Does car insurance cover hail damage?
Yes, if you carry comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive pays for damage from causes other than a collision, and hail is specifically listed by the Texas Department of Insurance among them. Liability-only coverage does not cover hail damage to your own vehicle, and neither does collision coverage. A comprehensive deductible applies, which is the portion of the claim the owner pays.
This is the single most searched question in the whole subject, and the answer is shorter than the internet makes it look.
- Comprehensive
- Covers hail. Pays for fire, flood, theft, vandalism, falling objects, hitting an animal — damage from something other than a collision. This is the coverage a hail claim runs on.
- Collision
- Does not cover hail. It pays when your vehicle hits something or something hits it in a collision. Hail is not a collision.
- Liability
- Does not cover hail. It pays for damage you cause to other people and their property. It never pays for your own vehicle.
- Deductible
- Applies to comprehensive claims. Check your declarations page — your comprehensive deductible is often not the same number as your collision deductible.
- Rental reimbursement
- Optional and separate. Without it there is no rental car during the repair, whatever any shop tells you.
How to check in sixty seconds
Open your declarations page — the summary page of your policy, usually the first page of the packet or the first screen in the app. Look for a line that says "Comprehensive" or "Other than collision" with a dollar figure beside it. That dollar figure is your deductible. If there is no such line, you do not carry it, and hail damage is yours to fund.
If you financed or leased the vehicle, you almost certainly carry comprehensive, because lenders require it.
Then the arithmetic
Covered is not the same as worth filing. If the honest repair figure is close to your deductible, filing achieves very little. That is why the first thing worth getting is a real dent count, not a claim number. Here are the published repair ranges, and here is how to think about whether to fix it at all.
This page is general information about how hail claims work in Texas, not legal or insurance advice. Your policy controls your claim. For questions about Texas insurance rules, the Texas Department of Insurance publishes free consumer guides.
Questions people actually ask
Does car insurance cover hail damage?
Comprehensive coverage does. The Texas Department of Insurance describes comprehensive as paying if your car is damaged by fire, flood, vandalism or something other than a collision, and lists hail specifically. Liability-only coverage does not cover hail damage to your own vehicle at all.
Does liability insurance cover hail damage?
No. Liability pays to repair or replace the other driver's car when you cause an accident. It never pays for damage to your own vehicle, whatever the cause. Texas minimum liability limits are 30/60/25, and a liability-only policy leaves hail entirely uncovered.
Is collision coverage enough for hail?
No. Hail is not a collision. If you carry collision but not comprehensive, hail damage is not covered.
Do I pay a deductible on a hail claim?
Yes. Comprehensive claims are subject to your comprehensive deductible, which is the portion of the claim you pay yourself. It is often different from your collision deductible, so check the declarations page rather than assuming.
What if the hail damage is worth less than my deductible?
Then filing gains you nothing and you should not file. This is a real outcome on light damage with a $1,000 deductible, and it is one of the answers you might get from a free inspection.
Where these numbers come from
- Coverage definitions and the hail listing: Texas Department of Insurance consumer guide to auto insurance.
- Texas minimum liability limits of 30/60/25: same source.
Bring your declarations page to a free inspection
Free inspection, no obligation. If your vehicle does not have a claimable hail loss, I will tell you that and you will not hear from me again.