Snowstorms across the Northeast have been snapping tree limbs onto cars. How to ensure your insurance will cover the realities of winter weather

As snowstorms continue to strain trees and infrastructure, it’s worth taking a closer look at your insurance policy to make sure it’s equipped to handle the realities of winter weather. Here’s what you need to know.

When trees fall on cars, insurance coverage isn’t automatic

There are many misconceptions about insurance, including the belief that standard auto coverage, or even homeowners' insurance, will pick up the tab if a tree crashes into your vehicle.

Unless you opted for additional, more expensive protection, your auto policy likely only includes liability coverage. That’s the minimum required in most states and only pays for injuries or property damage you cause to others, plus your legal defense if you're sued (2).

Liability insurance doesn’t cover damage to your own vehicle, even when that damage comes from an unavoidable event like a winter storm. That means drivers who only carry liability coverage are typically responsible for the full cost of repairs if a heavy branch dents their hood, shatters a windshield or totals the car.

If you have home insurance, you typically won’t be protected, either, even if the tree fell from a neighbor’s yard or nearby property.

Home insurance covers the home, belongings inside it and specified surrounding areas against damage from a covered event. Some people assume that if their car was parked on their property — such as in the driveway — any damage would be covered by their home insurance policy. In reality, that’s rarely the case (3).

The only possible exception might be if the tree came from somebody else’s property and it can be proven it fell because the owner was negligent, such as failing to address a clearly dead or dangerous tree (4). That difficult task becomes even tougher during winter storms. Heavy snow and ice are generally considered unavoidable natural events, making fault and liability tricky to establish.

The key rule to remember is that homeowners' insurance, as the name suggests, covers your home. Cars are insured under separate auto policies.

What insurance do you need?

For protection against falling trees and other storm-related damage, drivers need comprehensive auto insurance. This is an optional add-on to a standard auto policy and is often bundled with collision coverage (5).

Comprehensive insurance covers damage to your vehicle caused by incidents other than a collision that are out of your control, such as theft, vandalism, fire, hail, floods, hitting an animal and falling objects and generally applies whether a vehicle is parked or moving. In other words, if your car is struck by a tree during a storm, comprehensive insurance should cover it.

While comprehensive coverage is not required by law in any state, it is usually required by lenders if you lease or finance your vehicle. According to the Insurance Information Institute, roughly eight in ten Americans carry comprehensive coverage in addition to liability insurance (6).

The costs of this add-on vary based on factors such as location, vehicle type and driving history. The Insurance Information Institute says the average price of comprehensive coverage is just over $134 per year, while deductibles typically range from $100 to $2,000 (7, 8).

How to protect your car and home from winter damage

With winter storms continuing to stress trees and power lines, drivers can take a few practical steps now to avoid costly surprises later.