You’re heading out to your car to start your day and you notice something disturbing — you have slashed tires. Someone took a blade to your tires and went to town. After letting out a sigh of frustration and doing a mental recap of potential people you may have pissed off, you realize you need to get the issue fixed and move on. In this scenario, you might wonder, “Does insurance cover slashed tires?” and the answer is, it depends on your car insurance policy. Read on to learn what you need to know about insurance and slashed tires.
Most common reasons behind slashed tires
First, let’s go over some of the most common reasons behind slashed tires.
- Vandalism in the community, which can include property damage.
- Driving over sharp objects that can cut your tires open.
- Purposeful destruction by another party — could be a complete stranger who is mad about something or feeling destructive or someone you know who is angry about something.
Though you may have slashed tires because of something sharp, a case of slashed tires is premeditated and deliberate in many instances. So if you have a known enemy or a bitter ex seeking revenge, that, unfortunately, could be the reason for your slashed tires.
For example, this Reddit poster was the victim of slashed tires from a ‘vindictive’ ex-roommate. This news report shares how a heartbroken man slashed his ex-girlfriend’s tires in front of an off-duty Highway Patrol trooper (whoops).
Whether the action was premeditated or not, having slashed tires can be unsettling as you might not know who did it or why and have to deal with damage to your personal property.
Does insurance cover slashed tires?
When you’re trying to fix the issue and move on with your life, you might wonder does insurance cover slashed tires? It really depends on your car insurance policy. If you have the minimum liability coverage, you’re going to be out of luck. Liability coverage helps cover damages that “you” the driver are responsible for – bodily injury and property damage, not your own tires.
If you have comprehensive car insurance, your policy will cover the slashed tires. Given the name comprehensive, it covers most things including slashed tires due to vandalism or intentional property damage by another party.
If your slashed tires were the result of driving over sharp objects, then collision coverage may help remedy the issue.
It’s important to remember that you still have to pay your car insurance deductible, so you might want to crunch some numbers to see if filing a claim is worth it.
For example, if it costs you $400 to replace your slashed tires but you have a $500 car insurance deductible, you’ll still be paying for the costs as your deductible is more than the total cost of replacing the tires.
You may also want to file a police report as well to create a paper trail, which could be required to get slashed tires covered by insurance.
Why your slashed tires claim might be denied?
As noted above, if you have comprehensive or collision coverage, it’s likely that your slashed tires will be covered. But there are instances where your claim could be denied.
For example, if your tires got slashed due to something you did, you’ll likely be denied. So if you were angry and caused the damage yourself or drove in a reckless way that caused the tire damage, your claim may not be covered by insurance. Basically, anything that could have been avoided with safe and calm driving likely won’t be covered.
How to file a claim for slashed tires
If you’re dealing with slashed tires and have decided it’s worth it to file a claim with your insurance, you want to take action right away. Here’s how to file a claim for slashed tires.
Step 1: Take photos and write down details
First, take pictures of the slashed tires with your phone and write down details of when you think it happened. If you haven’t been to your car in a few days, try to piece together the last time your tires were in good condition compared to when you noticed you had slashed tires. If you have an idea of who it might be, write that down as well.
Step 2: File a police report
In many cases, slashed tires are the result of vandalism or purposeful, deliberate property damage. If you’re wondering, does insurance cover slashed tires, that might only be the case if you file a police report. Your insurance provider may require it as part of the process.
Step 3: File a claim with your insurance
After having all the details and filing a police report, file a claim with your insurance provider. Contact them about the process and let them know about your situation, and ask about processing time.
Step 4: After your claim is processed, get new tires
Once your car insurance provider processes your claim and you get funds from your insurance company, you can purchase new tires and replace the slashed tires.
Taking these steps can help you fix the issue at hand and move on. If you know the tire slasher, you can decide to press charges and pursue legal action.
The bottom line
After seeing your tires cut up like a Thanksgiving turkey, it can leave you in a frustrated panic. You want to know — does insurance cover slashed tires? It all comes down to your type of policy coverage, so it’s best to contact your insurance company if you have any questions. Also, remember to take your deductible into account, as it may not be worth filing a claim if your insurance won’t actually cover the out-of-pocket costs.
If you want to get great car insurance coverage at an affordable price, check out pay-per-mile insurance coverage with Metromile. Pay a low base rate and only based on the miles you drive, so you’re never paying for more than you actually need. Grab a free quote today.
Melanie Lockert is a freelance writer, podcast host of the Mental Health and Wealth show, and author of Dear Debt. She’s a cat mom to two jazzy cats, Miles and Thelonious, an amateur boxer, music lover, and needs coffee to function.