Personal Items Lost In Car Theft: What Does My Insurance Cover?

Auto Theft Personal Insurance Coverage

The short answer is no, auto insurance will not cover your personal belongings. This can be a problem if you leave something valuable such as a laptop in your car and the laptop or the whole car is stolen. It is important to be aware of what is covered and what isn’t.

What Does My Auto Insurance Cover?

If your car is stolen, your insurance company will pay for the replacement of your vehicle, but not the personal things inside it. Comprehensive coverage is what pays for your stolen vehicle.

Your auto insurance covers any items that are permanently attached to your vehicle, such as a dash navigation system that came with the vehicle. Portable and removable items such as an external GPS do not fit into this category.

Your insurance company must be aware of everything on your vehicle, so if you added a stereo to your vehicle, you have to have told your agent about the upgrade prior to the theft. They may ask you to add an endorsement to your policy to cover any custom equipment.

What Does My Homeowners Insurance Cover?

While it sounds strange, your homeowners or renters insurance actually could help you recover stolen items from your vehicle. If you have proof that you owned the items that were lost when your car was stolen such as receipts, your personal belongings should be covered. You will have to file a police report and follow all official procedures before you can reach a settlement and collect from your insurance.

The problem with using your homeowners insurance to recover your lost money is that homeowners typically has a pretty high deductible, meaning that if you only lost a few items, it probably won’t be enough to file a claim.

The best practice for unattached valuable items is to never leave them in your vehicle. For added attached items, just be sure that your insurance company is aware of them and ask if you need a special endorsement for them to be covered.

For great rates on car insurance, call one of our licensed agents today at 1-800-INFINITY or visit our Auto Insurance Page for a free quote!

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