In the year to September 2025, there were 399,000 thefts from vehicles in England and Wales, according to Office for National Statistics figures. If you come back to your car to find a smashed window and your bag or laptop gone, will your insurer cover the loss?
In our most recent survey of car insurance customers, one in 10 claims involved burglary or theft. Our analysis of policies suggests that while you can usually assume the car itself is covered, it’s far less clear-cut when it comes to possessions left inside.
Here, we explain which personal belongings are covered, how much your insurer is likely to pay out and other types of cover that could prove more reliable for expensive items.
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How car insurance policies cover your belongings
When we reviewed 66 car insurance policies last November, most contained some degree of personal belongings cover.
‘Personal belongings’ is a very broad term – but in many cases, the reality is less wide-ranging than the name. As the table shows, handbags, shopping and pushchairs were covered by all 55 policies that included personal belongings cover.
However, around one in seven didn’t cover some of the pricier items that could be most attractive to thieves, including gadgets such as laptops, tablets or mobile phone. Fewer than one in 10 protected credit cards or documents, and none covered cash.
In November, we analysed 66 car insurance policies from 25 insurers. Percentages are of the 55 policies that included personal belongings cover.
- Find out more: best car insurance policies 2026
How much does personal belongings cover pay out?
Even if you’ve taken care to choose a policy that doesn’t exclude the possessions you most need covered, modest payout limits can render the cover little more than tokenistic. Of the policies we checked, the most common claim limit was £300 or less, with a couple paying less than £100.
This said, a handful of policies – from AXA, Moja, Saga and Swiftcover – provided more than £1,000 for personal belongings.
Is home insurance better for stolen valuables?
The personal possessions cover you get with home insurance puts car insurance to shame.
When we reviewed 78 contents policies in July 2025, virtually all (97%) offered cover for personal possessions on your person or stolen from a car. It’s usually an optional add-on rather than standard (as is generally the case with car insurance), but almost invariably provides broader cover and higher limits.
Most of the policies we looked at covered personal possessions away from the home with cover limits in the thousands of pounds, rather than hundreds. All included pricey gadgets such as mobile phones, laptops and tablets. Most also covered cash, although with lower limits than for other possessions.
- Find out more: contents cover compared
How to protect belongings left in your car
- Not all car insurance policies cover your belongings. Many do, but it’s not a given – and it’s sometimes one of the features insurers cut out of their cheaper policies. So don’t assume that any cover is provided without checking.
- Check the cover limitations. ‘Personal belongings’ isn’t an effective shorthand for ‘all your stuff’. Policies include and exclude specific kinds of items, and may offer cover for only a fraction of their value. If you’re relying on car insurance for this cover, make sure the policy you’ve chosen leaves you adequately protected.
- Consider other forms of cover. If your car insurance isn’t up to scratch, other kinds of cover can provide the safety net you need. Consider adding personal possessions cover to your home insurance if it isn’t already included. Other alternatives include gadget cover or mobile phone insurance.
- Keep your possessions secured. Assuming your insurance can meaningfully cover your personal belongings, your insurer may still challenge a claim if it thinks you’ve not taken reasonable steps to keep them safe. A theft claim could be denied if you’d left your belongings in view inside your car when it’s unattended, or not secured in the boot or a glove compartment. Most car insurance policies also have exclusions against theft if the car was left unlocked.