Does car insurance cover hail damage in Texas?

This guide explains which part of a Texas auto policy applies to hail damage on your car, using what the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) publishes for consumers.

The short version. Car insurance in Texas may cover hail damage to your car if your policy includes comprehensive coverage. The Texas Department of Insurance's Auto insurance guide lists hail damage among the things most policies cover if you have comprehensive coverage, and says coverages vary by policy. The same guide says you must pay a deductible for comprehensive claims.

Here's what we'll cover: which coverage TDI lists for hail, what TDI says about whether you have to carry it, how the deductible works, what TDI's pages say about premiums and renewal after a weather claim, what happens if the car is totaled, and the claim deadlines TDI describes.

Which coverage TDI lists for hail damage to a car

TDI's Auto insurance guide places hail damage to a car under comprehensive coverage, which it defines separately from collision coverage. The guide says collision coverage pays to repair or replace your car after an accident, and defines the second one this way: "Comprehensive (other than collision) coverage pays if your car is stolen or damaged by fire, flood, vandalism or something other than a collision."

Hail is named in the guide's table of what most policies cover: "Damage to your car because of fire, hail, theft, flood, flying gravel, or hitting an animal (if you have comprehensive coverage)". The guide introduces that table by saying coverages vary by policy and depend on the types of coverages you choose, and it points you to your policy or your agent to be sure of your exact coverages.

The condition in parentheses is the part to check. A policy can be in force and paid up and still have no comprehensive coverage on it, and then the line TDI lists for hail would not be part of your policy. TDI's guide describes the declaration page as the first page of your policy, with a summary of your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles, so that page is where to look.

What TDI says about whether you must carry comprehensive

TDI's Auto insurance guide describes comprehensive coverage on a Texas auto policy as one you choose, and it notes that a lender will require it on a car with a loan. The guide (last updated 12/11/2025) says Texas law requires drivers to show proof they can pay for the accidents they cause, and that most drivers do this by buying auto liability insurance.

The guide gives the minimum liability amounts under Texas law as $30,000 of coverage for injuries per person, up to a total of $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. It lists eight basic auto coverages, gives a legal minimum amount only for liability, and says you can choose whether to buy the others. Our guide on what car insurance is required in Texas covers the liability minimum in detail.

For a car with a loan, the guide is specific: "If you still owe money on your car, your lender will require you to have collision and comprehensive coverage." The guide adds that if you cancel or lose these coverages, your lender will buy single-interest coverage and add the cost to your loan payment, and it describes that coverage as expensive and as protecting only the lender.

In plain terms, whether hail damage to your car is covered may come down to a choice made when the policy was set up. If your car is paid off and comprehensive was taken off the policy at some point, it is worth confirming that on purpose. Our guide on how to compare auto insurance in Texas covers comparing coverage line by line.

How the deductible works on a hail claim for your car

A hail claim under comprehensive coverage on a Texas auto policy comes with a deductible. TDI's Auto insurance guide says: "You must pay a deductible for collision, comprehensive, and uninsured/underinsured motorist claims." It defines a deductible as the amount of a claim that you must pay yourself.

The guide's worked example is a collision claim. On a $1,500 collision claim under a policy with a $500 collision deductible, TDI says the insurance company will deduct $500 and pay you $1,000. The guide gives no separate example for comprehensive. TDI's tip page What to know about deductibles says that for home and auto policies the deductible will be applied to each claim.

A storm that damages both a roof and a car can involve two policies and two deductibles. TDI's What to know about deductibles says a deductible may be a specific dollar amount or a percentage, and its percentage example is a home insured for $150,000 with a 5 percent deductible, which TDI works out to $7,500. The collision example in TDI's Auto insurance guide uses a dollar amount. Your own declarations pages show how each of your deductibles is written, and our guide on how the wind and hail deductible works in Texas covers the home side.

Before a claim, the useful step is to know your deductible as a number. TDI's tip page Will my premium go up if I file a claim? says to find out how much your deductible is before you file, explains that the insurance company will subtract the deductible from your claim payment, and also says to get repair estimates.

Will a hail claim raise your car insurance?

The TDI pages cited in this guide do not say directly whether a hail claim raises a Texas car insurance premium, and the weather-claim item on TDI's premium page is written for home companies. TDI's tip page Will my premium go up if I file a claim? (last updated 2/26/2026) says home and auto insurance companies can raise your premium for filing most types of claims.

That page lists two things that neither home nor auto companies can charge you more for: claims you file that the company didn't pay, and calling your company or agent to ask questions about your policy or the claims filing process. It then has a second list, introduced as things home companies can't charge you more for, and its first item reads: "Claims for damage from natural causes, including weather."

The page has no matching weather item for auto companies. Read as written, the weather item on that page is about home insurance, so it is not a statement about your auto premium either way. TDI's page How are your auto and homeowners insurance costs calculated? says each company's premium formula is different, lists claims history among the common factors for auto insurance, and says your company should be able to tell you why it raised your premium.

Renewal is a separate question from price. TDI's Auto insurance guide says a company can't nonrenew your auto policy because you had claims for weather damage. The same list includes damage from flying gravel or other flying or falling objects, where the guide says the company can raise your deductible if you have three of these claims in 36 months. The list does not name hail, and it is about renewal only, so it does not address what a company charges.

A claim can also be seen by other insurers. TDI's Will my premium go up if I file a claim? says insurance companies use your claims history to decide if they want to sell you a policy and how much to charge you. It says most insurance companies get a report from the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE), and that because most companies use CLUE they can learn about home or auto claims you've filed even if the claim was with another company. The page says you can get a free copy of your report each year. Our guide on how car insurance claim history works in Texas covers that record.

If hail totals the car

When hail damage to a car in Texas costs close to what the car is worth, the insurance company might treat it as a total loss. TDI's Auto insurance guide says that if the cost to repair your car is close to its current value, the company might decide to total it, which means it will pay you to replace your car instead of fixing it. The guide's total-loss section covers auto claims in general and is not specific to hail.

Under the guide, insurance companies will pay for repairs or replacement of your car only up to its actual cash value, and it defines the term: "Actual cash value is the cost to replace your car, minus depreciation." In the guide's example, if your car is 10 years old, the company will pay you the value of a 10-year-old used car, and it won't pay to replace it with a new car of the same make and model.

TDI's guide covers three more points on a total loss:

The offer. The guide's advice is to be prepared to negotiate with the company, and it notes that a company might raise its offer if you can show that your car would sell for a higher price. It suggests getting written price quotes for a similar car from used car dealers.
A car loan. According to the guide, if you still owe money on your car, the amount the company pays might not be enough to pay off your loan, which will happen if the market value of your car is less than what you owe. The guide says auto dealers and lenders usually offer gap insurance for this.
Keeping the car. If you want to keep your car, the guide says the insurance company will subtract its salvage value from the settlement amount, and that a car issued a nonrepairable title can't be retitled or registered.

For repairs short of a total loss, the same guide notes that some companies might give you a list of preferred repair shops but can't require you to use a shop on the list. It also says the insurance company is only required to pay for parts of like kind and quality to those that were damaged, and doesn't have to pay for original parts from the manufacturer.

Because TDI ties a total-loss payment to the car's value, prices for similar used cars are useful to have when you talk to the adjuster.

What TDI says about claim deadlines

TDI's Auto insurance guide sets out deadlines for an insurance company to act on an auto claim in Texas; the guide gives them for auto claims in general and does not single out hail. The guide (last updated 12/11/2025) says Texas law sets deadlines for insurance companies to act after you file a claim, and it says the prompt payment law doesn't apply if another driver's insurance company is paying the claim. With that limit, the guide lists these steps for a company:

Acknowledgment. Per the guide, a company must tell you it got your claim within 15 days of getting notice, and may ask you for a signed proof-of-loss form or for more information.
Inspection. The guide lists that a company must have an adjuster look at your damage, and that the company will base its payment on the adjuster's estimate.
Decision. TDI's guide gives this deadline: "Accept or reject your claim within 15 business days of getting all the information it needs from you." It then adds: "A company that needs more time can take 45 days to decide whether to pay your claim." The guide says the company must tell you the reason for the delay, and must tell you why in writing if it denies your claim.
Payment. The last step in the guide is that a company must send you a check within five business days after it agrees to pay your claim.

The decision deadline in TDI's guide is counted from when the company has all the information it needs from you. Credify's own suggestions after a hailstorm, which are not TDI's, are to note the date and place, photograph the damage, and keep any repair estimates together. TDI's claim tips in the same guide are written about accidents, and they say to tell your company as soon as possible and that most companies have deadlines for filing claims.

Our guide on how a car insurance claim works in Texas walks through the whole process, and how to file a hail or storm damage claim in Texas covers the home side of the same storm.

What to do with this

Checking whether your Texas car insurance covers hail starts with your own policy documents. These are steps you can take, in Credify's words:

Declarations page. Look for a comprehensive line on your auto policy before storm season.
Deductible. Know your comprehensive deductible as a dollar figure.
Home and auto. Read TDI's weather-claim item as written for home companies, and ask your auto insurer how it treats a weather claim.
Car loan. If your car is financed, confirm that comprehensive and collision are both on the policy.
Total loss. Gather prices for similar used cars so you can discuss the offer.
After a storm. Document the damage and tell your insurer promptly.

Key facts

TDI's Auto insurance guide lists hail damage to your car among the things most policies cover if you have comprehensive coverage, and says coverages vary by policy and depend on the types of coverages you choose.
The same TDI guide (last updated 12/11/2025) gives a legal minimum amount only for liability coverage, says you can choose whether to buy the other basic coverages, and says a lender will require collision and comprehensive if you still owe money on your car.
TDI's Auto insurance guide says you must pay a deductible for comprehensive claims, and TDI's What to know about deductibles says home and auto deductibles are applied to each claim.
TDI's Will my premium go up if I file a claim? says home and auto companies can raise your premium for filing most types of claims, and lists claims for damage from natural causes, including weather, under what home companies can't charge more for.
TDI's Auto insurance guide says a company can't nonrenew an auto policy because you had claims for weather damage; that list is about renewal and does not name hail.
On a total loss, TDI's Auto insurance guide says the company pays up to actual cash value, which it defines as the cost to replace your car minus depreciation, and that a company might raise its offer if you can show your car would sell for a higher price.
TDI's Auto insurance guide describes deadlines of 15 days to acknowledge a claim, 15 business days to accept or reject it after the company has all the information it needs, up to 45 days if the company needs more time and gives the reason, and five business days to send a check after agreeing to pay; the guide says the prompt payment law doesn't apply if another driver's insurance company is paying the claim.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Auto insurance guide, Will my premium go up if I file a claim?, What to know about deductibles and How are your auto and homeowners insurance costs calculated?. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Take the next step

Look at your auto declarations page and see whether it has a comprehensive line and what the deductible is. If you're reviewing the whole policy, how to compare auto insurance in Texas covers what to line up beyond the premium, and what car insurance is required in Texas covers the liability minimum.

Get a second opinion on your policy — free. Credify is a licensed insurance agency in Texas that helps you compare car insurance from roughly 20 licensed Texas carriers, so you can see whether your comprehensive coverage fits your needs. It takes a few minutes, and there's no obligation. 📞 Talk to Credify 24/7.

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Credify is a licensed insurance agency in Texas (License #3309669 · NPN 21516523).