When it comes to flood recovery for your car, what is covered depends on the type of insurance coverage you have and the extent of the damage.
What’s Covered for Your Car After a Flood:
1. Comprehensive Insurance Coverage
Flood Damage: If you have comprehensive insurance, your car is usually covered for flood damage. This includes damages from rising water, submerged parts of the car, or even the vehicle getting caught in a flood.
What’s Covered:
Engine and Mechanical Damage: If the engine or mechanical parts are damaged due to exposure to water, this would be covered.
Interior Damage: Water damage to the car’s upholstery, electronics, and interior components (like carpets, seats, and dashboards) would usually be covered.
Electrical System: Damage to electrical systems from water exposure is often covered under comprehensive insurance.
Exterior Damage: Floodwaters can cause rust, corrosion, and other exterior damage, which should be covered if you have comprehensive coverage.
2. Towing and Temporary Repairs
If your car becomes immobile because of flood damage, comprehensive insurance may pay to have it towed to a repair shop or other safe location.
Temporary repairs, such as pumping out water or removing excess mud from the vehicle, might be covered depending on your policy.
3. Total Loss (Totaled Vehicle)
If the car is deemed a total loss due to the flood damage, meaning that the costs to repair exceed the value of your vehicle, comprehensive should pay the actual cash value (ACV) of your vehicle. The payout you receive, however will be minus your deductible.
What Is Not Covered for Your Vehicle After a Flood
1. Liability and Collision Insurance
Liability insurance will not pay for the flood damage to your vehicle because only damage to other people’s and property shall be paid for when you are to blame for an accident.
Collision insurance does not also pay for flood damage since it only covers damages on your vehicle when you actually collide with another vehicle or to any other objects.
2. Flood Damage Not Covered Under Comprehensive
Exclusions: Some policies may have exclusions or limits on flood damage based on location or the policy. For instance, if you live in a high-risk flood zone, your insurer may exclude certain types of flood damage or charge higher deductibles.
Negligence: If you drove your vehicle into a flood or did not take reasonable precautions to avoid floodwaters, your insurer will consider this as negligence and may deny your claim.
3. Limitations of Flood Coverage
Saltwater Flooding: If your vehicle is damaged by saltwater flooding (in coastal areas), for example, repairs are likely to be more expensive due to corrosion, and some policies may also put limits on how much they cover.
Deductible: Your claim will be subject to your deductible, meaning the amount you need to pay out-of-pocket before your insurance starts covering the rest of the cost. Higher deductibles may reduce the payout you receive.
Additional Considerations for Flood Recovery:
1. Prompt Action After a Flood
Documentation: Take photos of the damage as soon as possible and document the event for your insurance claim. This would include pictures of your car in the flood and any visible water levels or damage.
Professional Inspection: Flood damage may not always be immediately visible, especially in areas like the engine or electrical components. Having a professional mechanic inspect your vehicle could be more important because the damage might not appear until later.
2. Salvage Title and Total Loss Vehicles
If your car is declared a total loss, it might be issued with a salvage title; this car has been quite damaged and repaired. This could reduce the resale value of the car at a much later date.
3. Flooded Car Scams
Be cautious of purchasing a used car that has been previously flooded. Some cars that have been damaged in floods are repaired and sold as used vehicles. Always check the vehicle’s history report and inspect the car for signs of water damage.