Does Car Insurance Cover Battery Replacement? Full Guide
Car insurance isn’t anywhere close to rocket science but for new car owners and even old drivers, some jargon and car insurance clauses can leave you scratching your heads. One of the most asked questions when it comes to car insurance is, does car insurance cover battery replacement?
As a car owner, it is important that you have a clear idea about what car insurance covers and what it overlooks.
Car batteries have a complex story when it comes to insurance. Unlike other vehicle parts, car batteries aren’t easily covered by insurance coverage.
However, there are also scenarios and policies that do provide certain coverage for car batteries as well.
Let’s find out how insurance for car batteries works and find out if you are on the luckier side or you will end up having to shell out some money for battery replacement.
Does Car Insurance Cover Battery Replacement?
Car insurance typically, doesn’t cover routine maintenance and normal wear and tear including battery replacement.
If your car is new, these replacements can be covered by your warranty from the dealer.
But don’t be disappointed yet. There are conditions where your insurer is obliged to pay you for the battery as well.
Let’s delve into those:
1.Standard Car Insurance (Liability, Collision, Comprehensive Coverage)
Normal auto coverages that cover liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage do not cover battery replacements. A basic coverage is designed to protect you from damages resulting from accidents, vandalism, theft, and weather.
But normal routine wear and tear as well as battery replacement is not covered by this standard policy.
2.Roadside Assistance Coverage
Let’s assume that you have added roadside assistance coverage to your policy. While driving, your battery suddenly dies. So, what next?
In such cases, insurance can cover the cost to jumpstart the vehicle, the labor cost, the cost to tow your vehicle to a repair shop.
Note that this does not cover the cost of the battery itself.
3.Mechanical Breakdown or Extended Warranty
If your car battery suddenly breaks down due to a mechanical defect or error, this can be covered by your extended warranty or MBI (Mechanical Breakdown Insurance).
You have to purchase these separately from the standard auto coverage.
4.Hybrid or EV Vehicle Batteries
If you are an EV owner or a hybrid car owner, battery replacements are covered by the warranty of the vehicle.
These are not covered by a standard car insurance policy.
5.Comprehensive Auto Coverage (in case of theft or damage)
Car batteries are usually not covered under normal car insurance policies. This is one of the scenarios where you can get lucky, and your insurance will cover the costs under covered events (vandalism, theft)
If your car battery is stolen and damaged due to a major event like theft or vandalism, the comprehensive coverage can cover the cost of battery replacement as part of overall damage repair of the car.
As mentioned, it has to be under a covered event.
6.Damage from accident (Collision)
If your car battery is damaged due to a collision, the repair costs can include the battery replacement costs as well under collision insurance.
However, if your car battery dies due to a normal wear out, and not due to a collision, accident, or damage, your battery will not be covered.
Conclusion: Does Car Insurance Cover Battery Replacement Answered
Hence, these are the scenarios where car insurance covers and does not cover the battery replacement of a vehicle.
If you want to prepare in advance for any unwanted scenario, we advise that you talk to your car dealer properly about the warranty for batteries during the time of purchase.
For instance, Tesla covers car batteries within the warranty period.
Moreover, you can also get additional coverage like roadside assistance and comprehensive coverage to ensure that you get covered in cases of accidents, theft, and vandalism.
If you are a car owner looking to purchase the best car insurance policy for your vehicle or planning to switch car insurance, you can connect with the best car insurance agents near me on our Agency Height platform.
Our agents will help you get the right car insurance policy that will prepare you for all the scenarios.
Always make sure that you have the right insurance policy while driving.
Safe driving!
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