Does Commercial Insurance Cover Water-Damaged Vehicles?
2 Answers
If you have purchased vehicle damage insurance, the insurance company will compensate. Below are the relevant details: 1. Insurance Clause Regulations: Vehicle losses caused by general "natural disasters" such as rainstorms, floods, landslides, and mudslides fall under the coverage of vehicle damage insurance in commercial auto insurance, and the insurance company will provide compensation. Therefore, if a vehicle is directly damaged due to flooding, the insurance company will be responsible for compensation according to the terms of the insurance contract. 2. Secondary Ignition: If the engine stalls during water wading and is damaged due to forced secondary ignition causing water ingress, the insurance company may refuse to compensate. Hence, if the vehicle stalls during water wading, never attempt to restart it forcefully.
Last summer, my car was parked downstairs in my residential area when a heavy rain at night caused flooding up to half a meter high. The next day, the entire car was flooded, with the seats completely soaked. I immediately called my insurance company to file a claim. They sent someone to inspect the damage and found that while my commercial insurance covered the vehicle damage portion, it did not cover engine damage caused by flooding. However, they handled the repair costs for the exterior and interior. Unfortunately, since I had forgotten to purchase the additional water damage coverage, I had to pay several thousand yuan out of pocket for the engine repairs—a hard lesson learned. A reminder to everyone: commercial insurance generally covers flood damage from natural disasters, but you need to check the detailed terms of your policy. If you haven’t purchased additional water damage coverage, you might have to pay for engine repairs yourself. If your car gets flooded, don’t start it—first take photos for documentation, then contact your insurance company to minimize future hassles. Also, when parking in bad weather, choose higher ground for safety.
