Does car insurance cover stolen wheels and tires?

If you’ve put custom tires and rims on your car, and they end up being stolen, you may be wondering whether or not your car insurance will pay to replace them.

The truth is, it depends on several factors including the details of your policy, whether or not you can prove you paid for the tires and rims, and whether or not a police report detailing the theft was filed.

Know ahead of time exactly what your car insurance policy covers before you invest money in custom parts. Having the complete details of your policy at hand will help you should you find yourself requiring replacements for stolen parts.

If you’ve looked into your complete coverage terms and have found you’d rather look elsewhere for coverage, enter your ZIP code above to start your search for the best available car insurance quotes.

What Car Insurance Policies Cover

Every state requires minimum liability insurance coverage or proof of ability to pay for damages. Insurance coverage protects against bodily injury and property damage.

State minimum auto insurance coverage options will never cover the cost of stolen rims or tires.

Comprehensive or full coverage, which usually includes collision, fire, and theft, may or may not offer reimbursement costs for stolen rims and tires. It will all depend on the specific policy that a driver has.

If your comprehensive coverage doesn’t offer any protection against rim or tire replacement due to theft, you may want to consider talking to your insurance company before anything happens. Make sure you ask about any additional exclusions to your policy, and then see what type of coverage will help you in the event of a theft.

Why do car insurance companies balk over custom parts?

Car insurance companies tend to be reluctant about covering many custom and high-performance parts because it’s difficult to determine the cash value of a car when taking these things into consideration.

If your car is totaled or stolen, it’s nearly impossible for your insurance provider to determine cash value simply by looking at the Kelley Blue Book.

The process of determining the car’s value, along with your custom parts, tends to be a no-win situation for your insurance company.

Many comprehensive policies will cover custom parts up to a certain point. But that point is different among insurance providers.

If your car already has custom or performance parts installed, inform your insurance company when purchasing a new policy.

Take photographs and videos as proof that the parts do exist, and if you have receipts, they are helpful documentation as well.

Can I purchase extra insurance to cover my tires and rims?

If your current comprehensive policy does not cover the cost of your custom tires and rims, you may be able to purchase a rider that will provide such coverage.

As stated earlier, the more documentation that can prove you paid for and installed such parts, the more likely it is to be able to procure a rider to cover them.

If your current insurance company will not provide you the proper coverage, you’re always free to shop around for one that will.

However, that insurance coverage for custom and high-performance parts is going to cost you some money.

For every dollar the insurance company will potentially have to pay in the event of a claim, you will be charged a certain amount on your insurance policy.

The more expensive and valuable your custom parts, the higher the risk to the insurance company, and the more they’re going to charge you. Having an expensive, custom car on the road is often seen as being high-risk to a lot of companies, and so while the benefits include having your custom parts protected, the downside is an increase in what you’ll pay.

What if the whole car is stolen, not just the rims and tires?

In the event the entire car was stolen, your only hope of financial recourse is through a comprehensive policy which includes theft coverage.

If all you have is minimum liability, that will not be enough, as that particular coverage has a limit to what is protected. Should you not have a fully covered vehicle under your insurance policy, you may be facing high out-of-pocket costs. Whether you choose to replace the stolen equipment will be entirely up to you. Some drivers may not think the replacement costs are worth it, and may end up scrapping the entire vehicle.

If you do have a comprehensive policy that will cover the theft, and the car is recovered some time after your insurance company has paid your claim, you may have to surrender the car to them as it will become their legal property.

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, some of your custom parts may not be covered regardless of what you do. This is why it’s best to know what your coverage details are before modifying your vehicle, so that while you’re on the road, you’re completely covered.

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