Oh my, dings, dents, and scratches!
Let’s say your car backs into a mailbox, causing a sequence of scratches, or it gets a door ding from a nearby car in the parking lot (a real team member’s experience). You might question whether your insurance will pay for anything like this when it occurs.
Let’s investigate by putting this article into DRIVE.
Are dents and scratches covered by auto insurance?
Although it would be ideal to respond to your question with a simple yes or no, insurance isn’t always that simple. If your policy has the appropriate coverages, your auto insurance may be able to pay for any dents and scratches on your vehicle.
Your policy may apply in a number of ways when your insurance determines the cause of the damage. Just to remind you, the appropriate coverage must be in place on your policy prior to the vehicle being damaged. Having said that, the following describes how your coverage may cover dents and scratches:
All-encompassing protection
Comprehensive coverage helps safeguard your car in the event of on-road mishaps that result in damage but do not require colliding with another vehicle. Here are a few instances:
striking a deer
Theft
Flames
If your car sustains a dent or scratch as a result of any of these situations and you have comprehensive coverage, the damages can be repairable.
coverage for collisions
When it comes to collision coverage, the name is there. In order to help cover damages to your vehicle in the event of an accident—which could be caused by another car or hitting an object like a tree, home, or pole—this coverage is frequently added to client plans.
Once more, your insurance company might pay for those dents and scratches if you have collision coverage and are in an accident.
covering for liabilities
Liability coverage, which is necessary in the majority of states, assists in covering losses incurred by third parties (their property, not you) in the event that you cause an accident. Let’s say that someone else is to blame for any dents or scratches on your car. Then, it might be covered by that driver’s liability insurance.
Applying your deductible to dents and scrapes
Selecting Comprehensive and/or Collision coverages when you enroll in insurance will require you to choose a deductible that you will have to pay in the event of a claim.
In terms of dents and scratches, you are liable for the cost of repair if the damage is less than your deductible. The carrier will pay for losses above the deductible amount you choose if the damages exceed the deductible amount and there is coverage under your policy. Let’s use our team member’s (the one who backed into a mailbox) experience to demonstrate whether or not their deductible was helpful.
Coverages include liability, comprehensive, and collision
$500 is the deduction.
Assume that $300 in damages were incurred by the car, which is less than the deductible. They would have to cover the whole cost of the bill out of pocket in this case.
But what if the $2K repair bill was incurred? Due to their policy’s collision coverage, they would be responsible for paying the $500 deductible in this case, with the insurance company covering the remaining $1.5K to cover the repairs.
Your understanding of how your insurance applies to various situations—such as dents and scratches—will improve as you begin to comprehend what your potential financial obligation might be.
Making a claim for a scratch or dent
You should be aware of a few things before filing a claim.
First things first, try your best to be prepared before filing. Record any evident car damage using pictures or a video at the scene of the incident. Obtain the accident’s police report, if needed. The biggest piece of advice we have? Maintain open communication with your insurance provider. They can assist you with the claims procedure and are a great resource. See this article on the claims process to learn more about claims.
is the answer to dents and dings.
You naturally want your car to look its best when it comes to it. You’ll be happy to have your insurance when dings and scratches occur to your vehicle and are covered by your policy.
Our staff is available to assist with at every stage of the procedure. We are here to assist you in navigating your policy to identify where it may be helpful, whether it’s immediately after noticing that terrible dent in the driver’s side door or after backing into a mailbox.
Please give us a call at your convenience. As always, our virtual door is open for brief hellos or in-depth insurance questions. We’ll speak with you on the high road shortly.