Comprehensive vs Third Party: Windscreen Cover Compared

Car insurance in Australia comes in tiers, and only the top tier pays for your own windscreen. Understanding where your policy sits tells you immediately whether a glass claim is even possible.

The 4 levels, side by side

Comprehensive: the only one that pays for glass

Comprehensive covers damage to your own car from almost any cause, including stone chips, cracks, break-ins and accidents. Windscreen and glass damage is included, ADAS calibration is covered as part of the claim, and chip repairs are commonly free. You pay only your windscreen excess.

Third party: protects others, not your glass

Third party property covers damage you cause to other people’s cars and property. Third party fire and theft adds cover for your car being stolen or burnt. Neither pays for accidental damage to your own windscreen, because a stone chip is not third party damage, theft or fire. With either, your glass is out of pocket.

CTP: injury cover only

In South Australia, CTP is compulsory and attached to your registration. It covers injury to people in a crash, not vehicle damage of any kind. Every registered car has it, but it never contributes to a windscreen.

Why comprehensive is the Adelaide norm

Adelaide roads generate a lot of glass damage, especially on the northern freeway runs to Gawler and Elizabeth, the Southern Expressway and the Port River Expressway, where stone chips are routine. Combined with a strong base of newer cars carrying expensive ADAS glass, that makes comprehensive cover the sensible default here, and it is what most insured Adelaide drivers hold. The upside shows exactly when a stone hits: a $1,200 ADAS windscreen becomes a $0 to $500 excess instead of a full bill.

This is general guidance, not financial advice. Your certificate of insurance states your level of cover, and your insurer confirms what it includes.