Delhi, Himachal, Mumbai floods: Steps to claim car insurance after water damage

North India has faced continuous rainfall, causing landslides and flash floods, leaving destruction in its path. Homes crushed, roads washed away, and cars were being caught in the disaster. The internet is awash with videos of vehicles being tossed around by swollen rivers as if they were mere toys.

For owners, the heartbreak is obvious, watching your car disappear in a matter of seconds. But there is some relief. If your vehicle has been swept away or damaged beyond repair in the floods, your insurance can step in.

Himachal Pradesh has seen rivers devour rows of parked cars, while in Delhi, rising waters have left vehicles submerged and written off. In both cases, comprehensive motor insurance covers flood damage. So if your car is gOne, all is not lost — your policy should help you recover at least part of that blow.

There are mainly two types of insurance coverage for a vehicle. One is a third-party liability and the other one is package cover. The third-party liability is mandatory for all vehicles, while the package includes coverage against loss or damage to the vehicle insured.

Here's how to avail insurance coverage for a car that has been damaged by a natural calamity.

File an FIR in case of loss

If your car has been swept away and lost due to the flood, the first thing you have to do is file an FIR at the nearest police station. Typically the vehicle is located after a few days. If not, then the case will be treated as a total loss of the vehicle and the insurance company will pay out the insured declared value or IDV of the car. If it is located and the cost of repairs is more than 75 per cent of the IDV, the amount equal to the IDV will be paid out by the insurer. If the damage is less than this limit, there will be a sanction for repairs and the cost will be reimbursed. In case of massive damage, the insurer could use certain other parameters to ascertain if the case can be treated as a total loss.

Inform the insurer immediately after loss or damage

Immediately after the loss of the vehicle or damage, inform the insurance company. In case of damage, don't do anything yourself before informing and consulting with the insurance company. Also, in case of loss, inform the insurance provider after filing the FIR at the police station, as the document will be treated as legal proof. Inform all the details of the insurance provider.

Move the vehicle to a garage

If the vehicle has been found and damaged, your insurance provider will assist you in moving the vehicle to a garage for necessary inspection and repair. You will be requested to provide a claim form and a copy of your registration certificate. The insurer may request other documents as per their requirement.

Insurer will assess the damage

The insurance provider will assign a surveyor or a garage to assess the damage to the vehicle. After the assessment and confirmation of the claim's admissibility, the surveyor will inform you of the amount to be paid by the insurance provider and the amount you have to bear yourself, depending on the terms and conditions of the insurance policy you have purchased.

Repair and delivery

Once the repairs are completed, you can get the delivery of the vehicle after paying the share of the repair charges, while the insurance company will settle the remaining amount with the garage. In case the vehicle is not repairable, the insurance company will arrange to sell the vehicle in its present condition and pay you the Insured Declared Value (IDV) amount as mentioned in your policy. If the vehicle is under loan or lease, payment will be settled to the financier.

How to file insurance claims for damaged car

Step 1 :

File an FIR in case of loss

Step 2 :

Inform the insurer immediately after loss or damage

Step 3 :

Move the vehicle to a garage

Step 4 :

The insurer will assess the damage

Step 5 :

Repair and delivery