What Happens When a Vehicle is Stolen?
You cannot believe this has happened to you. Your vehicle is gone, nowhere to be found. How did this happen? When did it happen? Vehicles are stolen every day. Some are sold as used vehicles that are never registered. Others are sold for the value of parts. What happens to you and your ownership?
Generally, your auto insurance company is there to help.
The first step in the process of overcoming a stolen vehicle is to call the police.
The police will help you to determine what happened. In the process, you will create a police report that outlines what happened. This document is the starting process.
The police will go to work to try and find your vehicle. In addition, the insurance company will use this report to help you with what happens next.
If your car is found, your auto insurance company will pay for damage repairs as long as the instance is considered a true case of theft and the damage can be attributed to the theft.
If it takes a while for this to happen, your auto insurance company may also pay for a rental.
If your vehicle is not found, your car insurance company will turn to the policy to determine what is next.
You may receive a check for the value of the vehicle.
The amount of this check depends on the type of policy you have. For example, if your policy is for the actual value of the car, it will pay you the amount your vehicle's value as if it was sold on the market today.
However, some policies offer replacement protection, which would give you enough to replace the vehicle.
What should you do? If your vehicle is stolen, contact your car insurance provider right away and discuss what is happening.
In most cases, your auto insurance agent is there to help you throughout this process and to provide you with the financial support you need to get through it. If your insurance isn't what you need it to be, call the agency today to update your policy. Be sure it is valued high enough to allow you to replace your vehicle should a theft occur.