There are three basic types of car insurance: third party (liability), third party plus fire and theft, and comprehensive.

In some cases, comprehensive insurance covers contents of your car, subject to several restrictions, such as the use of forced entry on a locked car, and the assumption that you took reasonable precautions to keep the items out of sight. Third party insurance does not cover car contents. Never assume that cheap car insurance covers contents unless you specifically read that it does in the list of inclusions and exclusions.

Third party plus fire and theft insurance covers theft of the car itself and generally does not cover contents with some exceptions for accessories and spare parts. If you regularly carry expensive items in your car, read through the inclusions and exclusions carefully to see if contents are covered and, if so, under what conditions they are covered. If you left an expensive item in plain view in an unlocked car, you can safely assume you will not be covered if the item is stolen.

If your comprehensive car insurance does not cover the contents of your car, then check your home insurance. In most cases you have to add “away from home” cover to your basic contents cover to take care of items you regularly take with you. This is sometimes called “personal belongings” cover. Next time your car insurance is up for renewal, compare car insurance to see if policies in your price range offer car contents cover.