How Much Does Insurance Pay for a Car Flooded in Natural Disasters?
4 Answers
If a car is parked and gets flooded, and the owner has purchased comprehensive insurance, the compensation will be based on the full value of the comprehensive insurance purchased by the owner. If the car is flooded while being driven, for those who purchased comprehensive insurance and water ingress insurance before September 1, 2020, the compensation will also be based on the full value of the comprehensive insurance purchased by the owner. For those who purchased comprehensive insurance after September 1, 2020, full compensation is also available. Those who did not purchase comprehensive insurance or whose cars were flooded and stalled due to secondary ignition are not covered. Below is more information about car insurance: Introduction: Vehicle insurance, also known as auto insurance, refers to a type of commercial insurance that covers personal injury or property damage caused by natural disasters or accidents involving motor vehicles. Classification: Vehicle insurance can be divided into commercial insurance and compulsory traffic insurance. Commercial insurance includes main vehicle insurance and additional insurance.
Last time my car got flooded in a heavy rain, I can share the claims experience. Nowadays, auto damage insurance covers natural disasters, and water-damaged vehicles are basically all covered, but it depends on your coverage amount. My old Civic was compensated at the used car price of over 50,000 yuan, while a new car could get at least 80% of the invoice price. Remember never to attempt a second ignition, as this counts as man-made damage expansion and won't be recognized by the insurance company. Make sure to have the 4S店 dry all the wiring harness connectors thoroughly, otherwise half a year later various warning lights will start flashing randomly, and the repair list could stretch half a meter long.
There are three key points to focus on when claiming insurance for a flooded vehicle: whether the water level exceeded the dashboard, whether the engine was started, and whether the incident was reported promptly. At my repair shop, we often see owners stuck on the second point—those who, knowing the car was flooded, still tried to start it out of luck, only to end up with bent connecting rods. When the insurance company sends an assessor, it's best to follow them closely and record the entire process, especially when checking for rust on the seat rails and mud in the spare tire well. The total loss standard is when repair costs exceed 50% of the insured amount. My CR-V was assessed to cost 80,000 RMB to repair after flooding, while the insured amount was only 120,000 RMB. Decisively taking the money to buy a new car was clearly the more cost-effective choice.
Veteran drivers remind you not to just focus on the claim amount! The water damage insurance was merged into the vehicle damage insurance as early as 2020, but separate engine damage requires an additional rider. Different water submersion levels lead to different compensation methods: water above half the tire height means half compensation for the interior, while submersion above the dashboard is generally considered a total loss. Pay special attention to whether the policy includes deductible waiver, otherwise you'll have to cover 15% out of pocket. A colleague's BMW was assessed at 320,000 yuan after being waterlogged, but had to pay 80,000 yuan out of pocket for engine overhaul due to lacking the additional coverage. File the claim within 48 hours - a video of the water level is worth a hundred words.
