Does my auto insurance cover me for a vehicle break-in or theft?

Lots of people carry liability coverage only. It’s cheaper than comprehensive coverage. And states don’t require it. But liability-only car insurance doesn’t cover loss from car theft or break-ins. If you would suffer a severe financial hardship if someone steals your car, or someone should break in and steal items out of your car, and you can’t afford to just eat the loss without breaking a sweat, you should consider carrying comprehensive coverage. Even if you do carry comprehensive coverage, that insurance would only cover “stock” factory-installed parts and gear. If you’ve got a high-end stereo system, added satellite radio, rims, or other customization, a standard car insurance policy won’t cover that, either. You need to account for all the customizations up front, when you buy the policy. Also, car insurance usually does not cover personal items that get stolen out of your car. Those items are normally handled using renter’s insurance or homeowner’s insurance policies, rather than car insurance policies. Most renter’s insurance policies are designed with relatively low deductibles. But you should consider what happens if your MacBook Pro gets stolen from the back of your car and you need it to earn a living? What happens if you have your carpenter’s tools in the back of your truck and someone cracks open your tool container? You will need to be able to cover your renter’s insurance deductible in order to quickly replace your MacBook or other tools of your trade so you can get back to work. In addition, you’ll have to repair any damage the thieves did you your car. So at best you’ll need to cover your car insurance deductible at the same time (or drive around with a trash bag covering the window they smashed until you can scrape up the money! And that’s if you carry comprehensive coverage at all.