You’ll need a comprehensive car insurance policy if you’re looking for flood cover - third-party policies usually exclude it.
It depends on what level of cover you have for your car insurance.
You’ll need a fully comprehensive policy to be able to claim for flood damage and even then, you’ll need to check your terms and conditions to see if you’re covered.
Flood damage insurance will typically cover repairs to your car, including your stereo, upholstery and carpets.
Your other belongings in the car might be covered. If they’re not, check your home insurance policy - they could be part of your personal possessions cover.
You won’t find flood damage cover on a third party, fire and theft policy.
These are two types of flood damage insurance; avoidable and unavoidable.
Avoidable flood damage applies to things like deliberately driving through a large body of water.
An insurer might decide not to pay out for this as it’s considered reckless behaviour.
Unavoidable flood damage could cover your car being damaged by flood water while it’s parked at home.
In this case, your insurer would be more likely to consider your claim as you had no control over the situation.
Drivers might be swayed by cheaper, third-party policies but it’s vital they understand what’s included in their cover, especially if they’re at risk of flood damage.Matt Oliver, motoring expert at GoCompare
Call your insurer as soon as you can and follow its advice on what to do next.
If your car’s submerged in flood water, don’t try to start it. Drain the water if you can and allow the vehicle to dry out.
If you need to have your car towed, or you need to get temporary repairs, save all your receipts and try to protect your car from any further damage.
A flooded vehicle isn’t automatically a write-off.
It depends on how much water has got into the engine, and sometimes a car will dry out without leaving any lasting damage.
If water has got into the engine, your insurer will get an engineer to assess the damage and tell you whether it’s a write-off or not.
Check whether your area is at risk of flooding with the Environment Agency or Met Office