Does North Carolina Replace Windshields for Free? Glass Claims in NC

Why the question comes up

A few states do require it. Florida’s statute 627.7288 says the deductible shall not apply to damage to the windshield, and South Carolina’s Code 38-77-280(B) says no physical damage deductible applies to automobile safety glass. Drivers who have lived in those states, or seen advertising aimed at them, reasonably expect the same here. Impex’s own site says it plainly: North Carolina doesn’t have a zero-deductible glass law. The NC Department of Insurance’s description of comprehensive coverage, which pays the cost of repair “less any deductible”, points the same way.

How glass is covered in North Carolina

The NC Department of Insurance calls it “Other Than Collision (Comprehensive)” coverage, and lists among the losses it covers “Missiles or falling objects” and “Breakage of glass”. A stone from a truck on US 1, a branch in a storm and a break-in all fall there. Comprehensive pays the cost of repair, or the actual cash value of the car, less any deductible.

• No comprehensive coverage (liability only): the policy does not pay for your own glass.
• Comprehensive with a deductible: the insurer pays the cost of the glass work above your comprehensive deductible.
• Full glass coverage: some policies include full glass coverage, which changes what you pay for glass. Check your declarations page or ask your agent: only your policy can say what you pay for glass.

So the honest answer to “is it free?” is: look at your comprehensive deductible and at whether your policy lists glass coverage. Be wary of any offer that promises a windshield at no cost before anyone has seen your policy.

Calibration is part of the job

On a car with a windshield camera, the new glass usually has to be followed by a camera calibration. Impex says that when calibration is required after glass replacement it is typically covered by comprehensive insurance, and advises confirming with your provider that both the glass work and the calibration are included under your policy. See ADAS calibration.

You choose the shop: G.S. 58-3-180

North Carolina law is clear on who decides where the work is done. G.S. 58-3-180(a) says a policy covering damage to a motor vehicle “shall allow the claimant to select the repair service or source for the repair of the damage.” Subsection (b) says the amount the insurer owes “shall be paid regardless of the repair service or source selected by the claimant.”

If an insurer recommends a shop, subsection (b1) requires it to tell you that you are under no obligation to use that shop, that you may use the shop of your choice, that it will pay the same either way, and whether it has a financial interest in the shop it recommends. No insurer may require repair at a shop it owns. Violations carry a civil penalty of up to $2,000 each. The NC Department of Insurance puts it simply in its FAQ: an insurance company cannot require you to go to a particular repair shop.

Do I call the insurer or the glass company first?

Either order works, because the choice of shop is yours. Many people call the glass company first: it can check the part by VIN, tell you whether the damage is a repair or a replacement, and work out whether the cost is above your deductible at all. If you call your insurer first and it suggests a shop, you can still say which shop you want.

Will a glass claim raise my rates?

North Carolina’s Safe Driver Incentive Plan charges insurance points for convictions and at-fault accidents. A rock chip or a broken window is neither, and the NC Department of Insurance says an insurance company cannot charge insurance points for an accident that was not your fault. So a comprehensive glass claim adds no SDIP points.

That is not the same as saying a claim can never affect your insurance. The same NCDOI FAQ notes that insurers can nonrenew comprehensive and collision coverage if you do not meet their underwriting rules, and that many companies use frequency of claims, at-fault and fault-free, in those rules. A single glass claim is not an at-fault accident; many claims in a short time may still be noticed.

A glass claim, step by step

1. Check your policy. Find your comprehensive deductible and whether you have full glass coverage.
2. Get the damage assessed. A chip may be a repair rather than a replacement. Send Impex a photo and the VIN.
3. Compare the cost to the deductible. If the job costs less than your deductible, a claim gains you nothing.
4. Open the claim. Through your insurer’s claims line or app, or with Impex’s help. Impex’s blog says it offers direct insurance billing and can handle the claim process for you; confirm how your claim will be handled when you book.
5. Choose the shop. Under G.S. 58-3-180 the choice is yours.
6. The work is done. Glass, and calibration if your car needs it.
7. Pay your share. Usually your deductible, unless your policy’s glass coverage says otherwise.

What to have ready

• Your insurance company and policy number
• The date and roughly where the damage happened (for example, on US 421 near Broadway)
• The VIN and the year, make and model
• Photos of the damage
• A police report number, if the glass was broken in a break-in

Related pages

For the work itself, see windshield replacement in Sanford, NC, windshield repair in Sanford, NC and auto glass repair in Sanford, NC. Whether a chip is worth repairing at all is covered in our repair or replace guide.

Questions people ask