Do I tell my insurance if I hit a parked car?

Editorial team Published on

Yes, you should tell your insurance company if you hit a parked car.

Why You Should Report It

  • Policy Rules: Most auto insurance contracts require you to report any accident promptly.
  • Prevent Surprises: If the owner of the other car finds your info and files a claim, your insurer needs to hear your side first.
  • Avoid Cancellation: Hiding an accident or failing to report it can lead to your insurer denying coverage or dropping your policy.
  • Property Damage Liability: Your policy’s property damage liability coverage will help pay to fix the other person's car.

Immediate Steps to Take

  • Find the Owner: Wait near the car or try to locate the driver inside nearby businesses.
  • Leave a Note: If you cannot find the owner, leave a written note on their windshield with your name, phone number, and insurance details. Take a photo of the note on the car as proof.
  • Take Photos: Photograph the damage to both vehicles, license plates, and the surrounding area.
  • Call the Police: File a police report, especially if required by local laws or if you cannot locate the vehicle owner.

Do I have to give my insurance information if someone hits my parked car?

You are generally not legally required to hand over your insurance information to the other driver if they hit your parked car and are clearly at fault, but notifying your own insurance company is still standard practice.

Exchanging Information

  • Legal Duty: Since your car was parked and unoccupied, you bear zero fault for the collision. The legal burden falls on the moving driver to provide their insurance and contact details to you.
  • Sharing Details: Opinions on Facebook are mixed, with some people noting you do not have to share your policy info with an at-fault driver, while others suggest it helps speed up communication if both insurers need to coordinate. Providing basic contact info or letting your respective agents talk via a Progressive claim is often easier.

Steps to Take

  • Take Photos: Capture wide and close-up shots of the damage to your car and the other vehicle.
  • File a Report: Call the police to document the scene and get an official report number.
  • Notify Your Insurer: Report the incident to your carrier so they are aware, even if you plan to file through the other driver's policy.

Does your insurance go up if you hit a parked car?

Yes, your car insurance rates will likely go up if you hit a parked car because you are considered at fault.

Why Rates Increase

  • At-fault status: Hitting a stationary vehicle means you caused the collision. Insurers view you as a higher risk for future claims.
  • Payout costs: Your liability coverage pays to fix the parked car, and your collision coverage pays to fix your own car (minus your deductible).

Exceptions Where Rates May Not Rise

  • Low payout amount: If the repair cost is very low and falls below your state or company's "chargeable accident" dollar threshold, your rate might stay the same.
  • Accident forgiveness: If you have this add-on feature on your policy and it is your first at-fault accident, your insurer might waive the rate hike.
  • Clean history: Some companies give grace for a single minor fender-bender if you have a long history of safe driving with them.

(Note: If instead your parked car was hit by someone else, see guidance from Progressive regarding not-at-fault claims).

Does hitting a parked car count as an accident?

Yes, hitting a parked car absolutely counts as a motor vehicle accident. Even if the car is completely unoccupied, the damage appears minor, or the incident happens on private property like a parking lot, it is legally recognized as an accident.

Because it is an accident, you have specific legal and financial responsibilities that must be fulfilled immediately:

  • Leaving without acting is a crime: If you drive away without trying to locate the owner or leaving your information, the incident is classified as a hit-and-run. Depending on local laws and the severity of the property damage, a hit-and-run can range from a misdemeanor to a felony.
  • You must leave a note: If you cannot find the owner of the vehicle, you are legally required to leave a visible, written note. Your note should include your full name, phone number, and auto insurance information.
  • Insurance handling: The driver of the moving vehicle is almost always considered 100% at fault for hitting a stationary object. Your Property Damage Liability (PDL) coverage will pay for the repairs to the parked car. If you want your insurance to cover the damage to your own vehicle, you will need to file a claim under your optional Collision Coverage.
  • Police reporting limits: Many jurisdictions require you to officially report the accident to law enforcement or the DMV if the property damage exceeds a specific dollar threshold (often $500 or $1,000).

What happens if I slightly hit a parked car and leave?

Leaving after slightly hitting a parked car is considered a hit-and-run, which can lead to criminal misdemeanor charges, fines, license points or suspension, and higher insurance rates.

Legal and Financial Consequences

  • Hit-and-Run Charges: Even minor scratches or tiny bumps count as accidents under the law. Driving away without leaving contact details means you can be charged with a misdemeanor hit-and-run.
  • Fines and Penalties: If caught (often via parking lot security cameras, doorbell cameras, or witnesses), you face steep fines, court costs, potential jail time in some states, and points on your driver's license.
  • Insurance Penalties: If your insurance company finds out or has to pay a claim because you were identified, your rates can go up significantly.

What You Should Do Instead

  • Stop Immediately: Pull over safely and do not leave the area.
  • Find the Owner: Look inside nearby shops or homes to try and locate the driver.
  • Leave a Note: If you cannot find them, write down your full name, phone number, and insurance details, and place it securely under the windshield wiper.
  • Take Photos: Photograph the damage on both vehicles to protect yourself from exaggerated claims later.

Car hit in parking lot, what do you do?

9 related questions found

Is it worth reporting a minor hit-and-run?

Yes, reporting a minor hit-and-run is always worth it to protect yourself from legal and financial liabilities.

Why You Should Report It

  • Protection against false claims: If the other driver reported you instead, you could face criminal charges for leaving the scene.
  • Official documentation: A police report creates an official record. This is required if you need to file an insurance claim or if hidden vehicle and structural damage appears later.
  • Legal requirement: Leaving the scene of an accident is a crime in most jurisdictions, even if the property damage is minor or occurs in a parking lot.

What You Can Expect

  • Limited police investigation: Officers typically do not dispatch units to minor property-damage crashes unless a suspect, video evidence, or license plate is provided.
  • Filing options: You may need to file the report online, over the phone, or in person at a local station or collision reporting center.

What not to tell insurance company after accident?

Never admit fault, apologize, or say "I'm fine" to an insurance adjuster after a crash, as outlined by Anapol Weiss.

Statements to Avoid

  • "I'm sorry" or "It was my fault": An apology acts as an admission of liability and can reduce or block your compensation.
  • "I'm fine" or "I'm not hurt": Adrenaline can hide serious injuries like whiplash or concussions that show up days later.
  • Guesses or speculation: Do not guess about vehicle speeds, distances, or the timing of the crash. If you are wrong, it ruins your credibility.
  • "I think" or "Maybe": Stick to hard facts rather than uncertain opinions.

Actions to Avoid

  • Giving a recorded statement: You do not have to give an immediate recorded statement to the other driver's insurance company before talking to a lawyer.
  • Signing blanket medical releases: Giving unlimited access to your past medical history lets adjusters hunt for unrelated pre-existing conditions to deny your claim.
  • Accepting quick settlements: Early offers come before you know your total medical bills or repair costs.

What You Should Do

  • Provide only basic facts to your own insurer: your name, policy number, date, time, and location of the accident.
  • Direct detailed questions or the other driver’s insurance adjuster to your legal counsel.

Should I file a police report if I hit a parked car?

Yes, you should file a police report if required by local laws or if you cannot locate the owner of the parked car to exchange information.

When to File a Report

  • Owner is unavailable: If you wait a reasonable time and cannot find the owner, many states (such as Virginia and Florida) legally require you to report the accident to local law enforcement within 24 hours or a specific timeframe to avoid hit-and-run charges.
  • State thresholds: Some jurisdictions require a police report if the property damage exceeds a set dollar amount (which accumulates quickly with modern car repairs).
  • Insurance claims: An official police or incident report provides a third-party paper trail that protects you and streamlines the insurance process.

Immediate Steps to Take

  • Do not leave permanently: Stop your vehicle immediately and stay at the scene. Leaving without notifying the owner or police can result in criminal hit-and-run charges.
  • Try to find the owner: Check nearby houses or businesses.
  • Leave a secure note: If the owner cannot be found, place a visible note under the windshield wiper. Include your name, phone number, address, and insurance details.
  • Document the scene: Take clear photos of the damage to both vehicles and the surrounding area.
  • Contact the authorities: Call the non-emergency police line if an officer needs to document the incident or if your state mandates a direct report for unattended property collisions.

Do I lose my no claims if someone hits my parked car?

You generally do not lose your No Claims Discount (NCD) if someone hits your parked car, provided the other driver is identified and your insurer recovers all the costs from them.

When Your No Claims Bonus Is Safe

  • Full cost recovery: If the other driver admits fault or is proven responsible, and your insurance company gets all their money back from the at-fault driver's insurer, your NCD remains unaffected.
  • Third-party claim: If you claim directly through the other driver's insurance instead of your own, it will not count against your record.

When Your No Claims Bonus Is at Risk

  • Hit-and-run / Untraced driver: If someone hits your parked car and drives off without leaving details—and you cannot find a witness, license plate, or CCTV footage to identify them—you may have to claim on your own collision or uninsured motorist coverage. This can result in a lost or reduced no-claims discount unless you have NCD protection.
  • Uninsured driver: If the other driver is identified but has no insurance, recovering the costs can be complicated, and your insurer might treat it as an at-fault or unrecovered claim unless you have a specific uninsured driver protection add-on.

Is it worth reporting a scratch to insurance?

It is generally not worth reporting a minor car scratch to your insurance if the repair cost is lower than or close to your deductible.

When to Skip Insurance

  • Cost vs. Deductible: If a scratch costs $500 to fix and your deductible is $1,000, your insurer pays nothing. You pay the full repair cost out of pocket anyway.
  • Rate Increases: Filing an at-fault claim or a comprehensive claim can raise your future insurance rates, costing you more over time than the repair itself.
  • Carfax Impact: Filing an insurance claim creates a permanent record on your vehicle's history report, which can lower its resale value more than a minor cosmetic scratch.

When to Report to Insurance

  • Another Driver is Involved: If another driver caused the damage and you have their insurance information, their liability coverage should pay for the fix without raising your rates or requiring your deductible.
  • Severe Damage or Hidden Issues: If a deep scratch is actually hiding structural damage or a dented bumper frame that costs thousands of dollars to fix, using insurance makes financial sense.
  • Vandalism or Hit-and-Run: If your car was vandalized while parked, Comprehensive Insurance may cover it, though you still must weigh the deductible against rate hikes.