Yes, your car insurance can cover tornado damage by securing comprehensive coverage. A tornado is an extremely strong wind vortex that causes destruction. A powerful tornado may effortlessly topple a home or lift and move automobiles. If a tornado manages to damage your car and you have comprehensive coverage, your car insurance can cover the cost of replacing or repairing it, less your deductible.
However, when you obtain an estimate for car insurance, comprehensive coverage isn’t automatically included. Furthermore, states do not mandate it as part of their minimum liability insurance requirements. Therefore, if you want the cover your car against tornado damage, get comprehensive coverage in your car insurance.
What Type of Coverage Can Cover Tornado Damages
Tornadoes can smash a vehicle window, turn it over, and even take it up and deposit it somewhere else. If trees, lawn furniture, or gravel are close to where your automobile is parked, they might fly airborne during a tornado and seriously harm it.
Comprehensive insurance is a kind of car insurance coverage that can cover tornado damage. The following includes:
- Harsh hail
- Flooding
- Debris in the air
- Falling limbs from trees
- Fallen power wires and damage to the electricity
- Thunderstorm
Moreover, massive hail, pouring rain, and toppled power lines are frequently brought on by the revolving supercell thunderstorms that produce tornadoes, which can result in additional devastation.
Will a tornado claim increase my car insurance premiums?
Your premiums might increase as a result of any claims you make to your auto insurance provider. Since comprehensive claims are mostly uncontrollable by the driver, they are typically not penalized as severely as collision claims by auto insurance carriers.
Even if you did not make a claim for damage, car insurance may raise premiums for everyone if a storm or tornado causes significant damage in your region. Additionally, an insurance business cannot alter rates without the state’s approval, which is known as a rate revision.
What to Do if You See a Tornado While Driving
If you’re driving, avoid trying to escape a storm since a tornado can suddenly shift course. Take the following actions if you spot a tornado while driving a vehicle:
- As soon as you can, get off the road; if you can’t, keep your seatbelt on and drive at a right angle to the tornado.
- Take refuge in a substantial building’s basement.
- Place your hands over your head and lie down.
- Keep your head below the windows if you are pulled over and are unable to exit your car.
- To protect you from the impact of debris, wrap a blanket or garment around yourself.
After your insurance deductible is satisfied, you will be compensated for any damage a tornado causes to your automobile if comprehensive coverage is included in your policy.
When Your Car Is Totaled By a Tornado
If your vehicle is deemed a total loss, comprehensive coverage will pay you back up to the actual cash value (ACV), less any deductibles. When an insurance adjuster determines that the cost of repairing a car will exceed its real worth, the vehicle will be ruled a complete loss. Moreover, if a tornado passes near your car, there’s a good chance it may sustain severe damage or perhaps be destroyed.
How is total loss calculated?
You will need to make a claim with your insurance provider to get reimbursement following a tornado. After that, an insurance adjuster will visit your vehicle to determine its worth and the cost of repairs. Furthermore, the appraiser will consider your car’s make and model, age, accident history, Kelley Blue Book value, and maybe additional information.
This additional information includes the vehicle’s wholesale price when determining the actual cash value (ACV), which is the valuation. Your automobile will be considered a total loss if the cost of repairs exceeds a predetermined level, also known as the total loss threshold.
How to Get Insurance to Cover Your Car from Tornado Damage
It is possible to avoid tornado or storm damage to your car by providing insurance to cover it before the storm arrives, especially if a tornado is predicted. Here are some actions you may take to safeguard your vehicle:
- Parking should not be done in low-lying, flood-prone locations.
- Avoid parking close to gravel driveways and parking lots.
Especially in areas with unsecured furniture or other debris, strong winds may pick things up. Also, do not park close to telephone poles or trees. Lastly, keep your car in a garage or enclosed building.
How to File a Tornado Insurance Claim
You can if your automobile has damage during a tornado or other storm and you have comprehensive coverage. It’s possible that the storm destroyed hundreds of other homes and cars, which might result in an overwhelming number of claims being made with insurance companies.
Additionally, auto repair facilities may have backlogs, which might result in lengthy wait periods for car repairs. These are the actions we advise you to take if you wish to submit a tornado damage claim.
- Before clearing up any trash, document the area with photos. This is to provide the insurance provider evidence of the damage to your automobile, and so it’s advisable to take close-up photos or videos.
- Submit a claim using the business app, online, or over the phone for auto insurance. Give proof of your work, such as the images or video you shot in the first phase.
- To make tracking your claim easier, make sure you write down your claim number.
- Have patience. After experiencing a traumatic occurrence, this is not always simple to accomplish, but it can take some time for a claims adjuster to get in touch with you regarding the claim.
Lastly, you might want to ask if your favorite repair business can provide an estimate in order to speed up the process. They could be in a position to forward the data straight to your insurance provider.
Comprehensive auto insurance will usually assist to cover necessary repairs if a tornado damages your automobile. Tornado damage can manifest in various ways, including severe hail, debris, or powerful winds striking your vehicle. Lastly, residents in tornado-prone regions like the Midwest, Great Plains, or Southeast should consider adding comprehensive auto insurance coverage.
