My Car Was Scratched – Will Auto Insurance Cover the Damage?

While it may not affect your vehicle’s ability to operate, getting a scratch or a ding on the car’s surface is frustrating and visually unappealing. Many drivers are eager to get this damage repaired as soon as possible.

But if your car was scratched, will car insurance cover the damage? It’s an important – and common – question, which is why we’re going to answer it in today’s blog post!

Car Insurance and Scratches

Whether or not car insurance will cover a scratch or a ding depends on a few factors, including what kind of coverage you have, how the incident took place, and if the damage was caused by another vehicle and what kind of insurance that driver has.

For Scratches Caused by a Collision

In a minor vehicle collision, the most extensive damage to your vehicle may be just a scratch. If you were responsible for the collision, you’ll need to have collision insurance in place if you want coverage for the scratch. Otherwise, any damage to your own vehicle after a collision for which you’re at fault will be up to you to cover.

But let’s say another driver was responsible for the damage. Their insurance should cover it, but if the driver isn’t properly insured or their policy has lapsed, you may be stuck covering the repairs on your own.

For Scratches Caused By Something Other than a Collision

If your car is damaged from something other than a collision and left with scratches, you’ll want to have comprehensive insurance in place to cover the damage. Comprehensive insurance was built to cover drivers for a variety of situations that can leave a vehicle damaged that don’t include collisions.

Let’s say your vehicle was damaged by a falling tree, vandalism, theft, or storm damage. Each of these are situations that could be covered by comprehensive insurance!

Scratches and Deductibles

Unless someone else is responsible for the scratches to your vehicle, your best hope for having the damage covered is if you have collision and comprehensive insurance in place.

But there’s something important to keep in mind.

When you make a car insurance claim, you’ll almost always need to pay a deductible before your coverage kicks in. For many drivers, that deductible is $500. In many situations, repairing the damage from scratches could cost less than $500, or just higher. Understandably, drivers tend to pay for repairs on their own rather than making a claim in that case.

Would you like to learn more about collision and comprehensive insurance and how they can protect you? Give Lupton and Luce Insurance a call today!