Pothole damage – will my car insurance pay?
The freezing and thawing of winter transitioning to spring is hard on roads. This is the time of year that potholes form. For drivers, pothole damage to you car often leads to the question “will my car insurance pay?”
Every driver and homeowner should know how good their insurance is. How good is yours? Find out by clicking the buttons below to get a rating on your insurance company. If it’s good, tell a friend. If it’s bad, find a new company.
Who pays for pothole damage to my car?
This is a good question. This is also an item where many drivers may not even think to ask if this is covered by insurance. ValChoice did a small survey, calling some local agents and found that only 50% of insurance agents knew the answer to this question.
Here’s the answer. Yes, collision coverage will cover pothole damage to your car. Collision coverage is optional so not everyone has this type of insurance. Also, collision coverage is subject to a deductible. Drivers will need to cover the deductible amount for their collision coverage.
Will my insurance company raise my rate for filing a pothole damage claim?
This is another good question. The answer is “it depends.” Many insurance companies closely monitor new customers. They fear the possibility of claims being filed for problems that occurred before becoming a customer. They also fear getting a new customer that is going to file too many claims. Bottomline, insurance companies – like all companies and people – don’t want to lose money. Therefore, if you’re new to your insurance company, a claim may spook them.
Many drivers are fearful of filing insurance claims for which they are at fault. The reason for this fear is that their car insurance price could increase as a result of filing the claim.
In the case of pothole damage, if you’ve been with your company for some time, a small claim for hitting a pothole is unlikely to lead to problems like a large rate increase or being cancelled. Even if you’re brand new with the company a pothole damage claim is unlikely to cause you any difficulties.
How do I find the best insurance?
ValChoice made finding the best insurance easy. We rate nearly every company in the industry using reliable data that is collected by the industry, including state departments of insurance. We publish the names of the best companies for every state. Just click the buttons below to find the best insurance in your state.
What if my insurance company does raise my rate?
Insurance companies survive by predicting which customers are going to file lots of claims and which will file few, if any, claims. They then price the insurance accordingly. For consumers filing more claims and more expensive claims, insurance should cost more.
What you want to know is what’s a fair increase? To find out, use our car insurance calculator. Just click the button below and follow the instructions provided.
Instructions: Fill out the location info on the first page. Click “NEXT” and fill out the driving history and marital status and click “NEXT.” That will bring you to the driving record page. Your insurance rate should not go up more than the increase shown for one property damage accident for which you are at fault. If your insurance goes up more than that, find a new company.
Finding a new company is easy with our Best Car Insurance shopping guide.
About Dan Karr
Dan has been a CEO or Vice President for high-technology companies for over 20 years. While working as a Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for a technology company, Dan was seriously injured while commuting to work. After dealing with trying to get insurance companies to pay his significant medical bills, or to settle a claim so Dan could pay the medical bills, he became intimately aware of the complexity of insurance claims. Dan founded ValChoice to pay forward his experience by bringing consumers, insurance agents and financial advisors easy-to-understand analysis needed to know which insurance companies provide the best price, protection — claims handling — and service.
