Who pays for parking damage?
Who pays for parking damage depends on whether the person responsible is known. If they are known, their motor third-party liability insurer pays for the repair of your car. If they are unknown, generally only your own insurance pays: parking damage cover or the collision element of fully comprehensive cover. If you have neither, you bear the costs yourself. Partial comprehensive cover on its own does not usually cover parking damage caused by another vehicle. Your policy is decisive.
The person responsible is known
If the person responsible waited, left a note with their name and number or was seen by witnesses, the case is simple. Note the name, number plate and insurer, photograph both vehicles and, if possible, complete the European Accident Statement together. You report the damage directly to the liability insurer of the person responsible. Your own excess and no-claims level are generally not affected, and you choose the repairer yourself.
The person responsible is unknown: parking damage cover or fully comprehensive cover
If the person responsible remains unknown, two types of cover come into question. Parking damage cover is an add-on to comprehensive insurance that covers exactly this case. Depending on the policy it applies without moving you down the no-claims scale, but it is often limited to a number of claims per year or a maximum amount. Without this add-on, that leaves the collision element of fully comprehensive cover: the agreed excess then applies and a downgrade is possible. Your policy states which of the two you have.
What to do after a hit-and-run? Five steps
First: photograph the damage, your car as a whole and the surroundings before you drive away. Second: note the place, the date and the period during which the car was parked there. Third: look for traces of paint in another colour and for witnesses, and ask the car park or shop whether there is video footage; it is often stored only for a short time. Fourth: report the damage to the police. Fifth: inform your insurer and have a quote prepared.
Why it is worth reporting to the police
Many insurers require a police report before they pay for parking damage caused by an unknown person. Reporting also puts on official record when and where the damage was discovered, and it is the only chance that the person responsible may still be identified, for example through witnesses or paint traces. If they are found, the claim goes through their liability insurer instead of your comprehensive cover. Your insurer will tell you whether a report is needed in your case.
You have damaged a parked car yourself
Anyone who damages someone else’s vehicle must notify the injured party immediately and give their name and address. If that is not possible, the police must be informed without delay. A note under the windscreen wiper alone is generally not enough, and anyone who simply drives off commits an offence. Your liability insurer covers the damage to the other car, and fully comprehensive cover the damage to your own, if you have it. This is general guidance and not legal advice.
Claim on the insurance or pay yourself?
For minor parking damage, claiming is not always the cheapest solution. If the repair costs are below your excess or only slightly above it, you pay almost everything yourself anyway. If the claim goes through collision cover, a downgrade can also raise the premium in the following years. With parking damage cover that involves no downgrade, the sums look different. So get the quote first and then decide; the insurer will tell you the expected additional premium.
What the repair of parking damage involves
Typical parking damage includes door dings, scuffs on the bumper and scratches on the wing. The work involved depends on whether the paint is broken, whether plastic is cracked and whether there are sensors in the affected part. Dents with intact paint can often be pushed out without repainting, cracked plastic is welded rather than replaced where possible, and only the affected area is painted. Parking sensors and radar are checked after the repair.
How Carrosserie K.I. in Biel/Bienne helps
You upload the vehicle registration and photos of the damage in the online damage report. Within 24 hours on working days you receive an indicative quote including VAT, which you can also submit to your insurer; the final price is set after the inspection. If you decide to go through the insurance, Carrosserie K.I. bills the insurer directly. The workshop is at Südstrasse 2 in Biel/Bienne, and a courtesy car and a collection and delivery service are available on request.