One of the questions we often receive is in regards to how auto insurance policies respond to personal items that are stolen from your car. We want to spend this post providing some insight into this question.
Please keep in mind that every insurance policy is different and the information below may or may not address how your policy would specifically respond.
What If My Laptop or Other Personal Items are Stolen from My Car?
Auto insurance does a good job of protecting, repairing, or replacing your vehicle if there is a claim. It does a very poor job, though, of providing any type of coverage for personal items inside the vehicle. In fact, most auto policies actually exclude coverage for personal items.
So then where do you get coverage? Your homeowners or renters policy will typically pick up the claim for stolen or damaged personal items located in your vehicle. Keep in mind, though, the claim will be subject to the policy deductible, which will typically be either $500 or $1,000.
Our best recommendation is to avoid leaving items in your vehicle as best you can. If you do have to leave items in your car, be sure to keep them out of plain view. Thieves will typically target those items that are easiest for them to get to.
Are My CDs Covered by Insurance if They’re Stolen from My Vehicle?
While CDs are quickly going the way of cassette tapes and being replaced by iPods or other portable electronic devices, this is still a common question we receive.
Unfortunately, the answer is your auto insurance most likely does NOT provide any coverage for CDs if they are stolen from the vehicle. Some companies, though, will now allow you to purchase an endorsement on your policy that will provide limited coverage for the CDs.
Your best chance of finding coverage for this type of claim is to submit a claim through your homeowners or renters policy. Many policies will provide $1,000 in coverage for “electronic apparatus, while in or upon a motor vehicle.” However, before you rest easy thinking you are protected in the event of a claim, many insurance companies have interpreted “electronic apparatus” to not include CDs and will deny the claim.
Due to the ambiguity in regards to coverage for your CDs, we have a couple of suggestions:
- Check with your agent to see how your auto and homeowners policies will respond if your CDs are stolen. It is so much better to know ahead of time how the policy will likely respond rather than waiting for the actual claim.
- Ask about the possibility of purchasing a coverage extension through your auto insurance company.
- Keep a digital copy stored on your home computer or an external storage device as a backup.