The one-word answer to this question is yes. Your car insurance company provides coverage for natural disasters but with some conditions. To get to know about these conditions, we need to go back a little and see the basic concept of car insurance.

A car insurance policy is a contract between the car owner and the car insurance provider. The car owner buys an insurance policy from the insurance provider by paying the premium. The insurer accepts the premium and provides a bond that has certain terms and conditions. The ‘conditions’ mentioned above refer terms and conditions. So, the answer to the question that is mentioned in the title is yes, a car insurance policy provides coverage in case of natural disasters but as per the terms and conditions of the insurance plan.

Car Insurance Coverage in Case of Natural Disaster

The natural disasters are covered in your comprehensive car insurance plan and there is no other policy or rider specifically designed to cover this. The coverage for the same is provided under section names as ‘Own Damage’ of your comprehensive car insurance plan. In this way, if you purchase a comprehensive car insurance policy, then your car is automatically covered against natural disasters. However, you will not be able to avail of this feature of your car insurance policy, if you opt for a third-party liability insurance policy for your car. Even though third-party insurance is compulsory, but since it does not have own-damage feature, so it does not provide protection against natural disasters. On the other hand, a comprehensive policy includes this coverage.

Coverage of Comprehensive Car Insurance Policy

The following are some points that will help you to understand the concept of a comprehensive car insurance plan:

• A comprehensive car insurance policy provides wide coverage but is expensive than basic third-party insurance.
• You always have the option of purchasing a rider or add-on with a comprehensive car insurance plan.
• The price of a comprehensive plan is not constant and different insurance providers have different rates. However, this is not the case with third-party insurance. The price of a third-party insurance plan is constant.
• A comprehensive plan covers damage from fire, theft, and other natural and man-made calamities.
• You can purchase this policy online in just five minutes.

What to Do When Your Car Gets Damaged by Natural Disaster?

Now that you have got the answer to the question 'does a car insurance policy cover natural calamity?’, the next question is what should you do when your car gets damaged due to some natural disaster like a cyclone or flash flood. In such a situation, the first and the foremost thing that you should do is to stay safe. Once the calamity is over and you and your loved ones are safe, approach your vehicle and take its pictures from different angles. Take a video that is covering all the damaged spots. Make a flow of events with time and date related to the journey of your car. All this will be required when you raise a claim for damage due to natural disasters. Do not go for car repair without discussing the case with your insurance provider till then do not temper with your car.

Steps to Claim Car Insurance in Case of Damage Due to Natural Calamity

If you are thinking about the steps to file a claim for your car that is damaged due to natural disaster, then do not worry, follow the below steps:

• Step 1: Click the pictures of your damaged car and make its video.
• Step 2: Contact your insurance provider and initiate the process of claim.
• Step 3: As per the process of your insurance provider, you can be asked to fill a form and submit it with other required details like details of the policy, information of the accident, etc. through email.
• Step 4: After this, a surveyor will be assigned by your insurance company to inspect the damages of your car.
• Step 5: Co-ordinate with the surveyor and give correct answers to all the questions that he/she asks.
• Step 6: After the surveyor does successful verification, your car can be sent to the garage for repair.
• Step7: The claim is settled as per your selected process of claim settlement, which can be either reimbursement or cashless.

Documents Required

If you have bought your insurance policy online, then you may not be required to provide the hard copies of your various documents. This is because all the required details can easily be fetched from your online account or through the details of your policy. If a form is involved, then the insurance provider will ask you to fill the form and do its online submission.

If you have bought your car insurance policy offline either through an insurance agent or via branch office of the company, then the insurance company can ask you to fill the application form for claim settlement, attached all the supporting documents such as a canceled cheque, etc. The exact list of the documents that are required depends on your insurance provider's claim process and the extent of the damage.

The Final Words!

The fastest way of opting for a car insurance plan is purchasing it online. This is because the online purchase is not only the fastest but cheaper as well. After all, there are no middlemen involved. In addition to this, you can compare different plans online and make an informed decision of purchasing the most suitable car insurance policy. You can as well clear all your doubts online either by calling the customer care of your car insurance provider or through email.

While purchasing a car insurance policy, do not select a car insurance plan that has a low premium instead opt for a policy that provides maximum coverage. You can get to know about the coverage of your policy from its policy documents. Moreover, the details about the insurance plan that you are going to select are also available online on the website of your insurance provider. So, take an insurance plan that is most suitable to you and provides you required coverage.