Does car insurance cover flood damage?

For certain parts of the U.S. flooding is a risk, leaving cars prone to damage. If your car is damaged in a flood, on or off the road, you may be left wondering if your car insurance will cover it. Good news—with the

right coverages, the damage caused by a flood may be covered by your insurance. 

Our insurance crew at HiRoad is here to answer which coverages can protect your car in the event of a flood and what steps to consider taking if you experience high waters while driving.

Does car insurance cover flooding?

Let’s clarify. Just because you have car insurance doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be covered in any and every situation. We’ve said it before, but car insurance isn’t one-size-fits-all (wouldn’t that be nice?).

So if you live in an area prone to flooding, it may be a good idea to shape your car insurance policy around your needs and include Comprehensive coverage. This coverage can cover a vehicle’s water damage caused by flooding.

Here’s how that can play out:

After a flood, you notice damage to your ride. Because you have Comprehensive coverage on your insurance policy, you begin the claims process. If there’s $10K in flood damage and you opted for a $500 deductible, you’ll be required to pay it before your insurance covers the remaining $9,500 of repairs.

What to do if your car floods?

Now that we’ve covered that car insurance

can cover flood damage (with the right policy coverages), we want to provide some general steps to keep in mind if your car floods. To reduce the likelihood of a flooded car, our first and foremost suggestion is that if you ever come across high water: don’t drive through it. 

If you find yourself in a car during a flood, Forbes provides us with important tips to consider:

1. Leave your car immediately for higher ground, if you can.

2. If you are stuck in a submerged car, stay calm and wait for the car to fill with water. Once the car is full, you’ll be able to open a door and swim to the surface—the water pressure needs to be equalized between the outside and inside of the car for the door to open. 

3. If you’re stranded on top of your car with water surrounding you, stay where you are and wait for a rescue. Don’t go into the flood water. 

After a flood, Forbes also recommends that you shouldn’t attempt to start a flooded car because it can cause more damage to the mechanics. You can also try to remove the water inside the vehicle with a specialized wet/dry vacuum. And above all, review your car insurance policy and contact your insurer to file a claim. 

Car insurance coverage for the unexpected

Knowing your local weather forecast is a great starting point to avoid potential car flood damage. We learned from the World Health Organization that floods are the most frequent natural disaster caused by heavy rain, rapid snowmelt or a storm surge. But with heavy rain, rapid snowmelt and storm surges that can cause flash flooding, having the right car insurance coverage can help "keep your head above water."

Comprehensive coverage is there to help cover flood damage. It is worth considering adding to an insurance policy—especially if you live in areas like Arizona where Monsoon season is well-known among AZ drivers.

Don’t wait to get caught up in the storm. Stay ahead of it by contacting your car insurance, like HiRoad, to add coverages to your insurance policy. 

The information in this article was obtained from various sources not associated with HiRoad®. While we believe it to be reliable and accurate, we do not warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information. HiRoad is not responsible for, and does not endorse or approve, either implicitly or explicitly, the content of any third party sites that might be hyperlinked from this page. The information is not intended to replace manuals, instructions or information provided by a manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional, or to affect coverage under any applicable insurance policy. These suggestions are not a complete list of every loss control measure. HiRoad makes no guarantees of results from use of this information.