Car Totaled by Flooding…Will Insurance Cover It?

I recently drove through a road with rainwater, not realizing how deep it was. There was a dip in the road, and my car ended up stalling. I had it towed, and now the rental agency says the car is totaled, so they’ll need to make an insurance claim.

This is all new to me, so I’m wondering if my insurance will cover this situation?

If you have comprehensive coverage, yes, this will be covered. Just go ahead and file a claim.

Do you have comprehensive on your policy?

Darcy said:
Do you have comprehensive on your policy?

Yes

Adi said:

Darcy said:
Do you have comprehensive on your policy?

Yes

Then go ahead and file a claim. You’ll need to pay the deductible to the rental car company. Also, make sure they don’t charge for ‘loss of use.’

@Shiloh
They’ve already added 30 days of loss of use charges.

Adi said:
@Shiloh
They’ve already added 30 days of loss of use charges.

Ask them to provide proof that they had no other vehicles to rent during that time.

Darcy said:
Do you have comprehensive on your policy?

This might be considered an at-fault collision if you chose to drive into water without knowing the depth. Comprehensive typically applies when flooding happens to a stationary car.

@Finley
Coverage depends on the state. Some states consider this type of incident as a collision, while others don’t.

@Finley
Could you clarify if this is something insurance would cover?

@Finley
It should be comprehensive unless it was intentional. Misjudging water depth usually qualifies as comprehensive.

@Finley
Good point. My claims knowledge isn’t as in-depth as an adjuster’s.

Darcy said:
@Finley
Good point. My claims knowledge isn’t as in-depth as an adjuster’s.

For future reference: unexpected flooding (even from misjudging water depth) generally falls under comprehensive.

@Tyler
Got it, thanks for the insight!