Question
Damage to fog light insurance claim
I cracked my bumper and my fog light is also damaged. My deductible is $500. Should I file a claim? While looking for parking at an event, I decided to pull off the road to turn around and continue looking for parking. There was a vacant lot on the street that I turned into, there was no proper lighting so I didn’t see there was a mound of dirt on the right hand of my path and I ran into it. I saw that I cracked my bumper in a few places and my fog light was also damaged.
Answer
Ava joined The Zebra in 2016 as a licensed insurance agent and writer. She now serves as director of insurance content, leading coverage strategy and…
Credentials
- 9+ years of Experience in the Insurance Industry
So there are a few things to consider before you file the claim.
- How much does it cost to repair the damage to your car? If it's less or close to the amount of your deductible, then you wouldn't want to file a claim because they wouldn't pay much for the damages, if any at all.
- Is the damage is more than your deductible?
- Will the claim will be listed as an at-fault accident.
An at-fault accident will negatively impact your rates for three to five years. The average premium increase for an at-fault accident in Washington state in 2020 was $595. However, you need to think about this value over 3-5 years - as that is how long much insurance companies will charge you. Over a 3 year period, you should expect to pay almost $1.8k in premium increases. Check out our guide to filing claims to learn more about what to expect from the process as well as a how-to.
Good luck and if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.
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