Oh no! Your car has been scratched. What now? Even if it doesn’t affect your car’s ability to operate, getting a scratch or a ding on your car is still upsetting and visually unappealing.
So, will car insurance cover the damage if your car has been scratched? We’re going to cover that question and more in today’s blog post.
Does car insurance cover scratches?
This depends on a few factors. First, what kind of coverage do you have? Second, how did the incident take place? And if the damage was caused by another vehicle, what kind of insurance does that driver have?.
Your coverage
If you were responsible for the collision that resulted in your car getting scratched, you need to have collision insurance if you want coverage for the damage. Otherwise, damage to your own vehicle after a collision for which you’re at fault is your responsibility to cover.
Now, what if another driver was responsible for the damage? Their insurance should cover it. However, if the driver isn’t properly insured or if their policy has lapsed, you could be left paying for the repairs on your own.
Other causes
Sometimes cars get damaged from incidents other than collisions. If this happens to you, you’ll want to have comprehensive insurance in place to cover the damage. Comprehensive insurance was created to financially protect drivers from a variety of situations that can leave a vehicle damaged from things other than collisions.
Here are a few examples: falling trees, vandalism, theft, or storm damage. With comprehensive insurance, you could have coverage for each of these events and more.
What about my deductible?
If your car was scratched, will you have to pay the deductible for your coverage to kick in? Typically, the answer is yes.
When you make a car insurance claim, you’ll almost always need to pay a deductible before your coverage applies. Drivers often have a deductible of $500. But this can be more or less depending on several factors. You often have the choice of a higher deductible in exchange for lower monthly payments and vice versa.
Often, repairing a scratch on your car could cost less than $500, or just a bit more. If it would cost you $500 for your deductible in the first place, you might just choose to cover the scratch repair costs on your own.
This consideration is something we can help with, along with all of your other insurance needs. Contact ASA Insurance today and we’ll get started!
