Last year the weather was the enemy of many motorists. Some extreme weather events have put Italians in difficulty and these events are well imprinted in the memories of those who are now preparing to renew their car insurance. Now for many in the foreground is coverage from natural disasters such as hail and wind. However, the prices of these instruments have risen exorbitantly: if in 2022 the premium for this guarantee was 80 euros, in 2023 the fee is close to 100 euros and more precisely it is at 97 euros which means an increase in price of 21%. This was revealed by a survey that Facile.it commissioned from the mUp Research and Norstat institutes. The investigation highlighted that in the past twelve months alone, more than 4.6 million Italians have suffered damage to their cars caused by natural disasters or bad weather.
For those who suffered damage to their vehicle, it emerged that the most common event was hail, indicated by 67.9% of respondents; followed by damage caused by wind, both direct and caused by transported objects (25.7%). Water also caused quite a few problems as 19.3% of those who suffered damage blamed floods, floods and water in general. Unfortunately, however, almost 2 million of those motorists did not have an insurance policy that protected their vehicle from atmospheric events and had to pay for the damages out of their own pockets.
But how much does the guarantee against natural disasters cost? As mentioned, according to the analysis by Facile.it, in 2023, the average premium of this guarantee was approximately 97 euros. Although the amount is limited compared to the benefits guaranteed in the event of damage and despite the aforementioned increase in severe weather events, according to the buyer’s analysis, between September and December 2023, just 5.5% of those who renewed /signed your own policy and added the guarantee against atmospheric events.
What you need to know
But what does this coverage include in detail? And how does it work? Looking at specific cases, damage caused to the vehicle by things transported by the wind and falling trees is generally included, but only if these are a consequence of atmospheric events explicitly included in the contract. Pay attention, as always, to exclusions; as regards water-related damage, for example, damage caused to the engine following circulation in flooded areas is normally excluded.
Some insurance companies, in the event of damage, require the insured to provide proof of the event through articles published in the media (whether online or in paper), a written declaration from the local authorities or, again, confirmation from the nearest meteorological observatory.
Finally, pay attention to the fact that, in some cases, the natural events policy can only be purchased if added to other accessory guarantees such as, for example, fire and theft, glass or vandalism.
«When you are struggling with the choice of a specific guarantee, the advice is to carefully check the conditions offered, the limits, the exclusions and the presence or absence of deductibles», he explains Andrea Ghizzoni, Managing Director of insurance at Facile.it. «In the case of coverage against atmospheric events, it is good to know that many companies apply an overdraft, i.e. a fixed amount or a percentage – which normally varies between 5% and 10% – not covered by the policy. Precisely for this reason the suggestion is to compare several offers and choose the one that best meets our needs”.