Does your car insurance cover animal attacks?

When you’re the (proud) owner of a car, you need to be prepared to face all kinds of difficulties. One such situation you have to protect yourself and your car against is an animal attack.  

Imagine this situation: You’re going on a lovely scenic drive in a forested area, and you’re busy enjoying the beauty of nature.

Then, suddenly, a deer darts in front of your car! What can you do? You might be able to swerve and avoid it, or you might, unfortunately, end up colliding with it.  

Even if you never leave the city, your car can come under “attack” from dogs, birds, bulls and more. So, the question is, what can you do in such a situation?

Will you be able to turn to your car insurance for help? Will your car insurance even cover animal attacks?  

Well, read on to find out. 

You might be wondering, “What can an animal even do to a car made of metal?” Well, the answer to that is – actually, a lot! 

If you’re thinking of an animal attack as a fight between your car and a cheetah – this isn’t likely unless you’re taking your car with you to the zoo! 😆

When we’re talking about animal attacks in car insurance, it’s mostly about the damages that these animals can do to your car, both internally as well as externally.

Here are some common types of damages an animal can do to your car:

• You might accidentally hit a big wild animal while driving through a forest/highway/city roads and can damage your bumper or windshield.

• A bird may get into the cabin of your car through a window or sunroof and damage it

So, you can see that these animal “attacks” might seem pretty familiar to you. Especially in a country like India where you’ll find all kinds of animals like dogs, cats, monkeys, cows, bulls, and even goats roaming the streets! And when these animals damage your car, whether it is the interior or exterior, it could be pretty severe.  

After reading this, if you’re wondering if your car insurance covers these situations – the answer is yes. 

Basically, with a comprehensive or own damage policy, you will be covered against any accidental damages caused to your own car. It is the best protection against the unexpected (like animal attacks!).

On the other hand, a third-party (or liability only) policy will just protect you from any loss if you accidentally damage any third-party person or property.  

If your car has been the unfortunate victim of an animal attack, you can make a car insurance claim the same way you would for any other accidental damages.

Here is what you need to do with Digit:

Step 1: Report the damage to your insurer as soon as you identify it by making a quick call

Step 2: Get a self-inspection link and send us pictures of the damages

Step 3: Our team will assess the damages and get back to you with an estimate 

And that’s it! You just need to pick the type of repair that you want (reimbursement or cashless) and you’re good to go.  

Note: Just keep in mind that some insurers might also want to send a surveyor to inspect the damages before making any settlement. 

Apart from these things, you should also consider getting a Comprehensive Car Insurance policy. While it won’t protect your car itself, it will protect you against damage from animal attack. 

So, whether you spend most of your time in a city or elsewhere, you can see that your beloved car is often in danger of being damaged in an animal attack. 

While the best way to protect your car is by getting the right insurance, as they say, “prevention is better than cure”. By doing everything you can to stop such an incident in the first place, you can avoid a whole lot of trouble. 

But in case something bad still happens, you can fall back on your insurance to look after you. After all, that’s exactly what it’s there for!