Reviewed and approved by Samuel Corso, licensed Texas insurance agent.

Published September 26, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

Does car insurance cover a car fire in Texas?

Whether a car fire is covered depends on the coverages and terms of your own policy. This guide walks through what the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) publishes on the subject.

The short version. Car insurance in Texas can cover a car fire if you have comprehensive coverage, which the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) describes in its Auto insurance guide as paying if your car is stolen or damaged by fire, flood, vandalism or something other than a collision. The same guide says coverages vary by policy, so read your policy or ask your agent.

Here's what we'll cover: what TDI says about the coverage for a burned car, how TDI's collision and comprehensive definitions relate to where a fire starts, the intentional-damage entry on TDI's not-covered list, fireworks and dry grass, what TDI says to do when a car is on fire, how a total loss is decided, a question about fire department charges we can't source an answer to, and the warning signs TDI says to fix now.

What TDI says about the coverage for a burned car

Car fire damage in Texas is named in TDI's definition of comprehensive coverage. The Auto insurance guide (last updated December 11, 2025) puts it this way: "Comprehensive (other than collision) coverage pays if your car is stolen or damaged by fire, flood, vandalism or something other than a collision."

The same guide has a table of things most policies do and don't cover, introduced with the note that coverages vary by policy and depend on the types of coverages you choose. In the column headed Most policies cover, one row reads: "Damage to your car because of fire, hail, theft, flood, flying gravel, or hitting an animal (if you have comprehensive coverage)"

The condition in parentheses is part of TDI's sentence, so the row for fire carries it.

Liability coverage is described differently. On the required minimum, TDI's guide says: "Texas law requires you to have at least $30,000 of coverage for injuries per person, up to a total of $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for property damage." The guide describes liability coverage as paying to repair the other driver's car if you caused the accident, along with the other driver's and passengers' medical bills and some other expenses. That description does not include damage to your own car, so a policy with liability coverage alone may not respond to a fire in your own vehicle. This is our reading of the description, not a TDI statement about fire.

The guide names one situation where comprehensive will be required of you: "If you still owe money on your car, your lender will require you to have collision and comprehensive coverage." The guide does not address cars that are paid off, so it is worth checking what your own policy includes.

To see which coverages you have, look at your declarations page. The guide describes it as the first page of your policy, with a summary of your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles. Our guide on car insurance hail damage in Texas walks through the same collision and comprehensive split from the weather side.

How a fire's origin relates to TDI's coverage definitions

A car fire in Texas can begin with a crash or with a fault in the car, and TDI defines collision and comprehensive coverage separately. TDI's safety page Car fires: What to do in an emergency and how to prevent one (last updated August 15, 2025) says collisions and mechanical failures cause most car fires, and that passenger compartment fires are less common than engine fires. That page is about safety and does not discuss insurance coverage.

The Auto insurance guide defines the two physical-damage coverages in separate sentences. On collision it says: "Collision coverage pays to repair or replace your car after an accident." Its comprehensive definition, quoted above, names fire and damage from something other than a collision.

The guide does not say which of the two coverages applies when a fire follows a crash. If you carry one of these coverages and not the other, how your company would treat a fire that follows a collision, or a fire that starts with a mechanical failure, is a question for your policy and your agent. The guide's general instruction covers both cases: read your policy or talk to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages.

A related question is whether a policy pays to fix the part that failed and started the fire. TDI's guide does not address that, so put it to your company directly instead of assuming either answer.

What TDI's not-covered list says about intentional damage

TDI's not-covered list for Texas auto policies includes intentional damage. In the table in the Auto insurance guide, the column headed Most policies don't cover includes this row: "Damages that you caused intentionally"

That table covers auto policies generally and does not mention fire, and the guide says coverages vary by policy. How the entry would apply to any particular loss is a matter for the policy's own terms.

Fireworks and dry grass

Parking a car in tall grass and shooting fireworks near dry grass are fire risks that two separate TDI safety pages for Texas mention. Among its prevention tips, the car fire page says not to park in grass tall enough to touch parts of the car that heat up.

Separately, How to stay safe when using fireworks (last updated July 1, 2026) says to avoid shooting fireworks near dry grass, brush, or other materials that can easily catch fire, and to follow the local law and contact local fire officials with questions. The fireworks page does not mention vehicles or insurance.

On whether fireworks damage to a car is covered, TDI's comprehensive definition in the Auto insurance guide names fire without listing causes, and the guide says coverages vary by policy. Whether a particular fire is covered depends on your policy's terms, so ask your agent or company how your policy would treat it.

What TDI says to do when there's a car fire

TDI's instructions for a car fire in progress are about getting people away from the car. Its page Car fires: What to do in an emergency and how to prevent one says to pull over as soon as you can do so safely and turn the engine off, and then: "Get everyone out of the car and stay at least 100 feet away."

The same list says not to open the hood because flames could flare up, to call 9-1-1, and not to go back for phones or anything else.

After everyone is safe, the claim comes next. TDI's page Steps to getting your home or car insurance claim paid (last updated April 16, 2025), which covers home and car claims in general, says to file a claim as soon as you can, and its tips include writing down accident details such as the police report number if you have it and taking photos and videos of all damage. That page does not mention fire specifically. After a car fire, the details you write down can include the date, the location, and the name of the fire department that responded, along with any incident or report number you are given.

Our guide on how a car insurance claim works in Texas covers the claim steps TDI publishes, and what to do after a car accident in Texas covers the scene itself when a crash came first.

When a burned car is declared a total loss

A car badly damaged by fire may be declared a total loss, and TDI describes that decision as a comparison of repair cost with the car's value. The page My car was totaled! Now what? (last updated July 23, 2026) says: "If the cost to repair the car is about the same or more than the value of your car, the insurance company will likely consider it totaled." The page adds that some companies might total a car even if the cost to fix it is lower. It is written about cars declared a total loss after an accident and does not mention fire.

On the car's value, the same TDI page says you can ask the insurance company what source it used to decide the value. It also says that if you think your car is worth more, you can try to negotiate, and it suggests being prepared to show what the car would sell for in your area with quotes from used car dealers, online prices and local ads for similar vehicles, and a record of any special features or custom parts.

On keeping the car, the TDI page says to let the insurance company know as soon as possible, and that the company will subtract the car's salvage value from the amount it was planning to pay. It says the car may also be issued a salvage title, that after repair you'll need a new title from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles before you can drive it, and that a vehicle that had a salvage title could be harder to sell or insure in the future. The Auto insurance guide adds that a car issued a nonrepairable title can't be retitled or registered.

Whether a fire-damaged car can be repaired at all is a question for a repair shop, so it may be worth getting that opinion before you decide to keep one.

The sub-question we can't answer here

Whether car insurance in Texas covers a fire department's charges for responding to a vehicle fire is a question we can't source an answer to. Neither the Auto insurance guide nor its car fire page addresses a fire department service charge, and we don't publish coverage statements we can't attribute.

You can put the question to your own company directly: does this policy pay anything toward emergency service charges after a vehicle fire, and if so, under which coverage and up to what amount? A written answer is easier to refer back to later. Both TDI pages list 800-252-3439 as the number to call TDI with questions.

The warning signs TDI says to fix now

TDI publishes a list of car fire danger signs under the heading Fix these car fire danger signs now. On its car fire page, the list covers damaged or loose wiring, fuses that have blown more than once, loud noises from the exhaust system, rapid changes in fuel level, oil level, or engine temperature, spilled oil after an oil change, a missing oil cap or one that doesn't fit, worn out or loose hoses, the smell of burning rubber or metal, and smoke coming from the engine or brakes.

These are things a mechanic can check, so the list is useful to take to your next service.

TDI's prevention tips on the same page are to keep up with scheduled maintenance and annual inspections and to use only approved replacement parts and modifications. On gasoline, the page says to use only approved containers, not to carry it in the passenger area if possible, and never to store it in your car.

What to do with this

These are steps you can take now to find out how your own car insurance policy would treat a car fire. The list is Credify's; the TDI pages linked above are the source for the facts behind each step.

1. Check your declarations page for comprehensive coverage. Note the deductible next to it as well.
2. Check whether you have collision coverage. Ask your agent or company how the two coverages apply when a fire follows a crash.
3. Ask your company about a fire that starts with a mechanical failure. That way you know its answer before you need it.
4. Ask about fire department service charges. A written answer is easier to keep.
5. Take TDI's danger-sign list to your mechanic. Your next service is a natural time.
6. Avoid parking in tall grass. TDI's wording is grass tall enough to touch parts of the car that heat up.
7. Read TDI's emergency steps once. If a fire happens, safety comes first, then the 9-1-1 call, then the claim as soon as you can.

Key facts

• TDI's Auto insurance guide describes comprehensive coverage as paying if your car is stolen or damaged by fire, flood, vandalism or something other than a collision.
• That guide lists damage to your car from fire among the things most policies cover if you have comprehensive coverage, and says coverages vary by policy and depend on the coverages you choose.
• As of its December 11, 2025 update, the guide gives the required liability minimum as $30,000 per person for injuries, up to $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage, and describes liability coverage as paying for the other driver's car and medical bills when you caused the accident.
• According to the guide, a lender will require collision and comprehensive coverage if you still owe money on your car, and you must pay a deductible for collision and comprehensive claims.
• TDI's car fire page says collisions and mechanical failures cause most car fires, and tells drivers to get everyone out, stay at least 100 feet away, keep the hood closed and call 9-1-1.
• Damages you caused intentionally are among the things most policies don't cover, per the guide.
• TDI's My car was totaled! Now what?, written about cars totaled after an accident, says a company will likely consider a car totaled if the repair cost is about the same as or more than its value, and that some companies might total a car even if the cost to fix it is lower.
• The same TDI page says a totaled car you keep may be issued a salvage title and could be harder to sell or insure in the future.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Car fires: What to do in an emergency and how to prevent one, Auto insurance guide, My car was totaled! Now what?, Steps to getting your home or car insurance claim paid and How to stay safe when using fireworks. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Take the next step

The useful thing to do today is to open your declarations page and see whether comprehensive coverage appears on it, and at what deductible. That takes a couple of minutes and shows which coverages and deductibles you have.

If you want to look at your options from there, how to get car insurance in Texas walks through the sequence from the start, and comparing auto insurance in Texas covers what to line up against what.

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