Texas Comprehensive Car Insurance

To be registered to drive, Lone Star Staters have to own a minimum of $30,000 in coverage if someone is injured in a collision, $60,000 per accident and $25,000 should property be damaged. This is called liability insurance, the only mandatory kind of auto insurance in Texas.

However, if you want to be truly protected, it pays to have comprehensive auto insurance. Comprehensive policies provide coverage for incidents that liability doesn’t, such as weather extremes, fire, vandalism, theft.

As the old saying goes, though, everything is bigger in Texas, and unfortunately, this often holds true in the negative sense of the phrase. In other words, when disasters happen, they can be significant. Here are a few of the reasons why having comprehensive car insurance in Texas is a no-brainer.

1. Hail

Hardly a year goes by without hail falling on Texas. Often coming in ridiculously large sizes – sometimes as big as softballs – hail stones cause an estimated $1 billion in property damage losses each year across the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Insurance Information Institute reported from NOAA’s analysis that last year, there were over 5,400 major hailstorms, most of them happening in June. Where did they overwhelmingly occur? You guessed it – Texas. About 780 struck the Lone Star State, well over 200 more than in Kansas, which had the second-highest total. Car dings and dents are almost inevitable when hail rains down, but the damages, minus the deductible, are covered with a comprehensive auto insurance policy in place.

2. Flooding

Texas may have a reputation for being an arid area, but the state has seen its fair share of flooding, this year in particular. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, flooding is the No. 1 natural disaster in the U.S. and every state has experienced some form of it over the last five years.

Motorists in Texas have felt the wet effects. Based on research performed by vehicle history company Carfax, more than 271,000 motorists have reported flood damage to their automobiles this year alone. And once again, Texas has seen the highest number of them, totaling 43,000.

Larry Gamache, Carfax Communications Director, noted that owners often unwittingly purchase used cars with flood damage.

“Consumers everywhere need to be vigilant about checking a vehicle’s history for flood damage and getting a pre-purchase inspection to avoid buying cars that rot from the inside out,” Gamache advised.

Another alternative solution is securing comprehensive auto insurance which, unlike homeowners insurance, typically pays for damages stemming from waterlogged interiors.

3. Rodent damage

Infestations are a problem an exterminator can take care of with relative ease, depending on the extent of the pest predicament. Texas has a sizeable rodent population, unsettling though that may sound. Texas A&M experts say that, including mice and field rats, vermin totals have risen over the last few years in various parts of the state due to wetter-than-normal seasons.

Rats will often use the underbelly of automobiles as shelter, but their penchant for destruction can lead to mechanical issues. Again, as opposed to homeowners insurance, comprehensive car insurance will usually pay for the repair expenses, up to the limits of the policy.

These are just a few of the reasons why comprehensive auto insurance in Houston – or any other city west of I-49 and east of the New Mexico border – is a smart move to make. Considering upgrading your policy today.

Article last updated on March 26th, 2024 at 1:48 pm



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