Scratch and Dent Car Insurance Coverage in 2024 (Protection Details)

Scratch and dent car insurance coverage protects your vehicle from minor damages, ensuring that small dents and scratches don’t lead to hefty repair bills.

After grocery shopping, you approach your car to load your purchases and notice a huge scratch on the side. There’s no note or indication of what happened, but you know it wasn’t there when you parked. What do you do? You know you need to get it repaired, but is that something you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket?

Is there car scratched in the parking lot insurance coverage? Parking lots are typically considered private property, so do car insurance companies cover accidents on private property? Read through this article to find out more about scratch and dent car insurance coverage.

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Scratches on a Car and Car Insurance Coverage

Your car was scratched at a parking lot. What’s next? What about if you scratched someone’s car by accident? Or if you’re not sure if you scratched a car, but you think you might have? Read through the next few sections to learn more about the best car scratch and dent insurance.

Car Insurance Coverage for Scratches

So how does collision car insurance work? Take a look at this video to learn the basics. (For more information, read our “How long should I keep collision insurance on my car?“). Since collision coverage includes damages related to accidents and collisions, if your vehicle was scratched by another vehicle, your collision coverage will typically apply.

However, if your vehicle was scratched by something other than a car accident, comprehensive coverage may apply. Comprehensive car insurance pays for damages that occur in other-than-collision events.

For those seeking affordable options, the best cheap comprehensive coverage car insurance company can offer competitive rates without sacrificing protection.

To make sure you’re covered regardless of how your vehicle is damaged, it’s a good idea to purchase a full coverage policy that includes both comprehensive and collision coverage. Take a look at this table to see national average rates from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) for each of these coverage types.

Average Monthly Rates for Collision, Comprehensive, and Full Coverage Car Insurance

So the short answer is yes, there is new car scratch and dent insurance, particularly if you have full coverage. However, it may or may not be worth using your car insurance coverage to pay for the repairs. We’ll get into this in more detail in a later section, so keep reading.

Steps to Take if Your Car is Scratched in a Parking Lot

If you’ve ever been in the situation where you say, “Someone scratched my car and drove off,” you have some options, which vary depending on whether or not the individual left a note on your vehicle and whether or not they are uninsured (which according to the Insurance Information Institute is about 13 percent of drivers).

Either way, you should contact your insurance agent and let them know what happened. Then, you should take photos immediately, so you have a record of the damage, speak to any witness who may have seen what happened, and find out if there is any security footage available from the parking lot that might have recorded the incident.

If the driver left a note, your next step is to contact them to exchange insurance and discuss how to handle repairing the damage you want to make sure they have car scratch and dent repair insurance. If they did not leave a note, you’ll need to work with your insurance to file a claim (if you choose to do that rather than paying for the damages out-of-pocket).

Also, some drivers may have a separate car care plan scratch and dent insurance policy basically a low-cost policy that only covers cosmetic repairs.

Determining the Value of Filing an Insurance Claim for a Scratch on Your Car

It depends on the situation. The first thing to consider is the estimated cost of repairs versus your insurance deductible. If the repair quotes are lower than, equal to, or only slightly higher than your deductible, it may make more sense to pay the repair out-of-pocket rather than filing a claim.

The other consideration is whether or not filing a claim will affect your insurance rates. In general, scratches on your vehicle caused by someone else are not considered chargeable, so they shouldn’t affect your rates.

However, if the damage is your fault, it may be considered chargeable, in which case it will probably affect your rates. If the cost to repair the damages is low, and filing a claim would increase your rates, you may want to consider paying out-of-pocket.

What to Do if You Scratch A Parked Car

If you scratch or hit a parked car, there are a few steps you need to take. The first is to make an attempt to find the owner. If you’re not able to do so, you’ll need to either wait for them to come back to their vehicle or write a note with your name, contact information and a short explanation.

Average Scratch and Dent Car Repair Cost by State

Depending on the severity of the damage, you may need to report the accident to the police (though if it’s just a minor scratch, it may not be worth a police report). However, in some cases, like Florida, this is required for any incident with damages that exceed $500. You’ll also need to call your insurance company and let them know what happened.

Insurance Company Procedures for Handling Parking Lot Accidents

At a high level, insurance companies handle accidents that occur in parking lots in the same way that they handle accidents that occur anywhere else in that you don’t need to purchase specific car insurance coverage for accidents in parking lots; your existing coverage applies to all accidents, regardless of location.

However, parking lots are typically considered private property, which can affect how a claim is handled.

Why? The private property comes with additional complications like third party claims (if property besides your vehicle was damaged, for example) and extra investigation requirements.

For example, if someone hit my parked car and left a note (or didn’t) in a parking lot, one factor that can affect the claims process is whether or not a police report was filed.

Not all private property car accidents result in a police report. While not having a police report won’t disqualify you from filing a claim, it may slow down the claims process, because, without a police report, the insurance company will have to conduct a more extensive investigation into what happened.

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Understanding Scratch and Dent Coverage

Door dings are covered by insurance as part of your comprehensive or collision coverage. Similarly, scratches and dents are covered by insurance, depending on the severity of the damage. However, since scratches are considered vehicle damage, it can affect your vehicle’s overall value.

For those looking for additional protection, Audi offers scratch and dent insurance specifically designed to address minor cosmetic issues. Additionally, Auto and General provides scratch and dent insurance that can help you cover these types of repairs without a hefty out-of-pocket expense.

The contact number for Auto and General’s scratch and dent services is available online, making it easy for customers to inquire about their options.

Read more: Does my car insurance cover accidents on private property?

Coverage for Parking Lot Incidents

Parking lot incidents can be a common source of frustration for vehicle owners, especially when their car was dented in the parking lot or car was scratched in the parking lot due to careless drivers. Fortunately, insurance for car dents is typically included in standard auto insurance policies, ensuring you won’t be left to pay for repairs alone.

Car dents are covered by insurance, making it vital to report any incidents promptly to take advantage of your coverage. If you find yourself dealing with a scratched or dented vehicle, knowing your options for repair and coverage, including “Does hitting a parked car affect my insurance?“, can save you both time and money.

Car Insurance Coverage on a Car Scratched in the Parking Lot

So is a car scratched at a parking lot the end of the world? Not necessarily. Car scratched in parking lot insurance does exist in the form of full coverage.

Average Annual Car Insurance Rates by Driver History

If you have full coverage, scratches to your vehicle that occur in a parking lot are most likely covered. However, depending on your deductible and the estimated cost of repairs, it may be better to pay the cost of the repairs out-of-pocket, rather than filing a claim for the damages. Additionally, consider whether “will my car insurance cover towing?” if the damage leaves your car inoperable.

Dent Car Insurance Coverage

If your car acquires dents due to a shopping cart hitting it or backing into a pole, you may be able to claim the damage on your car insurance. Looking for extra details? Check out our If I hit a pole, will insurance cover it? for more. However, you need to carefully consider the pros and cons of making such a claim.

One of the biggest cons of filing a car insurance claim over dents is that the damage may be less than your deductible. If you need a car insurance policy with a lower deductible, you can use a comparison tool to shop for better policies quickly.

Accidental Dents

As you drive your car and park it in parking lots, out on the street, and under trees, it’s bound to acquire a few dings, dents, and scratches, but when should you report them to your insurance company and potentially file a claim? Understanding how to file a car insurance claim can help you navigate this process effectively.

If the damage is less than your deductible and only involved you, you may not want to file a claim.

Small dents and scratches can often be repaired for less money than the deductible listed in the collision portion of your insurance policy. Fixing it yourself may apply if you dented your car on your mailbox or while backing into or out of your garage.

If you have full coverage insurance, certain other types of damage may be covered under the comprehension section of your insurance policy, such as:

• A tree branch falling on your car
• Hail damage
• Getting hit by a shopping cart

Comprehensive insurance may or may not have a deductible, meaning that your car insurance company may pay for the entire repair.

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Report or File a Claim for a Dent

After you notice the damage to your car, you should call your agent and report the damage.

When you report an accident or incident, you are letting your car insurance company know that there is damage to your car, and you might file a claim in the future.

When you file your report, you can also file a claim, which essentially means that you want to see if your auto insurance company will pay part or all of the repair bills.

Car Scratch Repair Summary

In both instances, your insurer may send a claims adjuster to view the damage on your car and make a report. If you simply filed a report, this information goes into an electronic file where it will be seen if you decide to file a claim.

If you decided to file a claim, the information would immediately be used alongside other acquired information about the accident to determine if the insurance company will pay for any of the damage and how much they will pay for the damage. After assessing your situation, you might wonder, can I change my car insurance after an accident?

Dents and Car Insurance Claims

Whether your insurance company pays for the dents on your car primarily depends on your insurance policy. If you only have liability coverage, the dents may not be covered.

Liability coverage is designed to protect you from being sued if you cause an accident that results in property damage or injuries to another person.

If you have collision and comprehensive in addition to liability, the dings and dents on your car may be repaired by your insurance company. It depends on the extent of the damage and your deductible.

For example, let’s say the dents on your car will be $600 to repair, and you have a $500 deductible. Your insurance company would pay for $100 of the repairs, and you would pay $500.

Read more: Best Cheap Car Insurance Company that Gives Accident Forgiveness

Finding a Better Car Insurance Policy for Dings and Dents

If you don’t have an insurance policy that includes comprehensive and collision or you have a policy with a high deductible, you can use a comparison tool to find a policy with a lower deductible and/or more car insurance coverage than your current policy specifies.

Before making any final decisions on your insurance company, it is important to learn as much as you can about your local insurance providers and the coverages they offer, including whether insurance covers towing a car. Call your local insurance agent to clear up any questions that you might have.

Consider asking these questions: “What is the best coverage plan for my situation?” “What are the minimum coverage requirements in my state?” “Do you offer bundle discounts for auto and home insurance?” and “What is the average rate for insurance quotes?”

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