Does Automobile Insurance Cover Items Stolen From a Car in California?
Auto insurance is mandated for everyone on U.S. roads, including all drivers with vehicles registered in California. However, although people are required to buy auto insurance, they have a number of different options as to precisely what kind of insurance they wish to buy, as well as the extent of this coverage. While people will not be mandated to buy insurance that covers theft of belongings from an automobile, they will often choose to do so.
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Theft
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When an item is stolen from a car, a person will wish to check his insurance policy to see if the loss is covered. Under California law, automobile insurance does not have to cover the loss of stolen items. The only requirements in California are that the insurance cover damage to the property of a person other than the policyholder, or injury to other parties, in the event that these losses were caused by the policyholder.
Comprehensive Coverage
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In addition to liability coverage, many drivers will choose to buy comprehensive coverage. Unlike liability coverage, which provides compensation to parties other than the person who holds the policy, comprehensive coverage -- sometimes called full coverage -- provides compensation to the person who took out the policy. Whether it will provide coverage to the person in the event that objects are stolen from the car will depend on whether the person purchased this option when he bought the policy.
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Options
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Comprehensive policies are highly customizable. A person only needs to buy coverage for specific situations. For example, a person may choose to buy coverage for instances in which the car is damaged in an accident, or when the car itself is stolen. However, he may also choose to purchase a policy that compensates him if objects in the car are stolen. To determine whether his policy covers this, he should read the policy contract carefully.
California Laws
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California law does not require that a person purchase automobile insurance that will cover the theft of items from a person's car. In California, as in all other states, a person is required to purchase only liability insurance. It is never mandatory for a person to purchase car insurance that will protect him from loss or damage to his own car, or for items stored within the car; this purchase is strictly voluntary.
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