Does Filing a Windshield Chip Claim Raise Your Insurance?

By Chip Away Auto Glass Repair · 5 min read

This is one of the questions we hear most often. You have a chip in your windshield, your insurance covers glass, and you figure you might as well use it. Makes sense. But the answer is a little more complicated than it looks.

Florida Is a Zero-Deductible State for Glass

Florida does have a unique law on this. Under Florida Statute 627.7288, if you carry comprehensive coverage, your insurance company must cover windshield repair and replacement with no deductible. You do not pay anything out of pocket when you file a comprehensive glass claim in Florida.

That sounds great, and in many cases it is. But there is a catch that most people do not know about until renewal time.

Can a Comprehensive Claim Still Raise Your Premium?

Yes, it can. Comprehensive claims are not supposed to be held against you the same way a collision or at-fault accident is, but that does not mean they have zero effect. Insurance companies set rates based on claim history. Some insurers will increase your premium at renewal after even a single comprehensive claim. Others will not. It depends entirely on your carrier and your policy.

The bigger issue is that multiple comprehensive claims in a short window can absolutely flag your account as higher risk. If you have filed other claims recently, a glass claim on top of that can push your premium up noticeably.

Comprehensive vs. Collision: What Is the Difference?

Comprehensive coverage handles things that happen to your car that are not accidents. Hail, theft, a tree falling on it, a rock hitting your windshield. Collision coverage is for when your car hits something or something hits your car.

A rock chip is always a comprehensive claim, not a collision. That is generally the better claim type to file if you have to file one. But as we just covered, it is not completely without consequences.

The Math on Paying Out of Pocket

A windshield chip repair from Chip Away runs $100 to $125 for the first chip, and $10 for each additional chip. If you have two chips, you are looking at $110 to $135 total.

Compare that to the potential premium increase from filing a claim. Even a small bump in your monthly rate of $10 to $15 adds up to $120 to $180 over the course of a year. Paying out of pocket for chip repair often costs less than what the claim costs you at renewal.

Repair is almost always the cheaper move. A chip repair costs $100 to $125. A full replacement that goes through insurance could still affect your rates for a year or more after the fact.

When Filing Makes Sense

If the damage is too far gone for repair, meaning the crack has spread past what can be fixed, then filing a comprehensive claim for a full replacement makes sense. That is a bigger expense and the insurance is there for situations like that.

But for a chip that can still be repaired, paying out of pocket is usually the smarter call. You keep your claim history clean, you keep your glass in its original factory condition, and you pay less overall.

Call us and we will give you a straight answer on whether the damage you have is repairable. If it is, you probably do not need to involve your insurance at all.

Read our FAQ for answers to common insurance and pricing questions.