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Does car insurance cover hail damage?

Hail is paid under comprehensive, not collision. How the deductible works, what to do after a storm, and how to check what you carry.

Updated September 8, 2026 · 3 min read · by Gerino Alejos

The hood of a car dimpled with dents from a hail storm. — Hail is paid under comprehensive, not collision. If you carry liability only, there is nothing for the claim to land on.

Key points

Hail is paid under comprehensive coverage, the part of a car policy that covers damage that is not a crash.
You pay the comprehensive deductible first, and the insurer pays the rest of the repair.
Check your declarations page, the one page that lists what you carry. No comprehensive deductible means no hail coverage.

Yes, if you carry comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive is the part of a car policy that pays for damage that is not a crash, such as hail, theft or fire. If you dropped it to save money, hail damage comes out of your own pocket.

Collision covers a crash. Comprehensive covers the rest, and it is the first thing many drivers cut. In this part of Texas that is usually the wrong cut. See why comprehensive is the coverage to keep on an older car.

How a hail damage claim works

You file a claim, the request that asks your insurer to pay, and your comprehensive deductible applies. The deductible is the amount you pay yourself before the insurer pays the rest. See how the deductible works.
An adjuster, the person the insurer sends to price the damage, looks at the car. After a large storm this is often done at a catastrophe site set up for the area.
If the car can be fixed, they pay for the repair, often paintless dent repair, which pushes the dents out without new paint.
If the repair would cost more than the car is worth, they call it a total loss and pay actual cash value, what the car was worth the day before the storm.

What gets paid depends on your policy and on what the adjuster finds.

Does a hail claim raise my rate?

A hail claim is not an at fault claim. At fault means the wreck was your doing, and those claims move a rate the most. Weather claims sit in their own group, so one hail claim usually costs you less than a collision would.

Several comprehensive claims in a short stretch can still show up at renewal, when your policy period ends and the insurer prices the next one. A small dent on a car you do not care about may not be worth a claim.

After a storm, in order

Take photos of the car from several angles in daylight, including the roof and the hood.
File the claim promptly. Catastrophe adjusters work through a queue, so early filings get looked at sooner. See the step by step claim process.
Do not sign a repair contract with someone who knocks on your door and offers to cover your deductible. Paying it is part of how the claim works, and a shop that skips it makes the money back somewhere else in the repair.
Get your own estimate from a shop you picked.
Keep the receipts if you pay for a tarp or for storing the car.

Windshields

Glass often has its own rules. Many Texas policies fix a chip with no deductible and replace a windshield subject to the comprehensive deductible. If your car has cameras or sensors at the windshield, tell the shop, because resetting them is part of a proper replacement.

Protecting the car before the storm

Covered parking is the only real prevention. If you have a garage or a carport, use it in the spring. A car cover helps a little with small hail and very little with large hail.

Check what you carry

Pull out your declarations page, the one page that lists your coverages and deductibles. If no comprehensive deductible is listed, you have no hail coverage. Call our McAllen office at (956) 687 3334, or enter your ZIP code in the box on this page, and we will go over it with you. Se habla español.

Common follow-up questions

Will my rate go up after a hail claim?

Usually far less than after an at fault accident, the kind where the wreck was your doing. Weather claims are rated on their own. Several claims in a short period can still affect your renewal.

Can I keep the money instead of repairing the car?

If the car is paid off, generally yes. The insurer may write down the damage as unrepaired and leave it out of a later claim. If you still owe on the car, the lender is usually named on the check.

Is flood damage covered too?

Yes, flood damage to a car falls under comprehensive. The Texas Department of Insurance lists flood next to fire, theft and vandalism under that coverage. That is separate from flood insurance on a house.

Need a quote?

Enter your ZIP code to get started. Ten questions, about two minutes.

Or call (956) 687 3334, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM.

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