Two Cars Hit by Hail: Do You Pay Two Deductibles?

Usually two. Under the standard auto policy, the rule that lets several cars share one deductible applies only to a collision, and hail is not a collision. A deductible applies each time you file a claim. So typically, expect a separate deductible for each car the storm hit. That is the typical answer, not a certain one, so confirm it on your declarations page or with your agent before you file.

Once you know that, the useful question changes. It is not how to avoid the second deductible. It is whether both cars are worth claiming at all.

What the standard policy says about more than one car

The standard personal auto policy form does have a rule for one event damaging several of your cars. Here it is:

"If loss to more than one "your covered auto" or "non-owned auto" results from the same "collision", only the highest applicable deductible will apply."

The key word is collision. The same form lists the losses it treats as "other than collision", which is the comprehensive side of the policy:

"Loss caused by the following is considered other than "collision": ... 6. Hail, water or flood"

Hail is on that list, alongside breakage of glass. So the one-deductible rule for several cars does not reach a hail claim under the standard form.

The Insurance Information Institute adds the other half of the answer:

"the deductible applies each time you file a claim"

Put the two together and the likely result is one comprehensive claim and one deductible per car. That is an inference from the standard form, not a rule written out for hail, and your insurer may use its own policy language. Treat it as what to expect, and check it.

Check your own policy before you file

Five minutes with your policy papers, or one call to your agent, settles it for your household.

• Find each car's comprehensive deductible. It is on your declarations page. Cars on the same policy can carry different deductibles, which is why the standard form talks about the highest applicable one.
• Ask whether each car is its own claim. Ask it plainly: if I file for both cars from the same storm, is that one claim or two, and how many deductibles apply?
• Ask whether your policy follows the standard form. Your policy may word the several-car rule differently, or not have one.
• Check for glass. If hail also cracked a windshield, glass coverage can work differently. Read hail cracked the windshield too before you file.

• Ask how the claims are numbered. If there are two claims, each car gets its own claim number, and whoever repairs each car needs the right one.

Write the answers next to each car's details. You will need them for the next decision.

Claim both, one or neither

With a deductible likely on each car, the decision is car by car. Line up three things for each one.

• The repair number. What the damage on that car actually costs to repair.
• Its deductible. The comprehensive deductible for that car, from your declarations page.
• The gap. On a comprehensive claim, you pay the deductible and the insurer pays the approved repair above it. The gap is what the claim is worth to you.

If both cars carry heavy damage, claiming both usually makes sense. If one car took a few dents and its repair sits close to its deductible, paying for that one yourself can be the better call.

Picture a common driveway after a storm. One car sat in the open and took the hood and roof. The other was half under a carport and took a few dents on the trunk lid. The first is a claim. The second may be a small repair you pay for, or one you schedule later. Two cars from the same storm can need different answers.

Remember that each claim you file is an auto insurance claim, and LexisNexis C.L.U.E. reports up to seven years of those. Our post on how long a hail claim stays on your record explains what that means, and our guide to whether a hail claim raises your rates covers the renewal question. Neither is a reason to skip a claim on a badly damaged car. Both are reasons to think twice about a small one.

Paying for one car yourself

If you decide to claim one car and pay for the other, paintless repair keeps the cash job simple. There is no paint and there are no parts, and hail is priced by panel and dent count, not as a flat rate.

• Know the range. On the shop's published ranges, light damage across one or two panels runs roughly $1,500 to $3,000. The full ranges are in our hail repair cost guide.
• Fix only what matters to you. Paying cash, you can repair just the panels you care about, such as the hood and roof.
• Keep the record. Even if you never claim that car, documented damage is useful if you sell or trade it later.

One trip, both cars scanned

The decision above needs a real repair number for each car, and that is the part people usually guess. Bring both cars to the Leavenworth shop in one trip. Each free 3D scan takes about 10 minutes and documents every panel, with dent counts, sizes and depths, so you leave with two numbers instead of two guesses. You can start with a free estimate.

If you claim either car, keep the order that protects the claim: document it, file, let the insurer inspect, then repair. Our page on how a hail claim works walks through each step. Paintless repair typically takes 5-7 days per car, and the insurer can be billed directly.

If both cars are off the road at the same time, you may need something to drive. Rental reimbursement is an optional coverage with a daily limit, and it is separate from comprehensive. Our post on whether insurance covers a rental during hail repair shows what to check before you book.

Get both numbers before you call your agent

The call to your agent goes faster when you already know what each car needs. A free 3D scan of each car at our Leavenworth shop takes about 10 minutes and documents every panel, so you can decide which car to claim, and confirm the deductible question, with real numbers in front of you. If the two cars are on different policies, bring both declarations pages.