It’s smart to have car insurance that covers you for flood damage when you live in a high-risk flood zone. Even, if you don’t live in a flood-prone area, heavy rains and severe storms have been happening with increasing frequency across the United States in recent years. This means that more people than ever are at risk of having their car damaged by water or flooding.
To make sure your covered, you must have the right type of policy. To protect yourself from having to pay for flood and water damage on your own, you’ll have to look beyond the state minimum auto insurance coverage. Comprehensive insurance coverage is the way to go if you live in flood risk area or if you want to be prepared for heavy rains and severe storms.
How to Choose the Right Coverage
When purchasing comprehensive insurance, you will want to measure the value of your car against the total cost of purchasing comprehensive coverage. If you have a car that’s just not worth much, you might want to skip comprehensive insurance coverage. If you do, just make sure that you can afford to replace your vehicle if it is considered a total loss from flood damage.
Another consideration when purchasing comprehensive insurance is the amount you are willing to pay for your deductible. Your deductible is the amount you pay before your insurance coverage kicks in. After your deductible amount, your insurance coverage will pay for the needed repairs.
As long as the cost of coverage and the deductible you have to pay in case of a claim is less than the value of your car, you should consider adding comprehensive insurance coverage, especially if you live in a high-risk flood area.
Hurricane Restrictions
If you live in a hurricane area and there is a hurricane in the forecast, you should be aware of some restrictions on coverage. Usually, there are restrictions on the purchase of comprehensive coverage in this instance. So, don’t wait until hurricane season to buy your comprehensive coverage, because you just may be too late. Insurance companies try to prevent people from covering themselves from an impending potential loss when they haven’t contributed premium payments to the overall insurance system.
Take Steps
So, what’s the best approach?
If a storm is in the forecast, you probably won’t be able to pick up comprehensive insurance at the last minute. Your best bet is to get out of the storms path or get to higher ground if a flood is predicted. If you can’t get away, at least make sure your windows and sunroof are closed.
If you feel your car has enough value, consider a comprehensive coverage addition to your auto insurance policy. The best way to get the best deal is to shop around and compare rates.
If you need help pricing out the addition of comprehensive coverage to your policy, the InsuranceWins fast and easy form will let you see rates from major carriers. Use it to choose the policy that’s best for you.