To an extent, we all know what to expect from our various car insurance policies in the event we get caught up in an accident or the vehicle’s stolen or damaged. However, what about the little things? Can car insurance possibly extend to covering expenses like damaged tires?
Whether you’re covered for damage to your tires depends on a few factors. To start with, only Third Party, Fire and Theft, and Comprehensive car insurance policies receive any form of this benefit. The basic Third Party vehicle insurance policy doesn’t extend to repairs of any kind to your automobile. Furthermore, even with Third Party, Fire and Theft, and Comprehensive automobile policies, you still have to carefully go over the specifics of your policy coverage to check exactly what you’re covered for, where issues like damages to your vehicles’ tires are concerned. For instance, if your geographic location has many potholes and rough road conditions were taken into account when taking out your policy, coverage like Comprehensive insurance can pay out if a pothole damages your tires. As we’ve established, the circumstances under which the tires were damaged plays strongly into whether insurance will cover those expenses or not.
As an example, your tires could be damaged as a result of a fire accident. Under such conditions, even a Third-Party Fire and Theft coverage policy will pay for the repairs, should you file a claim. Similarly, if your tires were slashed or stolen, you will be reimbursed for repairing or replacing these items by your insurance company if you’re on the Third Party, Fire, and Theft, or Comprehensive car insurance policies. The reason for that is because both these policies make provisions for covering damages for non-crash situations. So basically, provided your tires were damaged as a result of any of the situations previously described, Third Party, Fire and Theft and Comprehensive car insurance policies will ensure you don’t fix them out of pocket. However, should the damage to the tires occur primarily due to wear and tear, you will have to bear the financial responsibility of replacing them yourself, regardless of what coverage you’re under. The same principle is applicable if you damage your tires due to driving over a sharp object. Remember that some insurers may offer special add-on packages you can take that will offer you coverage in these scenarios.
