Storm Austen and your car, what insurance pays for a fallen tree

Tonight and into Friday morning, Storm Austen crosses southern Britain. The Met Office has an amber wind warning for Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and parts of west Devon, with gusts of 60 to 70mph for a time and a yellow warning across a much wider area.

The timing matters for anyone who parks under a tree. Devon County Council says many trees are still carrying much of their leaf, so they catch more wind, and that recent dry weather may have loosened how well some are anchored.

Whether a fallen branch costs you money depends almost entirely on the level of cover you chose months ago.

The Association of British Insurers is plain about it. Comprehensive motor insurance covers storm damage to your car. Third party, fire and theft does not. If a neighbour’s tree or a loose roof tile does the damage, you can only claim against them if you can show they were legally liable, which in practice means negligent.

Here is the detail worth sitting with. Many drivers assume the owner of the tree pays. Usually they do not, unless you can show they failed to take reasonable care of it. On comprehensive cover, the claim normally goes through your own policy, and your excess applies.

So a few things are worth doing before the wind arrives. Move the car away from trees and walls if you can. Check your schedule for the level of cover and the excess. If damage happens, photograph the car and the tree where they lie, note the date and time, and report it promptly. And never drive through floodwater.

The wind should ease through Friday. The policy wording will still be the one you bought.