The big question: does car insurance cover scratches and dents?

Suppose your car experiences the door ding from the neighboring vehicle in the parking lot or is now sporting a series of scratches after backing into a mailbox (true story from a HiRoad team member). When things like this happen, you may wonder if your insurance covers it. 

Let’s put this article into DRIVE and find out.

Does car insurance cover scratches and dents?

We’d love to give you a straightforward yes or no answer, but insurance isn’t always that cut and dry. Regarding scratches and dents to your car, your car insurance may be able to cover the damages—with the right policy coverages.

When the cause of damage is determined by your insurance, your policy may apply in various ways. As a reminder, your policy needs to have the applicable coverage before the damage occurs to the car. With that said, here’s how scratches and dents might be covered under your policy: 

Comprehensive coverage

For incidents that happen on the road and cause damage to your vehicle that don’t involve an accident with another vehicle, Comprehensive coverage is there to help protect your car. A few examples would be:

• Hitting a deer

• Theft 

• Fire

If any of these scenarios cause a dent or scratch to your vehicle, and you have Comprehensive coverage, the damages may be eligible for repair.

Collision coverage

The name is in the coverage when it comes to Collision. This coverage is often added onto customer policies to help cover damages to your vehicle in the event of an accident—which could be caused by another car or hitting an object like a tree, house or pole.

Again, if you’re in an accident and have Collision coverage, those dents and scratches may be covered by your insurance. 

Liability coverage

Required by most states, Liability coverage helps pay for injuries or damage to the property of others (not you) in the event of an accident you’ve caused. Suppose you have a dent or scratch on your car caused by another person, and they’re at fault. In that case, it may be paid under that driver’s Liability coverage.

How your deductible applies to scratches and dents

When you sign up for insurance and select Comprehensive and/or Collision coverages, you will choose a deductible amount you are responsible for paying in the event of a claim.

When it comes to dents and scratches, if the damages are less than your deductible, you are responsible for the payment for the damage. If the damages are more than the deductible amount, and there is coverage under your policy the carrier will pay for the damage above the deductible amount you selected. Let’s use the experience from our HiRoad team member (the one who backed into a mailbox) and show you how their deductible may or may not have helped.

Coverages: Collision, Comprehensive, Liability

Deductible: $500

Let’s say the damages to the vehicle were $300, making it less than the deductible amount. In this scenario, they would be responsible for paying for the entire bill out of pocket.

But what if the cost of repair was $2K? In this situation, because they have Collision coverage on their policy, they would be responsible for paying their deductible of $500, and the insurance company would pay the additional $1.5K to cover the repairs. 

As you start to understand how your policy applies to different scenarios, including scratches and dents, it will help you better understand what your financial responsibility may be.

Filing a claim with a dent or scratch

When you file a claim there are a few things you'll want to know.

First, get prepared before filing (as best as you can). At the time of the incident, take photos or video of any visible vehicle damage. If necessary, obtain a police report from the accident. Our biggest tip? Keep the line of communication open with your insurance company. They’re a valuable resource that can help you through the claims process.