Will my car insurance cover door dings and scratches? (Examples)

Getting dings and scratches are part and parcel of being a car owner, especially if you reside in a metro city that has heavy traffic. In such a scenario, you may be wondering if your shiny new car is covered against door dings and minor scratches? Can you ask your insurance company to compensate you against any damages that might occur via scratches and dings? Well, let’s find out!

Yes, your car insurance company will cover door dings and scratches as it comes under collision coverage. That being said, being covered and applying for a claim are two different things. There could be scenarios where it would not even be worth your time and effort to apply for a claim for scratches and dings. Let us go through such scenarios below:

First Scenario (Semi-Extensive damage)

Let us assume that Mr. Natraj has bought a new Honda Brio car and has insured the same. A couple of months after the purchase, he met with a minor accident where the door got extensively dinged and scratched. The cost for repairing the damage was quoted at Rs.10,000.

Now, since this kind of damage comes under collision coverage, Mr. Natraj is eligible to apply for a claim. But, he must first pay a deductible for Rs.2000 to the insurance company (all car insurance policies have a deductible clause.)
In such a scenario, it may be worth to apply for a claim as Mr. Natraj would end up saving Rs.8000 in repairing costs.

Second Scenario (Non-extensive damage)

In this scenario, let us assume that Mr. Hari has bought a new Maruti car and has bought insurance for the same. A week later, a fellow driver dinged his car’s door while parking. Here, the estimated repairing cost came at Rs.1500. Mr. Hari’s car insurance policy has a deductible amount of Rs.2000. That means that if Mr. Hari claims for damages, he would actually be in a loss of Rs.500. Mr. Hari would be better off directly paying the Rs.1500 directly out of his pocket.

Important points to keep in mind

There are a few other important points that a policyholder needs to keep in mind before making a claim for dings and scratches. They are:

No Claim Bonus: If you make a claim, it will eliminate the No Claim Bonus discount. In such a scenario, where the claim amount is very low it is worth your while to not make a claim and keep the No Claim Bonus intact.

Increased Premium: Insurance companies will generally increase your premium renewal cost if you have a habit of making claims. Keep this is mind before making a claim.

Deductible Component: As talked about before, always be cognizant of the deductible amount in your car insurance policy before making a claim. The cure should not be worse than the disease!