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Key points:
- With comprehensive car insurance, you will be covered for scratches and dents to your vehicle.
- You will likely have to pay an excess before making a claim on your insurance.
- The extent and cost of the damage may determine whether it’s worthwhile to make a claim.
If you’ve come back to your car after a grocery run and found the passenger door scratched, or a dent in one of your tail lights from a rushed-reverser, you might be hoping your car insurance can cover the bill for repairs. The good news is that it is possible, but as with all things insurance, it will really depend on the type of cover you have.
Does car insurance cover scratches and dents?
Whether or not your car insurance covers scratches and dents will depend on what type of car insurance cover you have.
There are four main categories of car insurance available to Australians (listed in order of most cover to least).
- Comprehensive car insurance is the most extensive (and generally most expensive) form of cover. It provides a more thorough degree of cover for damage or theft to your car, as well as to the property of others during an accident.
- Third-party fire and theft insurance covers your car if it’s damaged by fire or stolen, and includes the cover provided by third party property damage insurance.
- Third-party property damage covers you if you cause damage to someone else’s property (e.g. their car or home).
- Compulsory Third-Party (CTP) insurance is a mandatory coverage in Australia that protects you financially if you injure or kill someone in an accident. In the ACT, it’s known as the motor accident injuries (MAI) insurance. In NSW, the CTP insurance, also known as the green slip.
Comprehensive car insurance policies offer cover for a broad range of damage, including: accident, theft, vandalism, weather and animal collision. With a comprehensive insurance policy, you will be able to make a claim and have the scratches and dents repaired on your car, however you will likely have to pay an excess. If you’re unsure what kind of insurance you have, you can check to see if your car is insured with CTP, but for anything beyond that, you will need to call your provider to ascertain exactly what level of cover you have.
How does insurance excess work?
Car insurance excess is the amount you agree to pay to your insurer for repairs on your vehicle after an accident. Your insurance provider will generally cover any repair costs that go above the excess paid, as long as it is under their coverage limit. Your car insurance excess may be greater than the cost of repairs, so keep in mind that making a claim could end up with you forking out more than if you hadn’t made a claim.
Read more: What is a car insurance excess and how much is it?
Is it worth claiming on car insurance for a scratch or dent?
Whether claiming scratches and dents on car insurance is worth it really depends on your circumstances and the type of car insurance policy you have taken out. Before making a decision to claim, you should weigh up the pros and cons of doing so. Some things to consider may include:
- How much your excess is. If your excess is higher than the cost of fixing the car, then claiming the scratch on car insurance may not be worthwhile. However, if your excess is lower then the cost of repairs then it may be worthwhile.
- The extent of the damage. If the damage is relatively minor, it may not be worth the price of your excess or risking your no claims bonus.
- Your no claims bonus. If you’ve not yet made a car insurance claim this year, it may be worth considering whether it’s worth risking your no claims bonus, especially if the cost of the excess is equal or less to the cost of repairs.
- Your car warranty. If your car is still under warranty, claiming the damage may be necessary to maintain it.
To find the details of what level of cover you have on your car insurance policy, get in touch with your insurer and read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) of your policy for the finer details of what you are covered for.
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