Will Car Insurance Cover Laptops Damaged in a Storm

​A storm comes through the area causing damage to your car. Your laptop is sitting on the seat of the car and also suffers damage. Will your auto insurance policy cover any of your losses? That depends on the type of insurance you have. And, there are a few important limits you should know about here. Here is more insight to keep in mind.

What Type of Car Insurance Do You Have?
One of the biggest factors to determining coverage is to know what type of car insurance you have.

If you have comprehensive auto insurance, your policy is likely to cover storm damage to the car. This may include damage from hail striking the car. It may also include flooding of the car if it is due to the storm itself. Your policy may also cover lightning strikes or severe wind damage. In these cases, you cannot control the damage.

Comprehensive auto insurance is not a policy type that everyone has. If you have just liability insurance, for example, you may not have this type of insurance available to you. It is important to choose the right protection.

If you have this form of coverage, your car itself has protection. However, that doesn’t mean your laptop will.

Coverage of Possessions
Most of the time, auto insurance policies do not cover possessions. This includes items in your car that suffer damage due to an accident of some type. This applies to this situation.

In most cases, you will not be able to file a claim for your possessions even if the policy covers the incident. While you may be able to file a claim with your auto insurance, it is not possible in most standard coverage scenarios.

In some cases, you may have a rider on your policy for possessions in the vehicle. For example, this may cover the business equipment within the vehicle. However, that is generally applicable to just commercial auto insurance. Personal policies often don’t offer this option.

Try Your Homeowners Insurance
While your auto insurance may deny your claim for the laptop, your home insurance may offer some protection.

Your home insurance policy has coverage for your possessions and can cover claims when those possessions are not within your home as well. If the laptop is a normal possession, one you own and use in your home, it may fall under this protection. You can file your claim based on the incident to recoup the losses. Remember, however, that homeowners insurance policies also place limits on when and how much coverage they offer for possessions.

Blog Post by: ITC

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