What do I do if my car is damaged by hail?

There’s a lot to love about Australian summers: long, warm days at the beach, lazy BBQs and backyard cricket. But the heat can also bring with it unpredictable and, at times, wild hailstorms. And they can ruin everything, including your car!

Prevention is the best cure, so to ensure you and your car aren’t struck by a hailstorm it is best to park your vehicle under cover whenever you can.

But sometimes that isn’t possible.

Hail damage is largely superficial and won’t usually render your car undriveable, but it can be extremely costly to repair. So, it is important to make sure your vehicle insurance policy has coverage for hail damage.

A comprehensive vehicle insurance policy from Bingle, one of Australia’s leading insurance providers and part of the Suncorp Network, offers just that – comprehensive protection, including hail damage and coverage against many other weather-related incidents.

In contrast, a third-party vehicle policy only covers accidental damage to other vehicles and property and as such does not include hail damage.

If your vehicle has suffered hail damage, firstly note the time and date of the incident and the location of the vehicle. Take photos of the damaged areas of the vehicle and its surroundings, and any hail stones that are still intact with a reference to their size.

With all the information, you can make an online claim with Bingle at any time of the day by following the simple self-service process.

There’s no requirement to pay for an additional age or unlisted driver excess fee. Only the standard excess applies for hail damage, which will vary depending on your location and policy.

Once the claim is submitted, Bingle will arrange for an assessor to inspect the vehicle and determine the level of repair required.

Hail damage can be expensive, particularly if it has impacted most panels on the car as well as windscreens and windows.

In some cases, the vehicle may be declared a ‘write off’ as the cost to repair is greater than the value of the vehicle.

Your assessor will determine whether the car can be repaired or if it will be replaced.

With the former, Bingle will arrange for quality repairs as swiftly as possible to get you back on the road. If it’s the latter, Bingle will settle the claim by paying you for total loss* of the car.

If your car is less than three years old and you have chosen the optional ‘New for Old’ coverage as part of the comprehensive vehicle policy, Bingle will arrange a replacement vehicle of the same make and model (if available). Sometimes this is not possible; if that’s the case we will replace it with a similar make and model as outlined in the PDS.

So, there you go, a quick guide on what to do if your car is damaged in a hailstorm. Don’t stress, just hail a Bingle comprehensive vehicle insurance policy today. Click here for more information.

*Where we determine your car to be a total loss, the amount of payout is your car’s market value; then...

• less any applicable excess you haven’t yet paid
• less any unpaid premiums for the full period of cover
• less any unused registration costs and CTP insurance
• less the amount equal to any applicable Input Tax Credit that you are entitled to.

Insurance issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as Bingle Insurance. Before buying insurance, read the Product Disclosure Statement and consider whether it is right for you. Target Market Determination also available. The information provided is intended to be of general nature only. Bingle Insurance does not accept any legal responsibility for any loss incurred as a result of reliance upon it – please make your own enquiries.