Collision Coverage for Seniors in Kansas
Collision coverage pays to repair or replace your car when it hits another car or object, or flips over, no matter who caused it.
What collision coverage pays for
Covers
- Hitting another vehicle If you cause a crash, this pays to fix your own car regardless of fault.
- Hitting a fixed object A mailbox, a guardrail, a light pole, a garage door, all covered the same way.
- Single car rollovers If you lose control and the car rolls or flips, the damage is covered.
- Potholes and road damage Hitting a pothole hard enough to bend a wheel or damage the undercarriage counts as a collision.
- Hit and run damage to your car If the other driver takes off and can't be found, collision steps in to cover your repairs.
Doesn't cover
- Hail, wind or falling tree limbs That's comprehensive coverage, not collision, since there's no impact with another vehicle or object you drove into.
- A deer or other animal strike Animal collisions are treated as comprehensive claims even though something was hit.
- Theft of the car Comprehensive pays for that, not collision.
- Mechanical breakdown A failed transmission or worn out brakes are maintenance issues, not a collision claim.
- Injuries to you or your passengers Medical payments or personal injury protection covers people, collision only covers the vehicle.
Whether it's worth paying for depends on the car, not your age
Your age doesn't change how this coverage works or what it pays. What changes the math is what your car is worth and what you can absorb yourself if something happens to it.
If the car is paid off and worth modestly little, you're effectively insuring it for less than it's worth, and the payout after a total loss may not feel like much once you account for what you'd have paid in to carry the coverage over the years. Some drivers in that position would rather set that money aside and self insure.
If you could write a check to replace the car outright without strain, that's another reason some drivers drop this coverage on an older vehicle. If losing the car would be a real financial hit, keeping the coverage makes more sense even if the car isn't new.
How much you drive and where the car sits also matter. A car that mostly sits in a garage and only goes to church, the grocery store and the doctor carries less risk than one driven daily on the highway. That lower risk is worth weighing against what you'd lose if the one trip you do take ends in a crash.
What actually happens when you file a claim
You pay your deductible first, and the insurer covers the rest of the repair cost up to what your car is worth. If the damage costs more to fix than the car is worth, the insurer will declare it a total loss and pay you that value instead of paying for repairs.
After a crash, you report the claim, an adjuster looks at the damage either in person or through photos, and you get an estimate for repair or a settlement offer if it's totaled. Have your policy number, photos of the damage, and a police report if one was filed, since that speeds things along.
The payout covers the vehicle itself, not a rental car unless you added that separately, and not anything personal that was in the car at the time. If you're still making payments on the car, the lender is typically listed on the policy and gets paid first out of any settlement.
Collision versus comprehensive
Collision coverage
This pays for damage from hitting another vehicle or object, or from rolling your car over. It applies no matter who's at fault.
Comprehensive coverage
This pays for damage that isn't from a collision, like hail, fire, theft, vandalism, or hitting an animal. The two are usually sold together but are separate coverages with separate deductibles.
If you're deciding whether to drop one and keep the other, think about which risk feels more likely for how and where you drive, since dropping both isn't the only option.
Real situations
You're pulling out of a parking space at the pharmacy and clip a parked car, denting both bumpers.
Collision pays for your repairs after your deductible, since it covers crashes you cause.
A hailstorm hits while your car is parked at church and leaves dents across the hood and roof.
Collision doesn't pay here, since there was no impact with another vehicle or object, this falls under comprehensive.
A deer runs into the road at dusk on a county highway and you can't stop in time.
Collision doesn't pay for an animal strike even though something was hit, that's a comprehensive claim.
Once you know whether you want to keep, adjust or drop this coverage, you can compare quotes with that decision already settled.
Questions people ask about this
Can I drop collision coverage on an old car and keep it on a newer one?
Yes, you can set coverage differently for each vehicle on the same policy. Many households do exactly this, carrying collision on a newer car and dropping it on an older one that's paid off. Check with your insurer on how the policy separates the two vehicles.
Does collision coverage follow me if I drive someone else's car?
Often yes, since collision coverage is usually tied to you as a driver as well as to the car, but this varies by policy and by state. If you regularly drive a car that isn't yours, like a spouse's or an adult child's, it's worth checking directly with your insurer how that's handled.
What happens to collision coverage if I stop driving regularly?
The coverage itself doesn't change, but some insurers offer lower rates for low mileage drivers, so it's worth asking if your usage has dropped. If the car is parked most of the time, that's also a reason to revisit whether collision still makes sense for that vehicle.
Will my rates go up if I use collision coverage after a crash?
It depends on your insurer and on who was at fault, and this varies by state and by policy. Some policies offer accident forgiveness for a first claim, and it's worth asking your insurer directly how a claim would affect your rate before you file.
Is collision coverage required to keep a loan or lease on a car?
Yes, lenders and leasing companies typically require it for as long as you owe money on the car. Once the car is paid off, the requirement ends and the decision to keep the coverage is entirely yours.
