Document the damage with photos and note relevant information about the incident, e.g. location, time and what exactly happened. Report the damage to your insurance company. If your vehicle is insured with Zurich, you can report the claim online or by phone or drive directly to one of our Zurich Help Points. The damage is assessed and evaluated there.
In this case, you should speak to the driver of the damaged vehicle or inform the police. It is not enough to leave a message. Even if you are in a hurry, be sure to report the damage, otherwise the incident could be classed as a hit-and-run.
In principle, the person responsible or their insurance company will cover the costs of parking damage caused to others with their car. If you as the driver damage another parked car, your motor third party liability insurance will generally pay for the repairs to the other vehicle. Damage to your own car is covered by your comprehensive insurance. With comprehensive insurance, however, you usually have to pay a deductible, which means you end up bearing part of the damage costs yourself.
The parking damage cover in Zurich car insurance insures damage caused to your parked car by unknown vehicles or persons. Cover can be taken out with or without a deductible.
With Zurich, you can also choose whether you want to insure parking damage up to a certain maximum amount or with the "Parking Damage PLUS" cover without a maximum amount. The "Parking Damage PLUS" supplementary cover is particularly worthwhile if you have an expensive vehicle or a new car and the repair costs can be correspondingly high. You can also choose whether one or two claims per year are insured in the parking damage cover. Comprehensive insurance also covers the costs of parking damage – however, a deductible is then charged, which is generally between CHF 500 and CHF 1,000. Insured persons without parking damage cover must therefore pay at least part of the repair themselves.
If you have suffered parking damage but have no parking damage cover and do not have comprehensive insurance, you can turn to the Swiss National Guarantee Fund (NGF). It is intended for hardship cases in which the damage is not covered by insurance. If the person responsible for the accident cannot be traced, the injured party must pay a deductible of CHF 1,000. Here too, you should take photos of your car and the scene of the accident. And report the incident to the police.
