Question
Does car insurance cover rodent damage?
I went on vacation for 2 weeks and when I came home my car wouldn't start. My brother is a mechanic so he came over to take a look at the vehicle and he noticed that some of the wires under the hood were completely chewed through by some sort of squirrel or rodent. Can I file a claim for this with my insurance company?
Answer
Sorry to hear about your misfortune! Luckily enough, you should be able to file this claim through your insurance company assuming that you have comprehensive coverage on your policy. Comprehensive covers most damage to your vehicle that wasn't the result of an accident. This would include things like hitting an animal, hail damage, and theft. In your case, the rodent chewing through your wires will likely be viewed as an "act of God" which is normally covered under comprehensive. If it's your first comprehensive claim, your premium should not increase by all that much. On average, a comp claim will raise your rate by 4.35%, or $64 a year. You will want to confirm that you do have this coverage, but your insurance company should be able to answer that and start the claims process for you if it is part of your policy. Best of luck!
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