Hitting a garage door with your vehicle may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to car accidents, but it’s a possible scenario you may encounter. Without the right insurance coverage, you may be stuck with the bill for repairing your car, your garage, or both. Will your insurance cover your garage door? What about damage to your car? Here’s what you need to know about car insurance when it comes to hitting a garage door.
Does car insurance cover hitting a garage door?
Your car insurance policy typically covers your liability for injuring other people or damaging their property. You may also have optional coverages that protect your vehicle. Your car insurance will cover damage you cause to your own car only if you carry comprehensive or collision coverage.
If you hit your garage door with your car, collision coverage would apply to the damage to the car but not the garage door. Collision coverage is an optional coverage that pays to repair damage to your car when it hits or is hit by another car or stationary object. Damage you unintentionally cause to your own garage door will typically be covered under your homeowner’s insurance policy.
Scenarios where you may be covered
How insurance will come into play depends on the circumstances of the damage and which insurance coverage you have.
You hit your garage door
When it comes to hitting your own garage door, your car insurance will only cover damage to your car if you have collision insurance. Your homeowners insurance can help pay for damage to your garage door. This will be the case whether you hit your garage door with your car or close your garage door on it
Keep in mind that in most cases, you will have to pay your deductible for each claim whether it’s for car or home insurance. If it costs less than or about the same as your deductible to repair any damage, it’s most likely not worth filing a claim.
You hit someone else’s garage door
If you hit another person’s garage door with your car, your property damage liability coverage should help pay to repair the garage door. This could be the case when visiting a friend, or if you rent a home or apartment and you damage the garage door. Your collision coverage will help pay for damage to your car if you bought it.
Someone hits your garage door
If another person hits your garage door with their car, their property damage liability coverage should help pay to fix it. If the driver doesn’t have insurance coverage or isn’t identified (in cases of hit and runs), your homeowners insurance can also cover it.
Do you claim auto insurance or home insurance?
When it comes to damage claims involving hitting a garage door with your car, which insurance you go to depends on what coverage you already have.
Car insurance will cover damage you cause to your own vehicle if you have collision coverage. Collision coverage only protects your car from damage when it hits or is hit by another stationary object, like a garage door.
Your homeowner’s insurance policy covers damage to your garage door. If your garage is not attached to your house, your policy’s Other Structures coverage may cover it.
However, if you damage another person’s garage door with your car, the property damage liability coverage on your auto policy will pay for repairs to the garage.
The owner of the garage could file an insurance claim for damage to their property with their own homeowners insurance. If they take that route, their homeowner’s insurer likely will file a subrogation claim against your car insurer for reimbursement.
What your auto insurance won’t cover
Your auto insurance won’t cover damage done to your home if you hit your garage door with your own car. Your auto insurance would only cover damage to your vehicle, and only if you have optional collision coverage.
Keep in mind that property damage liability coverage can’t cover damage you cause to your own property. It can cover damage to someone else’s garage door you damage with your car, but not to your own. For example, if you rent your home and you hit the garage door, your property damage liability coverage should apply.
Car insurance does not cover unauthorized drivers. If someone drives your car without your permission and damages the car or a garage door, your car insurance will not cover anything. The unauthorized driver would be personally liable.
Damage to custom parts and equipment on your car, like aftermarket spoilers, may not be covered unless you have an endorsement for them. Check with your insurer to confirm you are covered.
Conclusion: Does car insurance cover hitting a garage door?
Your car insurance will only cover damage to your vehicle if you hit a garage door. Your homeowner’s insurance will cover Repairs to your garage door. It may not be worth filing a claim if the cost to repair your vehicle or garage is lower than your insurance coverage’s deductible. If you damage someone else’s garage door with your car, your property damage liability coverage should apply.
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