You have only briefly let your parked car out of your sight - and the paint is scratched. Parking damages are not only annoying, but can also cost a lot of money. Let us explain what parking damages insurance is and when it is worth.
Guide
Parking damages – the 6 facts you should know
1. Parking damages – the definition
A parking damage corresponds to when your parked car has been damaged by an unknown person.
An example: you park your car in front of the supermarket. After shopping, you discover a scratch on the door that was not there before. Look around: no suspects in the vicinity. This is the classic parking damage.
From CHF 29 per month
Information on the calculation basis: *Person: Born 1 June 1986, female, resident in 8400 Winterthur, nationality: Switzerland
Car: Fiat 500 Electric mod. 2022 type certificate 01xx664 / 0 damage last 5 years / no leasing / catalogue price CHF 44 490
Coverage modules: Compulsory third-party liability and partial casco.
Start of insurance 01.03.2024, annual payment method, offer date 01.02.2024, price rounded.
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2. Parking damages – who pays?
As a rule, the liability car insurance of the person who caused the damage pays for parking damages. The so-called "direct claim right" applies. This means that you can contact the insurance company of the person who caused the damage directly, if the person is known.
If, on the other hand, the person is not known, your car insurance company will pay for the parking damage, provided that you have taken out a parking damages insurance.
3. Parking damages in the casco insurance
The casco insurance covers damages to your car. Therefore, it is usually necessary to take out a casco insurance to cover parking damages. With most insurance companies you can include parking damages in your full casco insurance.
Parking damages usually have no effect on your bonus level. However, some insurance companies have their own model of bonus parking damages. Depending on the insurance company, a different deductible applies in case of parking damages. Therefore, please compare the different offers before deciding on one.
By the way, we offer the parking damages insurance in partial casco. The condition is that your car is younger than 7 years.
4. Parking damages – how to proceed?
What happens if you cause a parking damage to a foreign car? Ideally, you should wait until the car owner returns and fill in the accident report together. Your liability insurance will take care of the accident afterwards. In certain circumstances, it may be necessary to involve the police as well (for example, if someone has been injured).
If you are in a hurry and cannot wait for the owner to return, report the damage to the police immediately. You must inform the injured party immediately and provide your contact details. Otherwise, you will be fined for running away and for obstructing measures to establish that you are able to drive.
5. Parking damages caused by yourself?
If you own several cars and your SUV causes a scratch on your parked spider, it is not considered as parking damage - but as so-called self-inflicted damage. This self-inflicted damage to your own vehicles is not currently covered by most insurance companies. However, with our motor third party liability insurance, a corresponding additional cover may be included.
It will be considered a collision (and therefore not a parking damage) if for example you hit a pole during the parking manoeuvre. This is therefore a claim covered by full casco. As the term "parking damages" often leads to confusion, many insurance companies refer to "damages to the parked vehicle".
6. Who is parking damages insurance suitable for?
Parking damages insurance is particularly useful if you have an expensive new or leased vehicle. In addition, parking damages are much more common in cities than in the countryside. So if you live in an urban area and do not have a garage, parking damages insurance certainly makes sense.
Conclusion
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