Does auto insurance cover damage caused by a sinkhole?
Are you curious if auto insurance covers damage caused by a sinkhole? Auto insurance can cover sinkholes and many other types of damage to your vehicle. While liability auto insurance will only cover injuries, comprehensive car insurance can cover the damage caused by a sinkhole.
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Farmers CSR for 4 Years
Leslie Kasperowicz holds a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Winnipeg. She spent several years as a Farmers Insurance CSR, gaining a solid understanding of insurance products including home, life, auto, and commercial and working directly with insurance customers to understand their needs. She has since used that knowledge in her more than ten years as a writer, largely in the insurance...
Leslie Kasperowicz
Licensed Insurance Agent
Chris is the founder of Abrams Insurance Solutions and Marcan Insurance, which provide personal financial analysis and planning services for families and small businesses across the U.S. His companies represent nearly 100 of the top-rated insurance companies. Chris has been a licensed insurance agent since 2009 and has active insurance licenses in all 50 U.S. states and D.C. Chris works tireles...
Chris Abrams
Updated February 2025
Shopping for insurance that works for you is difficult, and it can feel even more challenging when considering things like damage that can occur from sinkholes.
Finding the right insurance to cover your potential damages doesn’t have to be difficult. Understanding auto insurance can be challenging. Let’s look at different auto insurance coverage types and how they apply to cover damage caused by a sinkhole.
- Liability and collision insurance won’t cover sinkhole damage
- Liability insurance will cover any injuries sustained by your passengers when hitting a sinkhole
- Comprehensive is the most effective way to cover damage caused by a sinkhole
Does auto insurance cover sinkhole damage?
There are three main types of auto insurance most customers will deal with. First, while it’s important to have affordable liability auto insurance coverage, it will only cover the things you will be held liable for in the event of an automobile accident.
Liability will cover property damage and any injuries sustained by your passengers or anyone else involved in the accident.
Collision auto insurance is usually an optional auto insurance plan and covers the damages sustained by an automobile during an accident. Collision will cover things like damage to your vehicle and damage to inanimate objects.
The last type of auto insurance is comprehensive, which covers the things liability and collision might not. For example, if your automobile has been totaled by striking a wild animal, inclement weather, and other incidents, comprehensive auto insurance will cover it.
Liability and collision auto insurance aren’t going to cover sinkhole damage to your vehicle, but comprehensive auto insurance typically will. Comprehensive auto insurance covers all the occurrences that aren’t strictly auto collisions.
If a sinkhole causes damage to your vehicle and injures anyone in your vehicle, you’ll have to have both liability and comprehensive auto insurance to cover the full damages.
Full coverage auto insurance is comprised of liability, collision, and comprehensive insurance and can cover all potential damage incurred by your vehicle. Full coverage auto insurance covers everything from sinkholes to collisions while paying for vehicle repairs and medical expenses.
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When will your auto insurance company repair sinkhole damage?
If you already have affordable comprehensive auto insurance coverage, you are eligible for repairs to your vehicle. However, to get your insurance company to cover the damages to your vehicle, you’ll need to file a claim.
Filing a claim will likely require additional steps to prove the damage. Some of the additional requirements are as follows:
- Photographs of the damage: If you have any sort of damage incurred, document it with photographs. This helps to prove your claim and will also provide documentation for the location and severity of the damages.
- Damage report: This document provides a monetary cost for the damages incurred. If you file a claim, your auto insurance company may provide an assessor.
After filing your claim, you will likely have to meet with a claims adjuster. This is typically an in-person assessment of the damage to your vehicle and may require additional photographs and videos of the damage for your insurance company. Following this, you will have to sign a statement.
You can amend the statement to include any unseen damage to your vehicle since sometimes problems aren’t just external.
The Final Word on Auto Insurance Coverage for Sinkhole Damage
Regarding comprehensive vs. collision coverage, comprehensive auto insurance is your best bet for repairing the damage your vehicle might have sustained.
Getting sinkhole damage covered by your auto insurance company is like any accident. Knowing how to handle sinkhole damage is vital, as it can provide you with your documentation for losses and damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is comprehensive auto insurance worth getting for my vehicle?
If you have a newer vehicle, it certainly is worth it. You’ll likely only be paying your deductible, which is far less of a headache than paying out of pocket.
On the other hand, comprehensive auto insurance might not be the best choice if you have a much older car. Any repairs needed for damage caused by a sinkhole might exceed the vehicle’s actual value.
How are repairs paid for with comprehensive auto insurance?
If you have an unfortunate mishap with a sinkhole, then you’ll have to pay the deductible.
You might have to pay only a portion of your deductible if it is just minor damage. For damage exceeding your deductible, you would just pay the full amount of your deductible while your auto insurance company covers the rest of the costs.
Is comprehensive auto insurance state-mandated?
Comprehensive auto insurance is not mandated by any of the 50 states in the United States. Most states will have a minimum amount of coverage required for anyone driving a vehicle, but comprehensive is not required.
Comprehensive is a great choice for peace of mind, as it covers everything that liability and collision don’t cover. It is great to have that safety net in natural disasters, sinkholes, and potholes.
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