Hail, flood and storm damage: filing a comprehensive claim

Hail, floodwater, wind, lightning and trees falling on your car are covered by comprehensive coverage, not collision, and only if you carry comprehensive on that vehicle. You pay your comprehensive deductible, and the insurer pays the rest of the repair cost or, if the damage is severe, the car's actual cash value as a total loss. After a big storm, expect slower inspections and repairs, and document the damage carefully before anything is moved or fixed.

What comprehensive covers in a storm

Comprehensive pays for physical damage to your car from causes other than a collision with another vehicle or object. Weather losses that usually fall here:

• Hail denting the roof, hood and trunk, or breaking glass
• Flood and storm surge, including water entering the cabin or engine
• Wind that pushes debris into the car or tips it over
• Falling trees and branches
• Lightning and fire

If you carry only liability coverage, none of this is covered by your auto policy. Your homeowners or renters policy does not cover the car itself, even if the tree that fell on it was in your yard, though it may cover personal belongings inside the car, subject to that policy's deductible.

One gray area: driving into a tree that is already lying across the road is usually a collision claim, not comprehensive, because you struck an object while driving. Policy wording controls edge cases like this. For the full list of what comprehensive does and does not cover, see comprehensive coverage explained.

Before a storm hits

1. Check that comprehensive is on every vehicle you would want repaired. Insurers commonly stop adding or changing coverage once a named storm threatens an area, so this is not a last-minute decision.
2. Know your deductible. Weather claims use your comprehensive deductible.
3. Move the car to higher ground or a garage if flooding is forecast.
4. Photograph the car's condition, inside and out, so you can show what damage is new.
5. Save your policy, insurer app and claims number somewhere you can reach without power.

After the storm: step by step

1. Stay safe. Do not walk or drive through floodwater, and stay clear of downed power lines.
2. Do not start a flooded car. Water in the engine can cause far more damage if you try to start it. Note how high the water reached on the doors and interior; that waterline helps the adjuster.
3. Document everything. Take wide photos showing the car and surroundings, then close-ups of every dent, broken window and water line. Hail damage is easier to photograph in angled light.
4. Prevent further damage. Cover broken windows, and dry the interior if you can. Keep receipts for tarps or towing; reasonable mitigation costs are generally part of the claim.
5. File the claim promptly by app, website or phone. Catastrophe volume means earlier reports generally get earlier inspections.
6. Arrange the inspection. After major hail events, insurers often set up drive-in inspection sites or use photo estimates.
7. Choose a shop. Hail repairs often use paintless dent repair, which pushes dents out from behind the panel without repainting. Ask whether it suits your damage.
8. Arrange transportation. If you have rental reimbursement coverage, confirm the daily and total limits, because catastrophe repair backlogs can outlast them.

When the car is a total loss

Flood damage in particular often leads to a total loss. Water can damage electronics, wiring, airbag systems and the interior, and the cost of tracking down and replacing corroded components often exceeds what the car is worth. When the insurer totals the car, it pays the actual cash value minus your deductible. The total loss payout estimator can estimate what to expect, and what happens when your car is totaled explains the process.

Flood-totaled cars carry their history with them. States brand titles of vehicles that insurers total, and some brand flood damage specifically; Oklahoma, for example, requires the title of a flood-damaged vehicle to be stamped "Flood Damaged" (47 O.S. § 1111). See salvage and rebuilt titles explained for how salvage titles work.

If you are buying a used car after a major flood season, check the VIN. The National Insurance Crime Bureau's free VINCheck shows whether a vehicle has been reported as salvage or flood-damaged by participating insurers, though NICB notes it is not a complete vehicle history. See Run a VIN check before you buy a used car.

Hail: issues that come up

• Prior unrepaired damage. If your car already had hail dents from an earlier storm that you did not repair, the insurer may deduct for that prior damage. Under the NAIC's model claims regulation, deductions for prior damage must be measurable, itemized and documented.
• More than one storm. Each storm is generally a separate loss with its own deductible. Report each one.
• Keeping the money and skipping repairs. On an owned car with no loan, you may be paid and choose not to repair. A later claim for the same panels will not be paid twice, and a lienholder or lessor may require repairs.
• Glass. A broken windshield from hail is part of the comprehensive claim. Some states waive the deductible for windshield damage; see windshield and glass claims.

A worked example

Say hail causes $4,600 in damage to a car worth $18,000, and you carry comprehensive with a $1,000 deductible. The insurer approves paintless dent repair on most panels and replacement of the hood.

• Repair estimate: $4,600
• Your deductible: $1,000
• Insurer pays: $3,600

If the same car had been sitting in two feet of floodwater, with damage estimated at $14,000 plus a salvage value of $4,000, the repair cost plus salvage ($18,000) would equal the car's value, and the insurer would very likely total it and pay $18,000 minus the $1,000 deductible. The figures are hypothetical.

Key takeaways

• Hail, flood, wind and falling objects are comprehensive claims; without comprehensive, your auto policy pays nothing for weather damage to your car.
• Do not start a flooded car; document the water line and all damage before repairs.
• Insurers often restrict coverage changes once a storm threatens, so add comprehensive well in advance.
• Flooded cars are frequently totaled, and their titles may be branded; check a used car's VIN for flood history.