Car Insurance and Tire Damage

The tires on your car take a heck of a beating. Most passenger tires can handle 40,000 miles or more before needing replaced, and that’s a lot of pot holes, curb checks and hard braking.

Occasionally the life of a tire will be cut short by a puncture, generally in the sidewall, that is not fixable like a nail hole in the tread area. Maybe you hit a piece of iron in the road, hit a curb too hard and blew out the sidewall plys or hit a pot hole big enough to swallow a small compact car.

A common question for drivers is whether their car insurance covers damage to their tires. In most cases the answer is no.

Car insurance specifically excludes “wear and tear” from use of the car, and this includes loss of tire tread and punctures. It’s just considered a cost of owning a vehicle, just like replacing belts or a transmission.

With the cost of tires skyrocketing recently due to the use of petroleum products in their construction, tires can range from $50 on the low end for a compact car to well over $300 per tire for aggressive off-road and performance car tires. And if you blow one tire, chances are you will replace at least the one on the other side to keep your ride smooth. With the costs of mounting, balancing and taxes included, you could be looking at $500 to $700 out-of-pocket for damage that may have been unavoidable.

When you purchase new tires, you can often buy a warranty on the tires that will replace them if they are damaged by road debris. The road hazard warranties are not through your car insurance company, but rather through a different company that specifically covers damage to your tires.

Road hazard coverage for tires is not cheap. It can add an extra 10% or more to the cost of each tire you buy. But if you often drive in areas where you could encounter tire-destroying obstacles, the cost is well worth it, especially if you have a higher-dollar tire on your vehicle.

Unfortunately you do have to purchase new tires to purchase the warranty, as you can’t add it on to your existing tires, but it may be worth considering the next time you buy tires.

If your car is damaged by a covered peril such as hitting a pole or a deer, and you have full coverage in place, then any damage to your tires will be covered by your car insurance policy. So if your bumper is crushed into the tire causing a deep puncture, the tire will be replace as part of the claim. This would also include the rim, brake rotor and calipers, bearings, etc.