshield replacement independent of your comprehensive windshield insurance. 
• Collision protection insurance: This insurance guarantees coverage of a cracked windshield that was cracked or harmed in a collision.

Car Insurance That Does Not Cover Windshield Insurance

Liability insurance doesn’t cover windshield insurance; however, drivers are obliged to carry liability insurance, which only covers damage to another person’s vehicle.

Paying for a Windshield Insurance Claim

For a windshield insurance claim, collision, and comprehensive coverages, run a policy of deducing a specific amount of money before your policy kicks in. The deductible amount can go up to $1000, so paying for the windshield damage is better before the deductible.

For example, you might have to pay $700 to file the claim, while the repair will cost you $500 out of pocket. At the same time, many insurance companies do not charge a deductible.

Reasons for a Damaged Windshield

Some of the circumstances that can damage the windshield and make you eligible for an insurance claim are:

• Hail: Violent thunderstorms are always a threat, as hail reaching 45 miles per hour can severely damage not only the windshield but the body of the car.
• Parking under trees: Broken branches can damage windshields or cause them to chip or crack.
• Vandalism: Someone deliberately damaging your windshield by hitting or throwing something at it.
• Debris and gravel: Debris in construction areas and gravel from the road or the car in front can damage, crack or break the windshield.
• Low-quality materials, workmanship, or installation: Low-quality materials and poor structure and placement can cause vibration and fragility of the windshield.
• Temperature change: Abrupt changes in temperature, from extreme hot to extreme cold – causing the glass to contract or expand – can eventually crack or break the windshield.
• Collisions: Explosive impact from car accidents or collisions could cause your windshield to crack. Collision of an object with the windshield, like an animal of a basketball, can cause the same result.
• Natural disasters: These include earthquakes, thunderstorms, and floods.

It is wise to examine the damage, even if it seems minor. Driving causes a vibration that can lead to cracks spreading and enlarging. The windshield is crucial for your car’s overall strength and structural integrity. If your vehicle sustained windshield damage, it might not pass the state inspection.

Should I Use Insurance to Replace Windshield?

Certain factors decide when insurance is needed to replace the windshield, such as the number of crack points, their location on the windshield, and the crack’s extent. You can opt for a windshield replacement with a comprehensive coverage package.

Before filing your windshield insurance claim, make sure to factor in your deductible and compare the numbers: repairing the windshield without insurance will allow you to save more. Also, determine whether the windshield insurance claim will affect your insurance rate.

Should the Windshield Be Replaced or Repaired?

Consider having a professional look at the windshield and determine whether it should be repaired or replaced if it has the following damage:

• More than three cracks or chips on the glass
• Damage at the edge of the windshield
• Damage that obstructs your line of vision
• Tiny divots that cover an older windshield

How To Claim a Windshield Insurance Claim?

If your windshield gets damaged for any of the mentioned reasons, do this:

1. Examine your insurance policy to see if the insurance will cover the repair or replacement cost.
2. Inform your insurance company (online or by hard copy) of any damage to your car’s windscreen and submit a claim for replacement or repair, including the date and time of the incident. If your windscreen was damaged or cracked because of vandalism, contact the police, file and get a copy of the FIR, and then submit that claim to your insurer to be eligible for a windscreen insurance claim.
3. After filing the claim, choose your repair business and inform your insurance company.
4. Drive your car to the selected garage. The garage’s specialists will examine the damage and advise whether you should repair or replace the windscreen. The windscreen might be fixed or replaced in up to 45 minutes. The technician will tell you when it is safe to start driving again.
5. Submit the receipt. Following the repair, notify your insurance company of your name, policy number, phone number, and date of damage.
6. Discuss the payment with your provider. If your insurance provider believes that the cost of the service is higher than the reasonable cost, you might not be fully reimbursed, depending on the terms of your insurance agreement.

Documents Required to File a Windshield Insurance Claim

Case 1 – Passenger Vehicle

• A smart card
• Insurance policy document
• Driving license
• The company’s stamp on the claim papers for vehicles registered in the name of the company

Case 2 – Commercial Vehicle

• A smart card or RC book
• Detailed insurance policy paperwork
• Commercial driver’s license and batch code
• The company’s stamp on the claim papers for vehicles registered in the name of the company
• Permit to travel
• Certificate of Fitness
• Receipt for paying road taxes

Can a Windshield Claim Result in a Higher Insurance Rate?

Your insurance provider will determine whether a glass claim will impact your car insurance rate. In general, a glass claim shouldn’t affect your auto insurance rate much (if at all). However, if you make several glass claims continuously, it will likely increase your insurance rate.

A history of making several auto insurance claims could have the insurance provider mark you. When you apply for a policy, your insurance firm checks a database where insurers report claims. Multiple claims are seen as a risk, resulting in increased insurance rates. But again, if your windshield was cracked due to something you weren’t responsible for, such as a hailstorm, the insurance provider should keep your rate the same.

Frequently Asked Questions

Oleksandr Rohovnin

Oleksandr is an expert in deep research. He covers various insurance topics across verticals, adopting to every local law.