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Laura Berry

Former Insurance Agent

Former Insurance Agent

Joshua Adamson

Joshua is a copywriter at Obrella who for more than 10 years has been creating content about insurance, health care, and more. He helps companies explain complex insurance subjects in simple ways so that customers can make smart buying decisions. He spends way too much time binge-watching Netflix, loves the outdoors and has a cat who tolerates him.

UPDATED: Dec 11, 2023

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Does car insurance cover dents?

A crowded parking lot is a common place for drivers to get a ding or dent on their car, whether from a shopping cart or another car door. Unfortunately, even when the damage is serious, many people just drive away. This is even more common when they just open their door too hard and ding your car. Body work is pricey. Even a small ding in your bumper could mean painting the whole bumper or replacing it. So it may be difficult to come out of pocket to fix it. Unfortunately, most basic insurance plans do not cover dings or dents on your car. Ironically, adjusters often use small dings and dents to devalue your car after a major accident.

How do different insurance plans handle auto dents?

Dent coverage is a common search among drivers. While there’s no specific car dent insurance policy, it is often something covered under certain types of policies. Some people only carry state minimums, which typically includes liability insurance. Sometimes it also includes PIP and uninsured motorist coverage. Liability coverage only pays for repairs to the other driver in the event of an accident that’s your fault. If the accident was the other driver’s fault, you would have to wait for their insurance company to conclude their investigation.

Collision insurance covers you after a collision with another driver. This includes when a parking lot was the site of the accident. Comprehensive insurance covers dents caused by acts of nature, falling debris, and other incidents that are out of your control. If you have collision but not comprehensive, you wouldn’t be covered if the damage was caused by anything but a collision. This is for anything from a totaled car all the way down to a small dent.

When you report a dent to your insurance company, an adjuster inspects the vehicle to determine fault, which type of coverage applies to the incident, and whether you have the insurance you need to pay for the damage. The insurance company may not cover the dents for a few different reasons, such as the damage occurred too long ago or it looks to be self-inflicted or non-accidental.

Unfortunately, most basic insurance plans do not cover dings or dents on your car. 

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Does car insurance cover dents for paintless dent repair?

Some insurance companies do offer coverage for dents through paintless dent repair. This is an industry-recognized repair process that removes dents from a car’s exterior panels without ruining the paint finish. The repairer uses specialized tools to either push on the panel’s backside or bond a “tab” or other device to the panel’s exterior to pull the dent out from the front. Either way removes dents without needing to repaint or refinish the dent’s surface.

Insurance companies sometimes authorize Paintless Dent Repair under certain conditions. For example, the provider may require you to visit one of its authorized repairers, have the provider pay for the repairs directly, or have the service listed on the repair estimate.

Is it worth filing a claim for minor dents in your car?

Your deductible sets the amount you need to pay before your insurance kicks in. Even if you have a low deductible, it may not be worth the increases in your annual premium to file a claim for dent removal. If the repair costs a few hundred dollars or the dent is just a cosmetic issue, some may choose not to fix it.

If it’s part of collision repairs, dents will not separately affect your auto premium. If it’s on the other side compared to where you got hit, your adjuster may not include it in the repairs. After a collision, collision insurance will generally cover all body repair, paint damage, etc. that could be associated with the accident.

Dents happen at any time, so if you want to be prepared with the right car insurance, contact us so that we can guide you toward the best policy for your needs.

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