Damage to the car – which insurance pays?
Did you knowthat errors when reversing or turning are among the most common causes of accidents?[1] Something like this has happened to me too. This makes it all the more important to have the right insurance cover so that you don't have to be left with high costs. I will explain to you today which car insurance covers which damage to the car and how you should behave in the event of an accident.
When we treated ourselves to a new family car not so long ago, it was important to me to take out sufficient insurance coverage. Since we do not want to do without all-round protection for our new car, we have opted for a fully comprehensive tariff.
But not all damage to the car is covered by fully comprehensive insurance. So that you also know which insurance applies when, I'll share a few examples with you today.
The question of guilt
Whether in the parking lot in front of the supermarket, on the street or in the garage - a small accident can quickly happen when parking or exiting. If, for example, you accidentally hit a post and get a dent, your fully comprehensive insurance will step in.
However, if someone else has hit your car, it's a shock at first. Then the question arises: Can you find the perpetrator? If so, his motor vehicle liability insurance must pay for any damage to your car. However, if he simply drives away, he commits a hit-and-run.
That has actually happened to me before. I then immediately looked for possible witnesses, documented all damage to the car with photos and filed a complaint with the police against unknown persons. Unfortunately, she was also unable to determine the perpetrator, otherwise his motor vehicle liability insurance would have covered the damage. So my fully comprehensive insurance paid for the damage to my car.
By the way: If someone has smashed your windows, for example, partial comprehensive insurance is responsible for this. If the paintwork has been scratched or the vehicle has been sprayed with graffiti, fully comprehensive insurance will step in.
When the storm leaves damage to the car
Actually, I like the autumn weather – if it weren't for the increasingly strong storms. They can cause a nasty surprise, especially for car owners without a garage – as was the case with my brother-in-law last autumn: broken branches fell on his car and damaged it so badly that it was no longer roadworthy. Since then, he no longer parks his vehicle under trees in stormy weather.
By the way, whether the insurance pays for such damage to the car depends on the wind speed."
For damage caused by wind force 7 or higher, partial comprehensive insurance usually pays. If you have fully comprehensive insurance, you are on the safe side: it also covers lower wind speeds and even if you collide with a fallen tree, for example.
But beware: Every time your insurance company pays for liability or fully comprehensive damage, you will be downgraded in the no-claims class. This means higher insurance premiums next year.
A tip: You can take out the additional discount protection module with ERGO's car insurance in the top Best tariff against the downgrade.
Damage to the car by animals
Unfortunately, autumn time is also marten season. You can find out how to protect yourself against marten damage in my blog post. But unfortunately, they cannot be prevented 100%. If your car has become a marten victim, you should report the damage to your insurance company as soon as possible. If you have partial or fully comprehensive insurance, you usually do not have to pay the repair costs yourself.
But it is not only the small biting rodents that are up to mischief in autumn, the more frequent deer crossings also increase the risk of accidents and can cause serious damage to the vehicle.
My colleague Andreas had to make this experience once before, when a deer ran into the side of his car. So that you know how you should behave in such a case, he has summarized his tips in a blog post.
In most cases, your partial comprehensive insurance pays for damage caused by hairy wildlife accidents.
But be careful: What about tame animals? You should insure collisions with animals. So take a look at the insurance conditions to be on the safe side."
With ERGO motor insurance, all important benefits are already included in the basic protection. Consequential damage, for example due to gnawed cables, up to €10,000 and collisions with all animals are also included. With various additional modules such as a cover letter or workshop bonus, you can also adapt the scope of services individually to your wishes and needs.
Street 1 – Car 0
An acquaintance of mine recently had an unfortunate situation: The car in front of him whirled up a stone that flew directly onto his windshield and damaged it. By chance, he was later able to draw the driver's attention to it, who then forwarded the damage to his motor vehicle liability insurance. If my acquaintance had caused the rockfall himself, his own partial comprehensive insurance would have had to step in.
The situation is different if, for example, you drive over a pothole and damage is caused to your car. This is only covered by fully comprehensive insurance.
If your car is so badly damaged that you can no longer drive any further, the ERGO cover letter will help. ERGO then covers the costs of a rental car and provides breakdown and accident assistance – even abroad.
It all depends on the correct behaviour in the event of damage
As you have probably noticed, the procedure for damaging your car is always very similar.
The most important thing is that you document all damage with photos and forward it to your insurance company as soon as possible."
If others are involved in the damage or have even caused it, you should also call the police. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you'll be spared that, and wish you a safe journey at all times.
Have you ever had experience with marten bites, hit-and-run accidents and the like? Write it to me in the comments.