What you need to know about car insurance for hail damaged vehicles

Hailstorms can be unpredictable and cause significant damage to vehicles. This article is a general guide to what to do during and after a hailstorm. Always check the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) of your specific car insurance.

Whenever possible, park your car in a garage or under a carport to shield it from hail. If that's not possible, consider using temporary shelters like car covers or tarps.

If your car is affected by hail damage, the first step would be to thoroughly inspect your vehicle. Look for dents, scratches, broken glass, a hail damaged roof, or any other signs of damage. Take detailed photos from various angles to document the damage. This will help when lodging an insurance claim.

If you need to make a claim on your car insurance policy, contact your insurance provider as soon as possible. You can provide them with the photos or other documentation you have collected. Your insurer may ask questions about the time and location of the incident. They may also send an assessor to review the damage in person.

Most comprehensive motor insurance policies, such as Allianz Comprehensive Car Insurance, cover hail damage. This means if your car gets damaged by hail, the insurance can help pay for repairs, but you might have to pay an excess first.

It's important to review your specific policy details or talk to your insurer to understand your coverage better. Many insurers will not cover pre-existing hail damage.

If your car is damaged by hail and the repair costs are too high compared to what your car is worth, it might be considered a "write-off." This usually happens when it isn’t cost-effective to repair the damage to the vehicle or when the damage cannot be repaired.

Your insurer may offer to pay the full insured value or replace your car with a new one if the car is written off within a certain period after the car was first registered. Again, it's a good idea to check your policy details or contact your insurer to understand exactly how this works on your car insurance policy.

Whether your car needs repairs or is written off, you may need to pay a car insurance excess depending on the type of cover you have.

With Allianz Comprehensive Car Insurance, you don’t need to arrange any repair or replacement quotes prior to talking to us. At lodgement, you’ll be asked if you’d like to attend one of our repairers. We’ll help find one close to your work or home.

Alternatively, you can find your own repairer and we’ll review the quotes they give you. This often is a longer process. If you choose your own repairer, we may need a second quote from another repairer chosen by us just to make sure the quote you've received is reasonable. We may then authorise repairs, pay you reasonable repair costs or the car’s agreed value or replace your new car where policy conditions are met.

Once your claim has been approved and the repairs have been done, make sure that all damage is addressed and the vehicle has been repaired to your satisfaction. Keep all receipts and documentation related to the repairs for your records.

Honesty is crucial when dealing with insurance claims. Lying about hail damage, or making it seem worse than it is, is insurance fraud. It can lead to serious consequences, such as:

Insurance companies conduct thorough investigations to verify claims. If inconsistencies or falsehoods are detected, your claim may be denied outright. This leaves you responsible for repair costs and can affect your future ability to lodge claims.

In some cases, insurers may cancel your policy, leaving you without coverage.

Insurance fraud is a criminal offense and can result in fines, penalties, or even imprisonment.

Find out more about your duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation.