Can you really get a windshield replaced for free?
Reviewed by the Skyview Auto Glass technical team — NWRD-, ASE- and DINITROL-trained technicians · Updated November 2026
Quick answer
What you owe is set by your policy, not by a general rule. Three states — Florida, Kentucky, and South Carolina — require zero-deductible glass coverage on qualifying policies. Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois do not, so in those states you usually owe your deductible unless the policy carries full glass coverage that lowers or removes it.
Is getting a windshield replaced for free real?
Every state gives you a windshield at no cost.
Only Florida, Kentucky, and South Carolina require zero-deductible glass coverage on qualifying policies. Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois do not, so in those states you usually owe your deductible unless the policy carries full glass coverage.
A glass claim always means no deductible.
What you owe follows the policy. A replacement is usually subject to the comprehensive or glass deductible — commonly $100, $250, $500, or $1,000 — unless full glass coverage lowers or removes it. The claim is not the same as the cost.
Shops give away windshields to bring in business.
A glass shop bills the insurer for the work and collects your share from you. What you owe is the deductible the policy assigns, and the shop does not set that figure — the policy does.
Do any states require zero-deductible glass coverage?
Three states — Florida, Kentucky, and South Carolina — require zero-deductible glass coverage on qualifying policies, which is where the idea of a no-cost windshield comes from. In those states, a policy that includes comprehensive glass coverage may not charge a deductible on a replacement. The rule is about the deductible, not the glass itself, and it applies to qualifying policies in those states.
Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois do not have that requirement. In those states, a windshield replacement is usually subject to the comprehensive or glass deductible — commonly $100, $250, $500, or $1,000 — unless the policy carries a full glass endorsement that lowers or removes it. What you owe is whatever the declarations page says, confirmed before any work starts.
The honest summary is that what you owe is set by the policy, full stop. In the three states with the requirement, a qualifying policy may carry no deductible on glass; everywhere else, including the states Skyview serves, the deductible usually applies unless full glass coverage changes it. A glass shop files the claim and bills the insurer — it does not decide what you owe. A shop that quotes a specific out-of-pocket figure before checking your policy is claiming something it cannot know, because the declarations page is the only source for what you owe.
Your share is set by the policy
In Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois you usually owe your deductible on a covered replacement, unless full glass coverage lowers or removes it. Our deductible guide shows where to find your figure.
More questions about no-cost windshields
Can I get my windshield replaced for free?
What you owe is set by your policy. In Florida, Kentucky, and South Carolina, qualifying policies carry zero-deductible glass coverage. In Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois, you usually owe your deductible unless the policy has full glass coverage that lowers or removes it.
Do any states require zero-deductible glass coverage?
Florida, Kentucky, and South Carolina require it on qualifying policies. Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois do not, so in those states the deductible usually applies unless full glass coverage changes it.
Is getting a windshield replaced for free real?
The idea comes from the three states that require zero-deductible glass coverage. Elsewhere, what you owe follows the policy — usually the comprehensive or glass deductible, lowered or removed only when full glass coverage is present.
Related guides
More in Insurance and claims
- Does a windshield chip repair count as an insurance claim?
- What happens if you chip the windshield on a rental car?
- Is it worth paying cash for a windshield instead of filing a claim?
- Does insurance cover windshield replacement?
- Does liability insurance cover windshield damage?
- What is full glass coverage?
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