Hail Damage? Find out if It Is Covered by Your Insurance

On June 9, 2017, a massive week-long storm wreaked havoc from Minnesota to Texas. The storm produced tennis ball-size hail and caused an estimated $2.5 billion in damage to vehicles and buildings.

Parking your car in the garage or a parking structure offers the best protection from a hailstorm. Hail can severely damage, or even total, a car. Hail storms are most common in the Midwest and southern plains states, but hail storms can happen anywhere.

If you’re worried about hail damaging your car, you’re probably also wondering if your insurance will cover it. The good news is that it will — in some cases. Car insurance rates depend on the amount of coverage you need and obtaining coverage for repairs from hail damage is more expensive.

To find out, “Does my auto insurance cover hail damage?” you should start your search by looking at comprehensive coverage quotes. To find out what rates might look like for you, enter your ZIP code into our free tool today.

Does my auto insurance cover hail damage?

For anyone worried about hail (or any other weather) damage, there’s some good news. You can get insurance that will cover the cost to repair the damage.

Comprehensive coverage is a type of car insurance that protects your car against damage from anything besides a collision. This includes weather damage, vandalism, animal contact, fire, riots, theft, broken windshields, natural disasters, and falling objects.

Unfortunately, if you have liability or collision only, your insurance won’t cover hail damage.

The good news is that most major insurance companies offer comprehensive coverage. If you’ve been asking, “Does Progressive car insurance cover hail damage?” or “Can Geico help fix weather damage?” the answer is “yes” in most cases.

Of course, you will have to pay your deductible if you haven’t already. Some people find that the cost of repairing hail damage is less than their deductible, so they either pay out of pocket or just live with the damage.

Others make a comprehensive claim and are surprised when their insurance declares the car a total loss.

How much hail damage would total a vehicle?

It doesn’t matter how the damage happens. Your insurance company will declare your car totaled if the cost to repair it reaches a percentage of its total value, as specified by your policy. Usually, that number is around 75%.

For example, if your car is valued at $10,000 and your hail damage would cost more than $7,500 to repair, the insurance company will declare it totaled.

When your car is totaled, your insurance company writes you a check for the car’s value so you can buy a new one. They usually sell your totaled car to recoup some of their losses.

Should you get comprehensive insurance?

If you’ve recently financed a new car, you probably had to get comprehensive coverage. You can also buy comprehensive for a vehicle that’s not brand new. In fact, most insurance companies recommend that you purchase comprehensive if your car is worth $3,000 or more.

You should also consider comprehensive if you live in an area with a higher chance of non-collision damage, such as:

• Rural areas, where there is a higher chance to hit large animals or livestock
• Areas with high crime rates, increasing the likelihood of your car being vandalized
• Areas with severe weather, such as areas prone to tornados or hurricanes

Comprehensive coverage is a financially sound option if you live in an area like those listed above or have any other concerns about damage not caused by an accident.

However, comprehensive is more expensive and might not be a good choice if you’re not worried about damage — for example, if your car is more than 10 years old and would cost more to repair than replace. Additionally, comprehensive doesn’t cover damage caused by accidents or injuries to you or your passengers.

The price of your insurance can be expensive if you choose to get comprehensive and collision, plus any other options. If you’re concerned about the cost of your insurance, speak with your agent for guidance.

How much does comprehensive coverage cost?

While the price of insurance depends on various factors, comprehensive coverage usually adds about $290 a year to your insurance bill.

In 2021, the average annual cost of comprehensive coverage was $1,674 — or $139.50 a month — while liability was $565 a year. As you can see, there is a substantial cost difference between the minimum amount of insurance you need to drive legally (liability) and full coverage.

While many factors affect how much you pay for insurance, here are the averages by state.

As you can see, some states are much more expensive than others. States where you’re more likely to file a comprehensive claim — like Oklahoma, Colorado, or Florida — have higher rates for comprehensive than others.

Others are pricier because of state laws. Michigan, which is much more expensive than other states, has a much higher requirement for minimum coverage.

Even though comprehensive is more expensive, it’s worth the cost if you want to protect your car from damage.

How do you make a claim for hail damage?

If you decide the damage to your car is substantial enough to file a claim, the process is relatively simple.

Start by contacting your insurance company to report the damage. Keep in mind that there will probably be many people calling in to declare hail damage, so you might have longer waiting times than usual.

After you’ve opened a claim, your insurance company will send an assessor. An assessor is an agent from the company that determines the extent of the damage done to your vehicle. They also determine how much the company should pay (if anything at all).

Once the assessor finishes their evaluation, your claim will move to the next stage.

How can you protect your car from hail damage?

The best way to protect your car is to keep it parked in a covered location as often as possible, especially during hail season — typically March through October, with the highest probability of storms occurring from May and September. Hail storms are most common in the late afternoon and evening.

If you must park your car outside, purchase a car cover to minimize the damage that hail can cause.

Another great option is to download a weather app that can alert you to incoming hail storms. If you don’t want an app, monitor a local weather channel or site regularly.

Repairing your car after a hail storm

Finding the best insurance option to repair your car after a hail storm can be important if you live in an area with extreme weather.

If you’ve been wondering, “Does my auto insurance cover hail damage?” you should start by shopping around for quotes. If you’re ready to see what quotes might look like for you, enter your ZIP code into our free tool today.