Auto and Car Insurance

What will insurance cover if my vehicle was stolen?

My vehicle was stolen and, thankfully, recovered the next day. However, the keys (nor the thief) were not found. The vehicle had to be towed from campus to the police station, then I had to have new keys made for the car. I understand that I made the mistake of leaving the keys inside the car and I have accepted the consequences. However, I was wondering 1. If my insurance would reimburse the cost of the towing ($65) and the cost of having the keys made ($95)? I have both receipts. 2. I understand there are different coverages for insurance policies, so if any would cover these costs, which type of coverage would I need? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Yeah, it seems like a low cost, but I'm in college and I really couldn't affford to dish out $160. I don't have enough money to get home for the holidays now.

Public Comments

1. It depends on your insurance policy. Even if you have full coverage, they may or they may not. Just give them a call and ask them. They will tell you yes or no. For that low a cost I would not even go through the insurance company for re-imbursement. It is probably under your deductable anyways and would still come out of your pocket.
2. You need a policy that covers incidental expenses, otherwise you must argue the costs were usual and necessary. Before getting adversarial ask politely. Some companies try to treat all their good customers well, going beyond the policy when the amount is small. I even had an agent add the cost of a bugular alarm to my settlent so I wouldn't have the problem again. I stayed with that company 25 years.
3. If your vehicle has the coverage called "comprehensive" or "theft" or "ftcac", it will cover the tow, and any damage done to the vehicle by the thieves, AFTER your deductible is paid. It would also pay for a rental for up to 30 days, but that coverage doesn't kick in until your car is missing for 48 hours. If you have "towing", that will also pay towards the towing bill, if there isn't any damage to your car. The keys aren't covered, sorry. BUT, if this guy knows where you live, and has the keys, I'd invest in a steering wheel locking bar IMMEDIATELY, or he can keep coming back whenever he wants.
4. it would if you pay the rental and tow coverage - the keys you are on your own unless your deductable is less than hundred dollars
5. If you have towing coverage on your policy it will cover up to the limit listed on your policy even if under your circumstances. Now the keys I think may only be covered under the comprehensive or other than collision coverage and be subject to your deductible unless their is some type of deductible waiver for certain instances. So I would recommend you call your agent and ask the question but make sure to tell them you don't want to turn in a claim until you are sure it would be covered.
6. Well you'll have a problem in that you likely have a deductible on your comprehensive coverage (which covers claims arising from stolen vehicles). In most cases, its several hundred dollars so even if you did file your claim, if it was for only $160, if it was within your deductible, then you won't get anything anyway. Plus, in my state, the law is such that if you've left your keys in the car, they can't charge the thief with auto theft, so here you car wasn't technically stolen, just borrowed without your permisssion....and then the insurance wouldn't pay anyway.
7. Theft is covered under "Comprehensive" insurance, which is optional in all states. They would probably cover the towing, but not the second set of keys. However, if you did have the coverage, you probably had a deductable, which is what you have to pay out of pocket before you can collect from the company. It can be anywhere from $200-$1000. Chances are, if you are a college student trying to make ends-meet, you declined this coverage. It is a good one to have, with a $500 to cover any expenses related to theft or certain other losses (i.e. vandalism or fire) and you should consider adding comprehesive and collision coverage to your policy if you can afford it. --- On a side note, don't leave the keys in the car again. If the person who took the car got into accidents with it, you would be liable as the owner of the car. In many states, leaving the keys in the vehicle is the same as giving permissive use to anyone to drive the car. I've seen claims where people will leave their keys in the car for a few seconds at a gas pump or running into get a pizza and the car gets stolen and they are considered at fault for anything that happens through vicarious liability.
8. call your insurance company and ask them, that's what they are there for this would fall under the comprehensive coverage and you probably have a deductible to pay
9. don't ask the insurance company , and check car price with sales agent