Reviewed and approved by Samuel Corso, licensed Texas insurance agent.

Published September 18, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

Does car insurance cover pothole damage in Texas?

A pothole can leave you with a flat tire, a bent wheel, or a car that pulls to one side. This guide walks through which part of a Texas car insurance policy may apply, using what the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) publish.

The short version. Car insurance in Texas may cover pothole damage to your car if you have collision coverage, which the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) describes in its Auto insurance guide as paying to repair or replace your car after an accident. Applying that to a pothole is Credify's own reading, because the guide does not mention potholes. It says coverages vary by policy and that collision claims carry a deductible.

Here's what we'll cover: which coverage may apply, how to tell whether you have collision coverage, what the deductible does to the check, damage limited to a tire or wheel, what TxDOT tells drivers, whether a claim can affect your premium, and steps you can take in the first hour.

Which coverage may apply to pothole damage

Pothole damage to your own car in Texas may fall under collision coverage, depending on how your policy is worded. None of the TDI pages cited in this guide mentions potholes by name, so applying TDI's general definitions to a pothole is our own general explanation and does not come from TDI.

TDI's Auto insurance guide defines the coverage this way: "Collision coverage pays to repair or replace your car after an accident." TDI's Auto insurance glossary describes collision coverage with these words: "Pays for damage to your car without regard to who caused an accident."

The guide defines the other coverage for damage to your own car separately. It says comprehensive (other than collision) coverage "pays if your car is stolen or damaged by fire, flood, vandalism or something other than a collision." The guide's table of things most policies cover lists damage to your car because of fire, hail, theft, flood, flying gravel, or hitting an animal, if you have comprehensive coverage. The same guide says coverages vary by policy and tells readers to read the policy or talk to an agent to be sure of exact coverages.

In plain terms, a rock thrown up into a windshield may be the flying-gravel case TDI lists under comprehensive coverage. A wheel dropping into a hole in the road is a different kind of event, and our own reading is that an insurer may treat it as a collision. How your insurer classifies a specific loss depends on your policy wording and the facts, so ask your insurer or agent.

Do you have collision coverage?

Whether a Texas car insurance policy includes collision coverage depends on what you chose when you bought it. TDI's Auto insurance guide, last updated 12/11/2025, lists collision as one of eight basic auto coverages, separate from liability coverage.

On liability coverage, the guide says: "Texas law requires you to have at least $30,000 of coverage for injuries per person, up to a total of $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for property damage. This is called 30/60/25 coverage." The guide describes liability coverage as paying to repair the other driver's car if you caused the accident. Since that description is about the other driver's car, a policy with liability coverage alone may have nothing on it that pays to repair your own car after a pothole.

TDI's guide also says that if you still owe money on your car, your lender will require you to have collision and comprehensive coverage.

To check your own policy, look at the declaration page. TDI's guide says it is the first page of your policy and has a summary of your policy, including your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles. Look for a collision line and the deductible next to it. Our guide on what car insurance is required in Texas covers the minimum in more detail.

What the deductible does to the check

A collision claim on a Texas car insurance policy carries a deductible, which TDI's Auto insurance guide defines as the amount of a claim that you must pay yourself. The guide says you must pay a deductible for collision, comprehensive, and uninsured/underinsured motorist claims.

TDI's worked example in the guide uses collision: "if you have a $1,500 collision claim and your policy has a $500 collision deductible, the insurance company will deduct $500 from your claim amount and pay you $1,000." These are TDI's example figures, shown as an illustration only.

TDI's tip sheet Will my premium go up if I file a claim?, which covers home and auto claims in general, says to find out how much your deductible is before you file a claim and to get repair estimates. It then says: "If the cost of repairs is about the same or less than your deductible, you may decide it's not worth filing a claim."

For a pothole, the repair bill may land near the deductible, which is why TDI's comparison is useful here.

Damage limited to a tire or wheel

How a Texas car insurance policy handles pothole damage limited to a tire or wheel is a question for your own policy wording. The TDI pages cited in this guide do not address tire-only or wheel-only damage, so we can't source a general answer. Questions you can ask your insurer or agent:

• How does my policy handle damage limited to a tire or wheel?
• Would bent suspension or alignment damage from the same impact be handled under collision coverage?
• What is my collision deductible?

TDI's Auto insurance guide describes two other coverages that may be relevant when a car can't be driven, if your policy includes them:

• Towing and labor. TDI's guide says this coverage pays to tow your car if it can't be driven, and pays for labor to change a flat tire or jump-start your battery.
• Rental reimbursement. TDI's guide says this coverage pays for you to rent a car if yours is stolen or being repaired after an accident, and that some policies also pay for taxis or ride-hailing services.

The guide says towing and labor and rental coverages have dollar limits, which it describes as the most the company will pay even if the cost is higher. So if these coverages are on your declaration page, the limit next to each one is worth noting along with the coverage itself.

What TxDOT tells drivers

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) points drivers to their own insurance company for vehicle damage from highway conditions. On its Pavement condition claim resolution process page, TxDOT says it is not allowed to spend state funds on damage to property, such as vehicles, sustained as a result of highway conditions, and then says: "If desired, you should contact your insurance company, and report the incident of property damage to them." Neither TxDOT page cited in this guide mentions potholes by name, and the claims page refers to highway conditions.

That makes your own policy the practical starting point. Whether a city or a county pays for anything is outside the scope of this guide, which covers your own car insurance.

Reporting the pothole itself is a separate step. TxDOT's Report an issue form lists a "Road needs repair" option. The same page says to call 911 for immediate hazards such as dangerous debris on the road, and that the form is not monitored 24/7.

Will a pothole claim raise your premium?

A pothole claim on a Texas car insurance policy can affect your premium, going by TDI's general guidance on claims. TDI's Will my premium go up if I file a claim?, last updated 2/26/2026, says it depends on the type of claim and how many you file, and then says: "your home and auto premiums can go up if you file claims." It adds that you could lose any discounts you're getting for being claim free. That page is about home and auto claims in general and does not single out pothole claims.

The same TDI page lists things home and auto companies can't charge you more for. The list includes 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.

Claims history can also be seen by other insurers. TDI's page says most insurance companies get a report from the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) to learn your claims history, 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 insurance company. Our guide on do car insurance claims follow you in Texas explains how that works.

How a company treats a single pothole claim at renewal may vary by company. You can ask your insurer or agent how your policy and your company would handle one.

What to do in the first hour

After a pothole hit in Texas, these are steps you can take in the first hour. The list is Credify's own, and TDI or TxDOT is cited only for the facts inside a step.

• Get somewhere safe. If the car may not be safe to drive (a flat, a bent wheel, a warning light, or a hard pull to one side), stop where you safely can and consider a tow.
• Take photos if it is safe. TDI's Were you in a wreck? Tips for auto insurance claims, written for wrecks in general, says to take pictures and to get pictures of street signs and road angles.
• Write down details. The same TDI tip sheet says to include the location, time of the wreck, weather conditions, and what happened.
• Contact your insurer. TDI's Auto insurance guide says: "Tell your company about the accident as soon as possible. Most companies have deadlines for filing claims."
• Know your deductible and get repair estimates. TDI's Will my premium go up if I file a claim? says to find out your deductible and get repair estimates before you file a claim.
• Repair shop. TDI's wreck tip sheet says your insurance company might give you a list of body shops, but you can take your car to any shop you choose.
• Report the pothole. TxDOT's Report an issue form is one place to do that.

Our guide on how a car insurance claim works in Texas walks through the rest of the claim process.

What to do with this

To see how your own Texas car insurance policy would handle pothole damage, start with the declaration page. TDI's Auto insurance guide describes it as the first page of your policy, with a summary of your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles.

• Collision coverage. Check whether it is listed on your declaration page.
• Collision deductible. Note the amount. In TDI's worked example, the deductible is deducted from the claim amount.
• Towing and rental reimbursement. See whether each is listed and what its dollar limit is.
• Tire and wheel damage. Ask your insurer or agent how your policy handles it.

Checking these before you need them means you know what your policy says when a pothole does damage your car.

Key facts

• TDI's Auto insurance guide describes collision coverage as paying to repair or replace your car after an accident. The guide does not mention potholes and says coverages vary by policy, so applying it to pothole damage is Credify's own reading.
• TDI's Auto insurance glossary describes collision coverage as paying for damage to your car without regard to who caused an accident.
• TDI's Auto insurance guide lists flying gravel among the causes of damage most policies cover if you have comprehensive coverage, and says coverages vary by policy.
• TDI's Auto insurance guide, last updated 12/11/2025, says that if you still owe money on your car, your lender will require you to have collision and comprehensive coverage.
• The same TDI guide says you must pay a deductible for collision claims, and its example has a company paying $1,000 on a $1,500 collision claim with a $500 collision deductible.
• TDI's Will my premium go up if I file a claim?, which covers home and auto claims in general, says premiums can go up if you file claims, depending on the type of claim and how many you file.
• TDI's Auto insurance guide says to tell your company about an accident as soon as possible and that most companies have deadlines for filing claims.
• TxDOT's Pavement condition claim resolution process page says that, if desired, you should contact your insurance company and report property damage from highway conditions to them.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Auto insurance guide, Auto insurance glossary, Were you in a wreck? Tips for auto insurance claims and Will my premium go up if I file a claim?; Texas Department of Transportation, Pavement condition claim resolution process and Report an issue. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Take the next step

On your declaration page, look for a collision line, the deductible next to it, and whether towing and rental reimbursement are listed. If you're reviewing the rest of your auto coverage, how to compare auto insurance in Texas is the guide to read next.

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