As a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
Jason Metz Lead Editor, InsuranceAs a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
Written By Jason Metz Lead Editor, InsuranceAs a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
Jason Metz Lead Editor, InsuranceAs a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
Lead Editor, Insurance Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
| Deputy Editor, Insurance
Updated: Jul 11, 2024, 5:17am
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Floods are the most common of all weather-related natural disasters and happen in every state (even normally dry states). If your car is fully or partially submerged in flood water, it could result in thousands of dollars in repair bills or, worse, a total loss of the vehicle.
You’ll need the right type of insurance to cover flood-related damage to your car. Without it, you’ll be stuck paying to repair or replace your car out-of-pocket.
First and foremost, try to avoid flooded areas. If you see water on the road, turn around. It can be much deeper than it looks. The most common flood deaths happen when vehicles are driven into flood water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Flash floods are considered the most dangerous type of floods because of their speed and destructive power. They can happen within minutes of rainfall and with little warning.
Densely populated areas are at a high risk of flash floods because buildings, driveways, roadways and parking lots can cause water runoff. Storm drains and sewers become overwhelmed or clogged and then flood nearby roads.
As little as 6 inches of water can cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Higher water will be even more dangerous. That’s because your tires can act as a flotation device in shallow water. Two feet of water is enough to float a 3,000-pound car. (A 2024 Honda Civic sedan weighs less than 3,000 pounds.)
If your car is caught in a flood, here are some tips from the San Antonio Fire Department:
Attempt to get to your car only when the flood waters have receded and it is safe to do so. If necessary, have your car towed to higher ground. Here are some tips on dealing with a car that has been in water:
A vehicle may be fixable after being flooded, but it depends on the level of damage. Minor flooding may not cause much damage and the vehicle might be repairable.
But a car insurance company could declare a vehicle a total loss if a car was sitting in water for days. That’s because damage caused by water, including electronic damage, can be complicated and expensive to repair.
A repaired vehicle that went through the insurance claim process should be insurable once the work is completed, but the flooding incident will be on its vehicle history report.
If your vehicle is totaled, you may still be able to keep your car as an “owner retained salvage.” You will get a salvage title and will need to make it legally roadworthy based on your state if you want to drive it again. If the car passes a state inspection, the car will receive a rebuilt title.
Though a rebuilt title means you can take your previously totaled vehicle on the road, you may have trouble finding car insurance. Insurers often view cars with a rebuilt title as riskier to insure than other vehicles. They may not offer you insurance or may decline to give you optional coverage like collision and comprehensive insurance.
If a dishonest dealer does a good job cleaning up the car and the title, it can be very difficult to spot a flood-damaged car. A lot of flood-damaged cars also show up in cities where you might least expect them, such as Chicago, Detroit, New York and Philadelphia.
If you’re buying a used vehicle, here are some ways to avoid buying a washed-up car.
If you’re used-car shopping, whether it’s from an established dealership or a private sale, you can take a few steps to help determine if a car was damaged in a flood.
If you’re interested in buying the car, thoroughly inspect it. Here are some ways you can detect flood damage.
Any time you’re buying a vehicle, getting behind the wheel and taking the car for a test drive is essential. Here are some things to look out for:
After you’ve scrutinized the seller, paperwork and vehicle interior, and taken the vehicle on a test drive, it may be time to get an expert opinion. Take the car to a trusted mechanic of your choice to inspect it.
While this might cost you a small fee, it can save you thousands in the long run if the car was previously damaged by a flood.
Sometimes the best gauge for a bad deal is your gut instinct. Buying a car with flood damage can result in major headaches, like mechanical failures and title problems. If the deal sounds too good to be true or something seems off with the seller’s answers, the title, or how the car looks and drives, then it might be time to walk away.
Comprehensive auto insurance will pay for flood damage repairs or will pay you the value of the vehicle if it’s totaled. Comprehensive insurance also covers other types of problems, such as falling objects, hail, theft, vandalism, riots and collisions with animals.
Note that comprehensive claims have a deductible, which is the amount deducted from an insurance check. Your auto insurance policy’s declarations page will list the deductible. You can change the amount. Typically, the higher the deductible, the lower the car insurance costs.
If you have a big car loan you might also consider gap insurance. This covers the “gap” between the value of your car and what you still owe on a loan or lease.
If you recently purchased a new car, you may be able to add new car replacement insurance, depending on the insurance company. New car replacement will pay for a new car of the same make and model (minus your deductible) instead of paying only the depreciated value of the car.
The average cost for comprehensive insurance is about $367 per year, according to Forbes Advisor’s analysis of collision and comprehensive insurance costs.
Your own comprehensive insurance cost will depend on factors such as:
Get Forbes Advisor’s ratings of the best insurance companies and helpful information on how to find the best travel, auto, home, health, life, pet, and small business coverage for your needs.
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Here’s a scenario: You’re considering buying a car that was damaged in a flood and has a salvage title. The seller might be forthcoming in this regard but could try to downplay the title brand. For example, a seller might tell you that after some easy repairs, you’ll get a new title and be able to get car insurance with no problems.
Not so fast. Cars that are branded with a salvage title can cause difficulties in getting car insurance. To make a salvage-branded title roadworthy, you’ll need to repair and restore the vehicle to meet your state’s safety requirements.
If your car passes your state-approved salvage inspection, you’ll get what’s called a “rebuilt title.”
But here’s the problem: Some insurance companies will not offer insurance for cars that have previously been declared a total loss. That’s because insurance companies see more claims coming from rebuilt cars.
Other insurance companies might offer you insurance but won’t sell you optional coverage types like comprehensive and collision insurance. That means you won’t have coverage for problems such as car dents you accidentally cause, theft, vandalism, fire, floods, hail, falling objects and collisions with animals.
You may have heard of FEMA helping car owners for flood damage in the past, either through low-interest loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA) or the Other Needs Assistance (ONA) program.
But you shouldn’t rely on FEMA for help with flood-related car damage. That’s because there’s no guarantee of assistance and it may be limited to certain counties affected by severe storms and flooding.
You most likely won’t be able to apply for an SBA loan or ONA assistance for a problem like a flash flood, which is a common threat across the country.
Keep in mind, you have to pay back an SBA loan, and assistance from ONA might be in limited amounts.
If you’re shopping for a used car, be alert for flood-damaged vehicles. There were more than 452,000 previously flood-damaged cars on the road in 2023, according to Carfax.
Houston has the most previously flooded cars in the U.S. followed by New York and Miami-Ft. Lauderdale.
