What is the difference between body insurance and vehicle damage insurance?

[ElliotFitz]

The differences between body insurance and vehicle damage insurance are as follows: 1. Nature: Body insurance is a mandatory national insurance, while vehicle damage insurance is one of the commercial insurances. 2. Coverage: Body insurance only compensates third parties, while vehicle damage insurance is responsible for compensating the loss of the vehicle itself. 3. Premium: The coverage of body insurance is relatively fixed (it may fluctuate based on whether the owner has a traffic violation record), while the premium of vehicle damage insurance is related to the purchase price of the vehicle. 4. Scope of insurance liability: Body insurance refers to the compensation provided by the insurer according to the insurance contract when the insured vehicle suffers losses due to natural disasters or accidents within the scope of insurance liability; vehicle damage insurance refers to the compensation provided by the insurance company according to the insurance contract when the insured or the vehicle driver causes damage to the vehicle in an accident during driving.

[AmeliaLee]

When it comes to body insurance and vehicle damage insurance, as someone who has been driving for over a decade, I feel the need to share some insights. The term 'body insurance' is rarely used these days. It refers to coverage only for the external metal shell of the car, such as scratches or dents, basically covering superficial damage. Vehicle damage insurance, on the other hand, is more comprehensive. It covers all sorts of damage to the car itself, whether it's from collisions, hail damage, or even flooding—it's all included. Back in the day, I learned this the hard way. I thought body insurance was enough, but when my car's chassis had issues, it wasn't covered, and I ended up paying over 3,000 out of pocket for repairs. So, my advice to fellow car owners is to opt for vehicle damage insurance and consider adding glass coverage or flood protection riders. It doesn’t cost much but saves a lot of hassle. Don’t just look at the cheap premiums—calculate the actual repair costs to avoid regrets later.

[OPreston]

Having been in the insurance industry for a long time, I've seen many car owners confuse these two concepts. Vehicle Damage Insurance is one of the main types of coverage, protecting your car's own losses, whether from collisions or natural disasters like floods and fires. On the other hand, Body Insurance is more like a nickname, still used in some old policies, but it typically only covers repairs to the car's exterior shell, not the engine or internal parts. The biggest difference lies in the scope: Vehicle Damage Insurance covers the entire car, while Body Insurance only covers the external surface. In terms of premiums, Vehicle Damage Insurance is slightly higher, but considering risks like theft or a tree falling on your car, it's more worthwhile. It's advisable to purchase it alongside Third-Party Liability Insurance—this way, if an accident occurs, your car gets repaired, and injuries to others are also covered, with the overall cost not exceeding 5% of the car's value. When choosing insurance, don't opt for cheaper, limited-coverage policies; inadequate protection is a hidden risk.

[DaniellaDella]

When I first got my driver's license, I also didn't understand insurance terms. Simply put, vehicle damage insurance is vehicle damage insurance. It covers accidents where your car itself is damaged, such as hitting a railing or being damaged by heavy rain, and pays for repair costs. Body insurance might be what people colloquially refer to, meaning it only covers the body part of the car, but modern insurance rarely sells this separately because vehicle damage insurance already includes everything. To really differentiate, body insurance only repairs the exterior, while vehicle damage insurance also covers internal parts like the engine. For beginners, buying vehicle damage insurance plus a no-deductible add-on is enough, and a full coverage budget of two to three thousand a year will do the trick.