Home Policy, Car Policy: Where One Stops and the Other Starts
Who answers what
| What happened | Policy that commonly responds |
|---|---|
| Your car is stolen from the driveway | Auto: comprehensive |
| A tree falls on your car during a storm | Auto: comprehensive |
| A laptop or bag is stolen from the car | Home or renters: personal property, often with an off-premises limit |
| You cause a crash and the other driver sues | Auto: liability; home liability commonly excludes auto accidents |
| A fire that starts in the car damages the garage | Auto for the car; home policy for the structure, depending on wording |
Why home policies leave cars out
Driving is its own risk, priced and regulated separately, so home policies are commonly written with a motor-vehicle exclusion that pushes anything about owning, using or maintaining a car back to the auto policy. An umbrella policy, if you have one, commonly sits above both and requires certain limits on each.
Small vehicles a home policy may cover
The motor-vehicle exclusion commonly has narrow exceptions for things that never go on the road, such as a riding mower or, under some policies, a golf cart used on your own property. Anything registered for road use, and anything you drive on public streets, is an auto-policy question. If you own something in between, ask both insurers which one claims it.
Things that fall through both
- Undeclared aftermarket equipment. An expensive sound system or wheels may be limited under the auto policy and excluded as part of the vehicle under the home policy.
- Work tools and equipment. Home policies commonly limit business property, and auto policies commonly exclude contents.
- A stored car with comprehensive dropped. If the car is parked long-term and you remove comprehensive, theft or fire in the garage is not something the home policy picks up for the car.
- Small thefts under the deductible. A home or renters deductible can be larger than the value of what was taken.
The five-minute check
- Home or renters policy: find the personal-property limit for items away from home, the deductible, and the motor-vehicle exclusion.
- Auto policy: confirm comprehensive is in place on every car you'd hate to lose, and note its deductible.
- List anything valuable you keep in the car regularly and ask which policy, if either, covers it.
The simplest protection is boring: take valuables with you, and keep the registration and anything with your address out of sight. If you'd like the auto side checked against your home policy, send us both declarations pages.
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Get My Free QuoteMore of what callers ask
Will my renters insurance cover a laptop stolen from my car?
Often, subject to the policy's limits for property away from home and its deductible. The auto policy commonly excludes personal belongings.
Does homeowners insurance cover my car in my own garage?
Not the car. Damage to or theft of the car is an auto comprehensive question, even when it happens at home.
Does bundling home and auto change what's covered?
No. Bundling can change the price, but each policy still covers what its own wording says.