Hail can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage.

When the skies open up and hail comes crashing down it usually happens with little to no warning.

You watch in despair as your car that was left in the driveway or parked on the street being pelted with chunks of ice.

This reminds you that days like this you are lucky you have your insurance coverage on the car. It still doesn’t take the sting away from seeing your car being damaged right before your eyes.

Once mother nature has completed the storm you have to now deal with assessing the damage that is done. The biggest question on everyones mind is, What Happens Now?

This is a guide to give you the clarity on what to do and what to expect when your car has been damaged by hail.

So, where to begin?

Lets start with the first call to your insurance company.

They will need to know the location, time of the incident and your policy details.

Once the claim has been filed they will give you a claim number. Best to write that down somewhere safe.

From here the insurance company will need to assess the damage on the vehicle to determine if the vehicle can be fixed.

Some vehicles with minor damage can have hail damage repairs completed easily. Broken windscreen etc.

However, the biggest issue with storms is the cosmetic hail damage that may be across the whole surface of the car.

The insurance assessor will be looking at the cost of repair compared to the value of the vehicle.

From there they may conclude that the vehicle repair outweighs the costs of replacement.

What happens to a hail damaged vehicle that has become a repairable write-off?

The vehicle is listed on the repairable write-off register. This will lodge the insurance claim against the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number).

You find this information when you complete a Car History Report or PPSR.

Upon the repairs being completed the vehicle then needs to go through a process called WOVI.

WOVI stands for Written Off Vehicle Inspection.

However, before you can book an inspection with WOVI you will require a valid Safety Certificate.

After the WOVI inspection has been passed the vehicle is now ready to be re-registered back on the road.