Parked Car Insurance: What You Should Know

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Jennifer PendellInsurance Writer

Jennifer Pendell is a personal finance expert. She specializes in breaking down dense subjects to make them easier for consumers to understand, with a particular interest in homeowners, renters, and auto insurance concepts. She studied at the University of Iowa.

Jackie Cohen
Edited byJackie Cohen
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Jackie CohenEditorial Manager

Jackie Cohen is an editorial manager at Insurify specializing in property & casualty insurance educational content. She has years of experience analyzing insurance trends and helping consumers better understand their insurance coverage to make informed decisions about their finances.

Jackie's work has been cited in USA Today, The Balance, and The Washington Times.

Konstantin Halachev
Data reviewed byKonstantin Halachev
Headshot of Konstantin Halachev, VP of Engineering at Insurify
Konstantin HalachevVice President of Engineering
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

Updated June 15, 2022

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If you’re not driving your car, you won’t cause a car accident with it. Do you really need car insurance for a parked vehicle?

The short answer is yes — damage can occur even if you park your car in a garage or storage facility. Luckily, you can get a special car storage insurance policy that will protect your car if it’s affected by vandalism, theft, weather, or damage from animals. Find coverage limits and insurance premiums for parked cars by doing your own online car insurance comparison.

Quick Facts
  • Parked car insurance is another name for having only comprehensive insurance.

  • There are several requirements you must meet to drop liability coverage.

  • Insurance coverage for cars in storage is very affordable.

What is parked car insurance coverage?

What is parked car insurance?

While there’s no such thing as "parked car insurance", comprehensive insurance coverage may be able to help you financially if your car is hit while parked.

The term “parked car insurance” is simply another name for dropping liability coverage and carrying only comprehensive coverage for a vehicle you’re not driving. This is a popular choice for people who keep cars in long-term storage (such as classic car collectors) and for military personnel deployed for long stretches of time.

The car insurance you need for a parked car depends a lot on how you store it.

Cars in long-term storage

A vehicle in storage for a long time probably doesn’t need more than comprehensive insurance because it’s unlikely to be hit by another car, which means you won’t need collision insurance or uninsured motorist coverage.

Car insurance companies can offer comprehensive-only coverage as a stand-alone policy, but only under certain circumstances. You have to prove you have a second vehicle (a “daily driver”) covered by property damage and bodily injury liability meeting your state’s minimum insurance requirements.

Best Car Insurance Companies

Best Car Insurance Companies

Cars stored at home

If you park your unused car in your driveway, you probably need more than comprehensive coverage. Your vehicle could still be damaged in a hit-and-run, and comprehensive-only coverage wouldn’t cover that.

Insurance providers usually require vehicles to be stored for at least 30 to 60 days to qualify for car storage insurance. Also, if your long-term parking solution is on the street, you probably need to register your car and carry property damage liability insurance.

Types of insurance coverage

There are three key types of insurance to familiarize yourself with when figuring out how to insure your parked car.

Comprehensive coverage

Comprehensive insurance covers damage from environmental factors, like flood and fires. It will also kick in if your vehicle is stolen or vandalized. Parked car insurance is typically a comprehensive-only policy unless you choose additional types of coverage.

Collision coverage

Collision insurance covers damage to your car and is usually for accidents where you’re at fault. It covers the cost of repairing your car.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is for when the other driver is at fault, and either they don’t have insurance or their insurance isn’t enough to cover the cost of repairs. This also covers hit-and-runs in some states.

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What if someone hits my parked car?

Who is at fault if a parked car is damaged? It depends on the circumstances. Usually, the at-fault driver’s insurance would pay, but there are some circumstances where that’s not true.

I hit a parked car

If you hit a parked car, you must try to find the car’s owner or leave a note with your contact information and insurance company so the other driver can file an insurance claim. If you don’t do this, you could be found guilty of a hit-and-run.

Your own insurance should help with repairing the other car in this type of incident. If you have collision coverage, that will help with damage to your car.

Someone hit my parked car

If you know who hit your parked car, their liability insurance should help cover the damage. Stay calm and get their contact and insurance information. If you don’t know who hit your car, your comprehensive coverage or uninsured motorist property damage coverage should kick in.

Cheap Car Insurance

Cheap Car Insurance

How to find affordable insurance for parked cars

Insurance costs can be a real thorn in a driver’s side. Fortunately, car insurance comparison tools make it easy to get insurance quotes so you can compare deductibles and other differences between policies.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Will my insurance rates go up if my parked car is hit?

    If you file a claim with the other driver’s insurance, your rates shouldn’t go up. However, if you have to go through your own insurance company or a claim is filed against you by another driver, your premiums will probably go up.

  • When can I change my insurance policy for a car in storage?

    This depends on your state. Most states require insurance for registered cars. However, California allows you to notify the DMV that you’re not driving your vehicle anymore. An affidavit of non-use will allow you to keep a registered vehicle without insurance. But it will be more expensive to insure the vehicle when you bring it out of storage because of the coverage lapse.

  • Can I buy insurance for a car in storage with an outstanding loan balance?

    Usually, no, because you aren’t the owner yet. Most lenders require full-coverage auto insurance for as long as you’re still paying the loan. If you’re leasing the car and drop your full coverage, the lender may purchase force-placed insurance to cover their interests and add it to the cost of your lease.

  • Can’t I just cancel my car insurance policy if I’m not driving my car?

    You could, but you shouldn’t. Canceling your auto insurance policy creates a gap in your coverage history, which makes you look like a higher-risk customer. Your vehicle also won’t be protected from accidents if you drop your coverage.

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Methodology

Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 90 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 50+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.

Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).

Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:

  • Bodily injury limits between state-minimum rates and $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
  • Property damage limits between $10,000 and $50,000
  • No additional coverage
Full-coverage premium averages correspond to the same bodily injury and property damage limits in addition to:
  • Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible
  • Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible

Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.

Jennifer Pendell
Jennifer PendellInsurance Writer

Jennifer Pendell is a personal finance expert. She specializes in breaking down dense subjects to make them easier for consumers to understand, with a particular interest in homeowners, renters, and auto insurance concepts. She studied at the University of Iowa.

Jackie Cohen
Edited byJackie CohenEditorial Manager
Photo of an Insurify author
Jackie CohenEditorial Manager

Jackie Cohen is an editorial manager at Insurify specializing in property & casualty insurance educational content. She has years of experience analyzing insurance trends and helping consumers better understand their insurance coverage to make informed decisions about their finances.

Jackie's work has been cited in USA Today, The Balance, and The Washington Times.

Konstantin Halachev
Data reviewed byKonstantin HalachevVice President of Engineering
Headshot of Konstantin Halachev, VP of Engineering at Insurify
Konstantin HalachevVice President of Engineering
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.