Does my car insurance cover shopping cart damage?

Rogue shopping carts could hit your car at any time. There is no way to prevent such a thing from happening, regardless of where you park.

Insurance might pay for the damage that took place in a parking lot, but it depends on the types of coverage you carry on your car insurance policy.

Your car insurance company will pay for damages from a shopping cart if you carry full coverage insurance. Hitting a shopping cart is considered a collision with an object, therefore you should be covered by collision insurance, regardless of whether you hit the object, or the object hit you. It’s a good idea to file a report once you notice the damage to help you when filing a claim.

Not all car insurance policies cover this damage, so make sure to have the right policy that includes physical damage coverage as well. Damages to your vehicle caused by a runaway shopping cart won’t be covered if you only have liability insurance coverage under your policy.

If you want to safeguard your car against a shopping cart, compare at least three to four policies today! Enter your ZIP code above to find the best auto insurance rates for you!

What does shopping cart damage look like?

Shopping cart damage might happen at any time. When you come out of a store and see your car, there might be a ding, dent, or even more damage to the body of your vehicle.

Much of it depends on the size of the shopping cart and how fast it was going when it hit your car.

Insurance companies will be able to identify shopping cart damage because of where the damage is as well as the full extent of scratches and dents. A shopping cart hitting your car likely won’t break the glass, make the bumper fall off, or do anything else that is drastic.

When you notice that you have experienced shopping cart damage, report it to your insurance company right away.

If you wait too long, it might be hard to identify where you were, the estimated time it took place, and any other relevant details that are requested when you file an insurance claim.

What is the estimated cost for repairs?

Once you have a claim opened with insurance, they will have you go to a mechanic or collision shop. It will allow for the damages to be identified and logged, and a total repair cost to be established. The estimate is an important part of the process.

If the repairs are more than the cost of your deductible, insurance should pay for the damages; if the repairs cost less than your deductible, it’s best to handle the repairs on your own.

There might be a simple paintless dent repair that can be made, which could cost under a hundred dollars. In such an instance, it is more cost-effective for you to pay for the repair on your own.

You can still file an insurance claim, but when it comes down to who pays for the repairs, you let the insurance company know that you will take care of it.

Who is at fault?

When you experience a runaway shopping cart hitting your car, it’s easy to blame it on the store where you’re at. It’s their parking lot. They should be responsible, right?

This is not usually the case. Stores will have shopping cart corrals. The problem lies with the other store customers who choose not to return the cart.

Technically, it would be the person who didn’t return the cart who caused the damage to your car. If they didn’t leave a note on your windshield, there’s no way to know who did it, however.

As a result of this, there’s no one really at fault. As such, you need to have the right protection in place on your policy.

How collision coverage will provide  the needed protection?

Your state-required insurance isn’t going to cover shopping cart damage. If you go strictly with what a state requires, you’re only covered for accidents involving other cars, not shopping carts.

Collision coverage will protect you against collisions that are your fault as well as collisions with any object, including non-vehicles — a shopping cart counts for one.

If you have this coverage within your insurance policy, you would be able to file a claim with the insurance company. Adding this coverage doesn’t have to be expensive. You can get quotes from multiple insurance companies to find out what the cost burden would be.

Ultimately, insurance will cover shopping cart damage if you have the right coverage in place. If you try to file a lawsuit with the store because the shopping cart was in their parking lot, you will likely lose.

It’s best to have collision coverage, so you can file a claim with the insurance company.

Looking to better insure your car after shopping cart damage? Start comparison shopping today by entering your ZIP code below!