In the unpredictable climate of today’s world, the question “Does car insurance cover hail damage?” has become increasingly significant for vehicle owners.
Hailstorms, though brief, can inflict substantial damage on unprotected vehicles, leaving owners with the burden of expensive repairs.
This comprehensive guide aims to elucidate the intricacies of car insurance coverage pertaining to hail damage, ensuring that vehicle owners are well-informed and prepared for such unforeseen events.
Understanding Comprehensive Car Insurance Coverage
To determine whether your car insurance covers hail damage, it is crucial to understand the types of coverage offered by your insurance policy. Comprehensive car insurance is the key to protection against hail damage. Unlike liability insurance, which covers damage to other vehicles or property in the event of an accident for which you are at fault, comprehensive insurance covers damage to your own vehicle resulting from non-collision events, including natural disasters such as hailstorms.
Comprehensive Coverage: A Closer Look
Comprehensive coverage is designed to protect your vehicle from a variety of risks beyond collisions. This includes theft, vandalism, fire, and, importantly, weather-related damage such as hail. When a hailstorm damages your vehicle, comprehensive coverage allows you to file a claim to cover the repair costs, subject to the terms of your policy.
The Claims Process for Hail Damage
Filing a claim for hail damage under your comprehensive car insurance involves several key steps. Firstly, it is imperative to document the damage promptly. Taking photographs and noting the extent of the damage can be invaluable during the claims process. Following this, contacting your insurance provider to initiate the claim is the next step. Your insurer may require an inspection of the vehicle to assess the damage before approving the claim. Once approved, you can proceed with the repairs at an authorized service center, with the insurance covering the costs minus your deductible.
Deductibles and Their Impact on Claims
The deductible is a crucial component of your comprehensive car insurance policy. It represents the amount you are required to pay out of pocket before your insurance coverage kicks in. Choosing a higher deductible can lower your premium costs, but it also means paying more upfront in the event of a claim. It’s essential to balance the deductible with your ability to pay it in case of hail damage.
Preventive Measures to Protect Your Vehicle
While comprehensive insurance provides a safety net, taking preventive measures to protect your vehicle from hail damage is advisable. Parking your car in a garage or under a carport can significantly reduce the risk of hail damage. In the absence of covered parking, using car covers designed to protect against hail can offer an additional layer of defense.
Does Car Insurance Cover Hail Damage?
While quarter-sized hail will cause mostly cosmetic damage, like dings, dents and broken windows, bigger hailstones fall at faster speeds and can make bigger problems. Fortunately, there’s a common type of coverage you can buy to protect your car from hail damage.
If you want your car insurance to cover hail damage, you’ll need to buy comprehensive insurance. Comprehensive insurance pays to repair your car if it’s damaged by severe weather, including hail. It also covers a host of other problems such as fire, floods, vandalism, theft, crashing into animals, and falling objects (like tree branches).
Comprehensive insurance is an optional coverage, meaning you have to pay extra for it. If you don’t have comprehensive insurance and your car gets dinged up by a hailstorm, you’ll have to pay to fix the damage yourself or live with it.
Is it Worth Making an Insurance Claim for Hail Damage?
Comprehensive insurance comes with a deductible, an amount subtracted from your claim check. Depending on the cost of repairs and your car insurance deductible amount, it may not be worth claiming your car’s hail damage.
Say you have minor hail damage which will cost $600 to repair. If your deductible is $1,000, your car insurance company will pay $0 toward your damages, so there is no reason to make a claim. If your deductible is $500, you’ll receive a $100 insurance check, so it’s a judgment call if you want a claim on your record for a payout of only $100.
However, if your car is severely damaged by hail and will cost $5,000 to fix, with a $500 deductible, you’d receive $4,500 toward repairs. That claim is worth making because of the large amount you’d otherwise have to pay out of pocket for repairs.
One comprehensive claim rarely increases your auto insurance rates. However, if you need to make more claims in the next couple of years, the number of claims on your record could cause your car insurance rates to rise.
How Do I File an Insurance Claim for Hail Damage?
If your car is damaged by hail and you have comprehensive insurance, contact your insurance company to file a claim. If your car has a shattered windshield or broken windows, it may not be safe to drive. You can arrange for a tow through your roadside assistance insurance if you have it.
Your insurance company will have an adjuster look at the hail damage and estimate the repair cost. Your insurance company will send you a check for the repairs, minus your deductible. For example, if you have a $500 deductible and the repair bill is $1,500, you’ll get a $1,000 insurance check.
An auto body shop will generally repair hail damage in one of two ways:
- Conventional vehicle repair. Dents are pulled out and irregularities are filled with a body filler, then primed and repainted.
- Paintless dent removal. Special tools are used on the underside of the vehicle panels to push out the dents. This leaves the painted surface undisturbed, but this method may not be effective for large dents or extensive hail damage.
Will a Hail Damage Claim Cause My Car Insurance Rates to Go Up?
Filing a claim for hail damage generally won’t cause your insurance rates to go up. But car insurance companies do look at your claims history to determine rates. If you file a claim for hail damage, it will go into a database that stores previously filed insurance claims. If you have an extensive claims history, that could result in higher premiums.
Frequent hail can also affect the insurance rates for everyone in a particular area. If your area is prone to severe weather, insurance companies might set rates higher due to the likelihood of claims. So your location can affect your car insurance rates, whether you file a claim or not.
How Much Does it Cost to Repair Hail Damage to a Car?
The cost to repair hail damage to your car will depend on how severe the damage is. Minor damage may cost only a few hundred dollars to repair, while major hail damage can cost thousands.
State Farm’s report on 2021 hail claims found the average hail claim for vehicles was $5,000. That’s up 16% from the 2020 report that showed auto hail claims averaging around $4,300.
Hail damage repair costs will increase if the car paint is damaged and conventional dent repair is used. Conventional repair is more expensive than paintless dent repair because it’s more labor intensive.
Some other factors affecting the cost of repairs include:
- Number of dents to your car
- Size of the hail dents
- Location of the dents and how accessible they are to repair
- Material of the affected area—if the panel damaged is made of high-strength steel or aluminum, for example, there is an extra cost for repairs
How Much Does Comprehensive Insurance Cost?
The average cost of comprehensive insurance is about $170, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ most recent data. Here’s a look at the average cost of comprehensive insurance in your state.
Average cost of comprehensive insurance by state
| State | Average cost of comprehensive insurance |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $180.11 |
| Alaska | $155.11 |
| Arizona | $208.38 |
| Arkansas | $240.54 |
| California | $96.53 |
| Colorado | $298.01 |
| Connecticut | $134.01 |
| Delaware | $136.31 |
| District of Columbia | $221.94 |
| Florida | $153.00 |
| Georgia | $180.37 |
| Hawaii | $106.29 |
| Idaho | $142.89 |
| Illinois | $144.65 |
| Indiana | $138.86 |
| Iowa | $221.72 |
| Kansas | $286.48 |
| Kentucky | $168.11 |
| Louisiana | $252.34 |
| Maine | $115.26 |
| Maryland | $168.01 |
| Massachusetts | $149.86 |
| Michigan | $162.01 |
| Minnesota | $214.55 |
| Mississippi | $238.95 |
| Missouri | $223.94 |
| Montana | $313.27 |
| Nebraska | $269.19 |
| Nevada | $119.19 |
| New Hampshire | $120.48 |
| New Jersey | $129.97 |
| New Mexico | $222.43 |
| New York | $172.85 |
| North Carolina | $138.40 |
| North Dakota | $264.98 |
| Ohio | $131.37 |
| Oklahoma | $270.19 |
| Oregon | $109.76 |
| Pennsylvania | $171.18 |
| Rhode Island | $141.03 |
| South Carolina | $211.29 |
| South Dakota | $347.61 |
| Tennessee | $168.07 |
| Texas | $285.56 |
| Utah | $127.15 |
| Vermont | $148.88 |
| Virginia | $149.42 |
| Washington | $121.13 |
| West Virginia | $225.50 |
| Wisconsin | $168.52 |
| Wyoming | $335.04 |
| Source: National Association of Insurance Commissioners Auto Insurance Report | |
How Can I Protect My Car From Hail Damage?
Here are some things you can do to help protect your vehicle from hail dents:
- Get covered parking. If possible, park your car in a garage or carport.
- Use a car cover. If you don’t have a garage or carport, you can buy car covers that are designed to protect a vehicle from hail damage. You can use blankets if you don’t have a hail car cover. You’ll need to find a way to secure the blanket from high winds.
- Find temporary shelter. If you don’t have a garage or hail car cover, consider paying to park in a local parking garage until the storm passes.
If you are caught driving in a hailstorm, find a safe place to pull over. If possible, seek shelter under a structure with a strong roof or an overpass. Cover your face with clothing to protect it from possible broken glass.
Conclusion
In conclusion, comprehensive car insurance does offer coverage for hail damage, providing a lifeline for vehicle owners facing the aftermath of a hailstorm. Understanding your policy’s specifics, including the deductible and coverage limits, is essential to navigating the claims process effectively. Taking proactive steps to protect your vehicle from hail can also mitigate the risk of damage, ensuring that your vehicle remains in pristine condition regardless of the weather’s unpredictability.
For vehicle owners navigating the complexities of car insurance in the face of natural phenomena like hail, being informed and prepared is paramount. Comprehensive coverage stands as a crucial ally in safeguarding your vehicle against the unforeseen, offering peace of mind amidst the uncertainties of the road.
