Does car insurance cover flood damage?

Floods are some of the most common natural disasters to hit the U.S. In many areas, especially the Northeast, coastal flooding has become more frequent.

You may have heard about securing proper flood insurance for your home in case of a hurricane or similar natural disaster, but what about car insurance?

Here is what you need to know.

Yes, but only if you pay for comprehensive auto coverage. According to Allstate, comprehensive coverage is car insurance that helps to pay for replacement or repairs to a vehicle if it has been damaged or stolen in an incident that is not a collision.

Comprehensive coverage may help cover your vehicle if it is damaged by flooding, but it does not cover water damage caused by a maintenance issue, such as leaving your window open while it is raining or a slow leak.

If you do not have comprehensive auto coverage and your car happens to get flooded during a storm, you are likely out of luck.

Home insurance does not cover flood damage for vehicles, even if there is a flood damage policy tacked on to the plan, because it will only cover damage to personal belongings that are in your car.

There is one option, however, if you are in need of resources.

When a natural disaster occurs, you may be eligible for federal aid in the form of a low-cost loan.

The first thing you will want to do if your car gets flooded is to take plenty of pictures to document the evidence to your insurer.

Take pictures and video from all angles of the flooded car so the insurance company can see how high the water damage has reached.

Once you have taken pictures and video of your damaged car, it is best to submit your claim to the insurance company as early as possible. In the event of a large natural disaster, it is likely many others will be submitting their claims as well.

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Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected]. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.