Auto glass insurance is a policy that covers the repair or replacement of your windshield, rear and side windows, and sunroof. No one enjoys getting chips or cracks in their windshield, but is it worth getting insurance for this?
One Canadian insurer quotes a premium of “as little as” $186 a year and then a deductible of $25 to replace three chips or $50 to replace the windshield. Replacing a windshield yourself could cost from $150 to $325. Repairing chips without auto insurance can cost $40 to $50, then $10 per additional chip.
As you can see, you could replace your windshield every 2 years and still come out ahead over the auto glass insurance. Insuring against rock chips make even less sense, the insurance would cost you $211, you could have three chips replaced at your own expense for $70.
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Tom Drake is the owner and head writer of Canadian Finance Blog.
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I live in NYC and I think glass coverage is the best thing on Earth. Already got my money worth for it, so it’s one thing in your series I have to disagree with.
However, it does appear that our policies are slightly different. Mine has $0 deductible and only adds $2-3 to the monthly premium.
Pinyo, At the price your paying, the math definitely works out better for you. I would think if you’re getting at least one chip a year then it’s worthwhile?
Wow! That’s outrageous! Here in NZ most car policies have free or close to free optional glass cover. Haven’t had to use ours yet, though our flatmate has had his back windscreen replaced twice this year so he definitely got his $$ worth.
Auto glass repair can be expensive. Windshield repair and replacement is regular issue with a lot of customers so my opinion is that auto glass insurance is a must. Just when you don’t have it that is when a monster hail storm hits and wipes out all your glass like it did in Austin this past march.
Auto glass is inexpensive compared to the OEM glass that’s from the car company itself. Try Auto Glass Rockville and see for yourself.
I never heard about auto glass insurance. When I made insurance for my car that includes everything from tires to glass, engine etc. I will never understand why some people are making insurance for auto glass. It`s a waste of money in my opinion.
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I’ve never heard of stand alone auto glass insurance, course I’m in the US. I have comprehensive coverage that includes glass as well as some other things. Glass coverage has zero deductible. I’ve had my whole windshield replaced even with just a chip in the windshield. In the last 10 years I’ve had 2 windshields and two side windows replaced. I always ask how much they cost and the most expensive one was a back side window that I was told was a $2,000 piece of glass. So I’ll always carry glass insurance.
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The auto glass insurance coverage really depends on your situation, but I must say two things:
1st, in most states and provinces (US & Canada), this is NOT a stand-alone premium. It’s usually already included in your comprehensive coverage for your car, BUT you are in fact paying extra for it. They don’t tell you that though. They just tell you, yes, yes, that’s all covered with your comprehesive coverage. You’ll be surprised how much glass coverage actually costs. It’s average $180 per year on your car insurance.
2nd, logically, it’s true that if the cost of the auto glass repairs exceeds the cost of of the insurance coverage, multiplied by the risk factor (ie. parked indoor/outdoor, good/bad neighbourhood, lots of high way driving behind trucks, etc.), then you should get the glass coverage on your insurance. BUT, if you don’t think that you’ll run into any glass damage, I say, opt-out for it and save yourself the average of $180/yr on your car insurance. Your broker will usually not give you this option unless you ask!
So, think about your situation, and ask how much it actually costs for you to have the coverage vs. repair costs (if any that you may run into), and make your decision.
I work for Allstate Insurance, so I know. A lot of folks do not know about this ‘option’. They think it’s all included, but nope, you are paying extra for it my friends.
Cheers and Happy Driving.
[...] @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Insurance You Can Do Without – Auto Glass Insurance | The Canadian Finance Blog posted at The Canadian Finance Blog, saying, “No one enjoys getting chips or cracks in their [...]
I have had my windshield replaced a few times in the past several years. It has always been covered by my auto insurance included in my policy. Maybe that is just from my insurance company, or maybe I am paying for it and am unaware. Now I am going to look into that and double check ha. Thanks for the heads up.
After reading the majority of the comments, I have to agree. My insurance covers my glass repair/replacement completely. I’ve never had to pay anything out of pocket for it. Maybe check into your insurance and switch to a different provider.
About ten percent of my customers opt to go through insurance and out of those 10 percent 90 percent of those claims are a pain in the butt. Auto Glass Replacement Thanks
Have to agree with Peter usually glass insurance is already included with the motor insurance; I wouldn’t fork out extra for that in any circumstances.
Make sure you have adequate insurance to cover it. That is always the issue.
I think the main thing to remember is that insurance is designed (on average) to take in more money than it pays out thus remaining profitable and viable.
Any premium you’re paying for an additional coverage ie: windshield replacement in the long run will end up being more than if you just paid for the replacement out of your own pocket.
The exception to this is understanding where the average is made from – for example if you live in a rural town and need to replace your windshield every 6 months, but that premium is averaged out with a million people in a larger city that rarely need to replace their windshield – then you get a great deal!
This really depends what car you drive and where you live. A windshield for an Infiniti G37 here in Canada cost nearly 1,000 to replace and about $300 in US. Also, glass insurance is sometimes included in a package and cannot be dropped without also dropping other coverage like rock chips. I used to think rock chips were minor and I’d never pay my $300 deductible to fix a rock chip until I brought in my BMW335 to get a tiny rock chip on my headlight fixed. It ended up costing $2,000 Cdn because the only way to fix it was to replace the entire headlight!!
Insurance comes first to mind when buying a vehicle..It is because it gives a great deal from the of purchasing it.It is valuable considering that winshield and glass repair seems so expensive.You may be unaware of it,but it was included on your payment.The amount you paid worthy of it.
Insurance comes first to mind when buying a vehicle.. It is because it gives a great deal the time from purchasing it.. It is valuable considering that winshield and glass repair seems so expensive. You may be unaware of it, but it was included on your payment. The amount you paid worth it!!
We have more people using the insurance now and asking that we pay their insurance deductibles mainly for replacing the windshield but also for other autoglass work. I wrote about it at http://www.autoglasswizard.ca if you have time to compare.
i know that having an insurance is really necessary and it’s going to be so good.