Are Natural Disasters Covered by Car Insurance?
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The answer to whether your insurance will cover your vehicle depends on the type of car insurance you have. Comprehensive car insurance policies, which protect your vehicle against covered events that aren’t car accidents, usually cover natural disasters. If you have comprehensive coverage and your vehicle is damaged in a hurricane, your insurance company should pay to repair or replace your vehicle, minus the cost of your deductible.
But there’s a catch: You need to have purchased comprehensive vehicle insurance before the disaster is forecasted or predicted. For example, if you hear that a hurricane might affect your area within the week, you can purchase comprehensive coverage for your vehicle, but any damage caused by that hurricane will be excluded. For your vehicle to be covered, you would need to buy the insurance before the hurricane is predicted.
The cost of your comprehensive coverage will depend on many factors, including your age, driving history, and location. If you’re in a state that frequently experiences severe natural disasters, you’ll pay a higher premium because of that increased risk.
There are other ways you can save on your car insurance, though.
Consider buying a policy with a higher car insurance deductible, which will lower your monthly premiums. Just be prepared to pay that higher deductible if you ever have to file a claim.
Contact your car insurance company and ask about any available discounts, too. Many insurers offer discounts for paperless billing, automatic bill pay, multiple policies, and more, so it can be easy to qualify for multiple discounts to keep your rates down.
Be sure to shop around for car insurance at least once a year, too. You can get free car insurance quotes online, so it’s easy to compare the coverage and rates available from different insurance companies. Comparison shopping is a great way to ensure you’re getting the best rates, and you could potentially get a lower premium by changing to a new insurance company.
Yes, hurricanes are considered natural disasters, so most comprehensive coverage policies will cover damage caused by a hurricane.
Comprehensive coverage typically will cover flood damage to your vehicle, but the cause of the flood might affect how much your insurance company pays out.
If you have a comprehensive car insurance policy that’s in place before a natural disaster is forecasted, you can file a claim for damage caused to your vehicle.
Paige Cerulli Paige Cerulli is a freelance content writer and journalist who specializes in personal finance topics. She graduated from Westfield State University and brings more than a decade of professional writing experience to the ConsumerCoverage team. Paige’s work has appeared in outlets including USA Today, Business Insider, and more.
