---
title: What is the difference between Comprehensive and Collision Insurance?
---

# What is the difference between Comprehensive and Collision Insurance?

* * *

## What is the difference between Comprehensive and Collision Insurance?

Have the two “C”s of automobile coverage stumped you? If you buy [car insurance](/auto-insurance "More Car Insurance Information - Free Quote"), you’ll want to understand the differences between comprehensive and collision coverage.

Collision coverage applies to damage incurred when your car collides with another vehicle or object.

Let’s say you’ve had a really bad day, when you accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal in a moment of distraction. Next thing you know, you just had a fender-bender. Your collision coverage is the part of your policy that pays to fix your vehicle.

Comprehensive coverage kicks in when you incur any damage to your vehicle from anything other than a collision with a nonliving object. The scope of comprehensive insurance can run the gamut from damages triggered by a tree falling on your car to damage caused by vandals or even violent storms that pepper your car body with damaging hailstones. It also covers flood damage to your vehicle and damage caused by hitting an animal.

If you have a loan on your vehicle, you’ll probably be required to have both collision and comprehensive coverages. If you own your vehicle outright, you have the option of purchasing these two types of coverages. Have you reviewed these two important types of coverages recently? We’re happy to review your [car insurance](/auto-insurance-quotes "Free Car Insurance Quote") policy to make sure you have the right amount of coverage for you and your family.

## Insurance Quotes

Give us some info and we'll help you find the best coverage options.

[Request a Quote](/quotes)

## Insurance Partners

[Trusted Choice — Anthem — Assurant — Cigna — Humana — Openly — Prudential — RLI — Symetra — Auto Owners — Foremost Insurance — Hagerty — Kemper — Liberty Mutual — Progressive — Travelers](/insurance-companies)

## From Our Blog

[What to Consider Before Installing a Home EV Charger](/blog/2026/what-to-consider-before-installing-a-home-ev-charger)

[How to Protect Business Equipment That Travels Off-Site](/blog/2026/how-to-protect-business-equipment-that-travels-off-site)

[Why Your Online Quote Might Not Be Telling the Whole Truth](/blog/2026/why-your-online-quote-might-not-be-telling-the-whole-truth)

## Share This

- [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cowartinsurance.com%2Fblog%2F2014%2Fdiving-into-the-details-of-comp-and-collision-coverage.md)
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cowartinsurance.com%2Fblog%2F2014%2Fdiving-into-the-details-of-comp-and-collision-coverage.md&text=What+is+the+difference+between+Comprehensive+and+Collision+Insurance%3F)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cowartinsurance.com%2Fblog%2F2014%2Fdiving-into-the-details-of-comp-and-collision-coverage.md&title=What+is+the+difference+between+Comprehensive+and+Collision+Insurance%3F)
- [Email](mailto:?subject=What+is+the+difference+between+Comprehensive+and+Collision+Insurance%3F&body=Thought+you+might+be+interested...%0A%0AWhat+is+the+difference+between+Comprehensive+and+Collision+Insurance%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.cowartinsurance.com%2Fblog%2F2014%2Fdiving-into-the-details-of-comp-and-collision-coverage.md)

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https://www.cowartinsurance.com/blog/2014/diving-into-the-details-of-comp-and-collision-coverage#blogposting","url":"https://www.cowartinsurance.com/blog/2014/diving-into-the-details-of-comp-and-collision-coverage","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.cowartinsurance.com/blog/2014/diving-into-the-details-of-comp-and-collision-coverage#webpage"},"headline":"What is the difference between Comprehensive and Collision Insurance?","datePublished":"2014-08-18T16:51:12Z","dateModified":"2025-10-10T15:37:50Z","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.cowartinsurance.com/#organization","name":"Cowart Insurance Agency"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.cowartinsurance.com/#organization","name":"Cowart Insurance Agency"}},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.cowartinsurance.com/#organization","url":"https://www.cowartinsurance.com/","name":"Cowart Insurance Agency"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.cowartinsurance.com/#webpage","url":"https://www.cowartinsurance.com/","name":"What is the difference between Comprehensive and Collision Insurance?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/blog","name":"Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/blog/2014/diving-into-the-details-of-comp-and-collision-coverage","name":"What is the difference between Comprehensive and Collision Insurance?"}}]}]}
```
