12 Tips to Protect Your Car from Hail Damage 

You hear the weather report call for hail—and not just any old hail, either. We’re talking about monster, “golf ball-sized” hail that takes no prisoner. It’s the type of hailstorm that you wouldn’t wish upon your own worst enemy… yet your car is sitting in the driveway, uncovered, with only thoughts and prayers to keep it safeguarded from hailstones.

Wondering what you can do or use to keep your vehicle safe in a hailstorm? Here’s how to protect your car from hail and prevent excessive vehicle repair costs.

Is your vehicle in the driveway because you’ve had to forgo cleaning your garage due to work/school/pottery classes/baptisms/choir practice/whatever other responsibility or hobby you have? Instead of getting your hands dirty, you can choose to downsize to a smaller vehicle.

1) Go Small

Is your vehicle in the driveway because you’ve had to forgo cleaning your garage due to work/school/pottery classes/baptisms/choir practice/whatever other responsibility or hobby you have? Instead of getting your hands dirty, you can choose to downsize to a smaller vehicle.

Even the best deterrents and preventative measures may not be enough to protect your car from hail. If your vehicle’s become the victim of a hail-and-run in the Kansas City area, be sure to have it towed to a professional collision center or auto body shop near you that works with your insurance company. Contact McCarthy Collision Centers at 1-800-NEW-AGAIN, and we’ll do what we do best: Get you back on the road.

2) Always have adequate insurance coverage

Does car insurance cover hail damage? If you have opted for full comprehensive auto insurance, you should be covered. However, if you only have an auto liability policy, repairing dents or windshield damage from hail will likely come out of your pocket. Be sure to speak with your insurance agent prior to spring if you’d like to be financially protected from hail.

3) Don’t use rocks as weights

Instead of folding blankets into car doors and windows, people will sometimes use “heavy” rocks to keep blankets in place. This is a terrible idea. The blankets can easily grab wind and lift the rocks up; as you’d guess, that would leave your vehicle unprotected from both hail and the flying rocks.

4) Know where the closest indoor parking garage is

If you simply can’t hail-roof your car—whether that’s due to lack of time, resources or a general sense of post-2020 apathy—you should pay the small fee to park your car in a nearby parking garage or covered lot. The $5 or $10 fee is far less than the costs of paintless dent repair or hail dent removal.

5) Put plywood on your roof rack

If you own an SUV with a roof rack or crossbars, you can buy a cheap, 6-foot-long plywood board and attach it to the top. This will offer a little protection from hail dents on your roof, hood, and windshields, but you’re open to smashed windows and mirrors, as well as dents along the car’s side.

Note: It’s important to secure the plywood properly! Windy conditions will put lots of stress on flat objects like plywood, and if not adequately secured, it may cause more damage than the hail itself. It can also break apart and fly into other objects, vehicles, or homes.

6) Park under a tree

In storms, it’s not advisable to park under or near trees, as limbs can easily snap and fall onto your car, causing a significant amount of damage. However, if the upcoming hailstorm isn’t going to be accompanied by high winds and lightning, trees can offer a moderate amount of protection from hailstones.

Note: Hailstorms are usually accompanied by wind and potential lightning. Park under trees at your own risk.

7) Fold your side mirrors in

Hail can easily crack side-view mirrors, as they’re quite thin and flimsy. Folding them in will help to protect the reflective part, though the mirror’s casing will be at the mercy of Mother Nature.

8) Towels are an option

Use the same tactic as the blanket and fold all towels into the car securely. You may need to get creative here, as you’ll obviously have many more towels to secure down.

9) Cardboard boxes work

The rule of using cardboard as a hail protector is simple: Make sure the cardboard is thick and sturdy. With hail, you’ll likely get rain, and thin, cheap cardboard will absolutely disintegrate when it gets wet. A thicker panel of cardboard, like that of a corrugated appliance box, offers better survivability in hailstorms.

To support the cardboard on your car, consider attaching strings or bungee cords to door handles (pull them over the roof to attach each side).

10) Use floor mats or rugs on windows

If you don’t have enough (or large enough) blankets, you can mitigate some of the more major hail damage by using your car’s floor mats as a hail windshield cover. Put the softer, carpeted side on the window, and the hard rubberized side facing up. Hail hates rubber (so we heard).

11) Try a “hail blanket”

Purchasing a hail cover for your vehicle is an investment. On the cheap, you can try substituting that cover with a thick blanket. To ensure you have adequate vehicle coverage from hail, be sure to tuck the blanket ends into the door, under the hood, inside the trunk lid, and even in the windows. Close them tightly, ensuring you have access to door handles to reenter your vehicle once the storm passes.

Note: Do not duct tape blankets to your car! Some other “how to protect your car from hail” articles may suggest this, but it’s not good advice. The adhesive on duct tape can certainly peel away car paint, and the tape itself will be difficult to remove once the hail stops. Use the tactics above to get the best protection from hail with a blanket.

12) Buy a hail car cover

Do car covers protect against hail? You betcha. If you don’t have a place to shelter your vehicle, like a garage or even a covered parking spot (that you paid an arm and a leg for), a hail protection car cover may prevent shattered windshields and hail dents on your vehicle. Or, at a minimum, you’ll only be looking at minor hail damage to your vehicle.

You have several options for hail covers, including expensive products like this inflatable car cover for hail, the Hail Protector System ($400), as well as cheaper protectors like this multi-layer cover ($70).

We recommend OEM car covers that are designed to fit snugly around your specific model.

TIPS