Car Parked on Road? Your ₹5L Claim May Be Rejected

Where you park your car in India can directly affect whether your motor insurance claim gets paid. Illegal parking, open-air spots, and unguarded areas create gaps in coverage that most car owners never think about until it's too late.

Here's what happened: India's severe parking shortage forces millions of car owners to park on roadsides, footpaths, or unauthorised spots — exposing vehicles to flood, theft, and accident risks.. Motor insurers can invoke 'contributory negligence' or policy exclusions to reduce or deny own-damage claims if a vehicle was parked in a prohibited or clearly unsafe location.. Monsoon flooding, falling trees, and hit-and-run incidents are among the top reasons for parked-vehicle claims — yet many policyholders discover coverage gaps only after the damage occurs..

What you should do: Read the 'exclusions' and 'conditions' section of your motor policy tonight — look specifically for words like 'negligence', 'unauthorised area', or 'consequential loss'.. Save parking receipts or take a timestamped photo of where your car is parked each night — this evidence can prevent insurers from disputing your claim location.. If you regularly park in a flood-prone or open area, ask your insurer or broker about a 'return to invoice' add-on or engine protection cover — these are worth ₹1,500–₹4,000 extra annually..

Engine protection add-on cover is excluded from most base policies — if your engine hydrolocks in a flood because someone tried to start a waterlogged car, the base policy pays nothing. This one add-on can save you ₹1–₹3 lakh.

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