Does Car Insurance Cover Dead Batteries?

Your car’s battery is one of its most critical systems. After all, without a working battery you won’t be able to start the car, maintain power and drive. So, when your battery malfunctions or dies, you will need to replace it. Since this is likely to cost you a chunk of money, you might wonder if your car insurance will pay for the battery replacement.  

The answer is that it depends on your plan. Therefore, it’s always better to maintain battery health over the life of your car through practical service and maintenance. 

Car Insurance for Batteries 

On the most basic level, car insurance won’t cover damage done to your car or to the battery itself when that damage arises from normal wear & tear. Batteries age and deteriorate over time. Therefore, as they wear out, their reliability will become compromised.  

However, you generally have ample warning that your battery is getting older, and you can likely replace the battery long before damage becomes severe. Therefore, you probably have minimal need for your auto insurance to pay for the replacement.  

Still, if you need to have the battery replaced as part of overall repairs you must receive from a wreck or other hazards, then your auto policy can incorporate these repairs as part of your claim. 

All the same, there is one benefit that your auto policy might provide to assist with dead batteries. Most auto policies offer roadside assistance benefits. For a small increase in your premium (usually just a few dollars more per year) you can add this benefit to your policy. Once you have roadside assistance coverage, the service might be able to dispatch a repair service to your location to provide a jumpstart or new battery delivery (not to mention a host of other services). 

If you only require a jumpstart, then your roadside assistance coverage will likely either pay in full for the service or charge a small fee at most. If you need a full battery replacement, then you will likely have to pay for the battery itself, though the roadside assistance provider might charge no installation fees. The terms of this coverage will vary from plan to plan. 

Keeping Your Battery Healthy 

It’s always easier to maintain a healthy battery over the life of your car. A healthy battery will help you avoid putting undue strain on your electrical system when trying to start the car.  

When you visit your service provider for annual maintenance, ask them to test your battery health. If they recommend that you replace your battery, ask them what the most affordable and secure way is to do so. The sooner you replace an aging battery, the less risk you will have of it causing long-term damage to your vehicle.