Flood, Hail and Earthquake Damage to Your Car: What Kasko Covers

Cars submerged in an underpass after a sudden downpour, bonnets dented by hailstones, vehicles crushed by trees blown down in a storm — these scenes are no longer unusual in Istanbul. The first question afterwards is always the same: will my kasko (comprehensive motor insurance) pay? The answer depends on how your policy treats natural-event risks. This guide explains the general logic for floods, hail, storms and earthquakes, what to do when damage happens and the mistakes that make claims harder.

Does kasko automatically cover every natural event?

Kasko protects your car against a wide range of damage, but some natural-disaster risks may appear as exclusions in the general conditions and are only included through an additional cover or special condition. Many extended kasko packages include them today, yet you should never assume so for every policy.

Look for these headings in your policy:

• Earthquake and volcanic eruption
• Flood and inundation
• Hail
• Storm and snow load
• Landslide
• External impacts such as falling trees or poles

These should appear explicitly in the cover table. The words “extended kasko” alone are not enough; checking the list line by line is the safest approach.

Floods: the most debated type of damage

Two situations are treated differently. In the first, rising water floods a parked car. In the second, the driver takes the car into a flooded road or underpass and the running engine sucks in water. How engine damage from water ingestion is assessed depends on the policy’s special conditions, and the driver’s behaviour may also be examined.

So when you meet a flooded road, the safest choice is not to drive in. If your car has been in water:

1. Do not try to restart the engine; it can make the damage worse.
2. Once you are safe, photograph the car and the water level.
3. Notify your insurer and ask for towing.
4. Do not send the car for repair before the expert inspection.

Hail and storm damage

Hail usually leaves many small dents on the bonnet, roof and boot lid, and can break glass and lights. In storms, flying objects and falling trees are the usual causes. In these cases:

• Photograph the damage on the same day, in daylight and from several angles.
• If a tree or piece of roof has fallen on the car, photograph it before it is removed.
• State the date and place clearly when you report.

A covered car park is a precaution, not a cover

Parking indoors helps against hail and storms, but lower-level car parks can flood in heavy rain. During weather warnings, move the car to higher, covered ground if you can and avoid parking under trees or billboards. Precautions do not change your cover, though: what decides the outcome is still the cover table in your policy.

Earthquakes: DASK does not cover your car

A common misunderstanding: DASK, Turkey’s compulsory earthquake insurance under Law No. 6305, covers only the residential building. A car crushed in a car park or hit by a collapsing wall during an earthquake is not covered by DASK, and home insurance does not generally cover cars either. Your car is protected against earthquake only if your kasko includes earthquake cover.

This matters especially if you live in a complex with an underground car park. To review earthquake protection for your home as well, see our DASK earthquake insurance in Maslak page. And if you want to know which kasko add-ons are worth paying for, read which kasko extras are actually worth it.

Common mistakes

• Reading the policy only after the event and discovering the cover is missing,
• Trying to restart a flooded car,
• Moving the car or removing a fallen object before taking photos,
• Not reporting all damage from the same event at once,
• Delaying the claim notification for days.

Picture two neighbours whose cars are flooded in the same basement car park. One has flood cover and the claim proceeds with an expert inspection; the other does not, and the damage is not paid. The difference was a single line checked, or not checked, at renewal.

Check your policy before the weather turns

We cannot predict natural events, but we can find out in advance whether our policy is ready for them. At renewal, compare quotes on these covers, not just on price. We are happy to check whether your current policy includes flood, hail and earthquake cover — see our comprehensive car insurance (kasko) in Maslak page, call us on +90 530 375 89 61 or send a message on WhatsApp for English support.