What to Do When Your Car is Broken Into or Vandalized

If someone has vandalized or broken into your car, you need to first quickly and thoroughly document the damage and then file a police report.

Any personal property stolen from your car will not be covered by your comprehensive policy. Instead, you'll need to file a claim under your renters or homeowners insurance policy to receive reimbursement for those items.

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Steps to take when someone breaks into or vandalizes your car

Before you can file a claim or get your car repaired, you need to evaluate and document all of the damage done to your vehicle. Contact the police to see if they'll dispatch an officer to the scene, and then follow these steps:

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Document the damage

Before you clean up any paint or broken glass, photograph all of the damage done to your car. This documentation may be required to file a police report, and it will help you defend your claim with your insurance company.

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Make a list of stolen items

If someone smashed your window, they were probably seeking personal items in your car. Make a list of anything that is missing, including personal documents you might have stored in the car’s glove compartment.

Submit this list when you file your police report and homeowners or renters insurance claim. If any sensitive documents were stolen, such as those that list details for a bank account or credit card, consider setting up a fraud alert with the credit bureaus and freezing your credit cards and bank accounts.

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File a police report

Vandals often target multiple cars in an area, stealing property and causing a significant amount of damage. Your local police department may need to know about your case in order to investigate a broader scope of crime.

Additionally, your insurance company will usually require a police report to process any claim you file. Call the police and ask if they'll come assess the damage. If not, you may need to file a report at a local station or over the phone. To file a report, you'll need:

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Get a quote and calculate whether filing a claim makes sense

Contact your insurance agent or take your car to a reputable body shop to get an estimate of how much the repairs will cost. Even if you do have comprehensive coverage as part of your car insurance policy, you'll probably have to pay a deductible before you're reimbursed any money.

Regardless of whether you file a claim or pay for your repairs out of pocket, you should get any glass damage repaired as soon as possible. Not only does a broken window prevent you from locking your doors, but driving with broken glass can lead to injury and further damage as well.

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What type of car insurance covers vandalism and theft?

If you've added comprehensive insurance to your auto insurance policy, you should be protected from any form of vandalism or car theft. However, comprehensive policies typically come with a deductible that you'll have to pay before the policy kicks in. Because of this deductible, it might make more financial sense to pay for the repairs yourself.

In certain cases, such as when you discover a minor chip in your windshield, your repairs might be covered without any deductible. For example, if you have a comprehensive policy with Geico, your deductible is waived for glass repairs when a crack is shorter than a dollar bill and a chip is smaller than a quarter. This is to encourage you to get these repairs done as soon as you detect them, to prevent them from causing additional, more costly damage.

Does comprehensive insurance cover stolen items?

While comprehensive insurance does cover damage from a break-in and protects you if the car itself is stolen, it doesn't cover personal items that are stolen from your car. Instead, these items are covered by your homeowners or renters insurance policy.

But, as with comprehensive coverage, your homeowners or renters policy will come with a deductible. It will only make sense to file a claim if you've lost an item of substantial value, such as a laptop.

If you want to file a claim for stolen items, make sure those items are listed on your police report, and follow the same steps you would for a car insurance claim.

How much does it cost to fix a broken window or keyed car?

Vandalism is a common, and often expensive, form of damage for car owners.

However, this amount only reflects incidents for which claims were filed with insurance companies — and claims are typically filed only in the case of expensive repairs.

Additionally, this amount varies based on a number of factors, which include:

Chipped glass and cracks under six inches long are usually easy to fix and can often be done in under 30 minutes. Other damage, such as a smashed windshield or a door that is riddled with dents, might require replacement, which will increase the cost of repairs, especially if you own a luxury or high-tech vehicle.

Keep in mind that if you choose to file a car insurance claim, you'll need to pay your deductible before you receive any reimbursement from your auto insurance company. Also, a claim may cause your insurer to increase your premiums for the next few years.

So, unless your repairs will cost significantly more than your policy's deductible, it might be cheaper in the long run to pay for the repairs out of pocket. Either way, we recommend getting quotes from a few auto body shops to compare rates and get the best deal.