Someone hit your car and drove off. No information, no witnesses, no recourse from them. But your insurance still has a process, and it works if you know how to invoke it. Here's what to do and what to expect.
You walk back to your parked car in the grocery store lot and find a fresh dent in the rear quarter panel, a shower of paint chips on the ground, and no note. Or you're driving down the freeway when someone clips your mirror and accelerates away before you can read a plate. Hit and runs are frustrating in a specific way: there's no one to blame, no one to negotiate with, and a strong instinct to just deal with the damage and move on.
Don't move on yet. California law and most auto insurance policies specifically cover hit-and-run damage, but only if you do the right things in the first 48 hours. Here's the process.
Immediate scene documentation
Even without the other driver, the scene is your evidence. Before moving the vehicle:
Photograph the damage from multiple angles. Wide shots, close-ups of the damaged panels, and photos of the surrounding area (other vehicles, parking lot markings, entries/exits). If there are paint chips from the other vehicle on the ground, photograph them and, if possible, collect a small sample in a bag.
Look for surveillance cameras. Grocery stores, gas stations, strip malls, and many public parking lots have cameras. Note the approximate position of cameras that may have a view of your vehicle. You won't get the footage immediately, but a police report referencing camera locations can be used to request footage later.
Ask nearby witnesses. Store employees, parking attendants, people loading groceries. You'd be surprised how often someone saw the incident but assumes the driver stopped and handled it.
Check for a note. Occasionally, the other driver did leave information. Check your windshield, the driver's door, and under the wipers before assuming it was a true hit-and-run.
File a police report within 24 hours
The police report is the single most important document in a hit-and-run claim. Without it, most insurers will either decline the claim or require it before processing.
File the report as soon as possible. In California, you can file in person at the station nearest the incident, or often online for non-injury property damage. Online filing is typically faster and generates a report number immediately.
Provide everything you have: the approximate time of the incident, location, description of any vehicle or driver information you managed to collect, photos of damage, and information about nearby surveillance cameras if relevant.
Get the report number. You'll give this to your insurer. The number alone is usually enough; the full report takes a few days to a few weeks to be written and released.
File the insurance claim
Hit-and-run damage is covered under one of two coverages, depending on your policy:
Uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD). In California, UMPD specifically covers hit-and-run damage when the at-fault driver cannot be identified. Deductible is typically low ($250 or less, sometimes zero). Most standard California policies include UMPD unless the driver specifically waived it in writing.
Collision coverage. If your policy doesn't include UMPD, hit-and-run damage is typically covered under collision coverage instead. Deductible is whatever your collision deductible is (usually $500 or $1,000).
Which one applies depends on your policy and the circumstances. When you open the claim, your adjuster will tell you which coverage is being invoked and what your out-of-pocket will be.
The deductible question
Here's where hit-and-run gets unique: if the at-fault driver is ever identified and their insurance is pursued successfully, the deductible is refunded to you. This is called subrogation, and your own insurer handles it without your involvement.
This means the deductible you pay up front is not necessarily the final out-of-pocket amount. For hit-and-runs where the other driver is caught (either through surveillance, witnesses, license plate leads, or the other driver confessing later), you often get the deductible back 60-120 days after the repair.
For hit-and-runs where the other driver is never identified (the majority), you pay the deductible and it stays paid.
Timeline expectations
A typical hit-and-run claim runs:
Day 1: Incident documented, police report filed
Day 2-3: Insurance claim opened, adjuster assigned, vehicle inspected
Day 3-10: Estimate written, shop chosen, repair scheduled
Day 10-30: Repair completed (depends on damage severity and parts availability)
Day 90-180: Subrogation outcome, deductible refund if applicable
The repair itself takes the same time as any other collision repair; the hit-and-run nature doesn't slow the actual work, it just changes which coverage pays.
The diminished value problem
Diminished value is typically not recoverable in a hit-and-run claim. DV is recovered from the at-fault driver's insurance, and if there's no identified at-fault driver, there's no party to claim against. Your own insurance does not pay diminished value under UMPD or collision coverage.
This is the real cost of hit-and-run damage on newer vehicles: the market-value loss sticks with you. On a 2024 luxury vehicle with a recorded collision repair, the diminished value can run into five figures. It's the single strongest argument for parking away from high-traffic areas on vehicles with significant market value.
In a hit-and-run, you get the repair, but you lose the diminished value argument.
What to do if you caught something on camera
Sometimes, a dashcam, a business surveillance system, or a nearby residence's security camera captures enough information to identify the other vehicle. If you have even a partial plate number, the police can often trace the vehicle through DMV records.
If this happens:
Preserve the footage. Download copies to multiple locations. Surveillance footage typically gets overwritten on a 7-30 day cycle depending on the system; get it off the source camera as fast as possible.
Provide the footage to police and your insurance. Both can use it. The police use it to identify and potentially charge the driver. Your insurance uses it to shift subrogation efforts from "unknown party" to "identified party."
Don't try to contact the identified driver directly. Let the police and your insurer handle the investigation. Direct contact often compromises the case and occasionally escalates dangerously.
When to skip the claim
For very minor cosmetic hit-and-run damage (a small scratch, a light bumper scuff), some drivers choose to pay out of pocket rather than file a claim. Two reasons:
Deductible vs. repair cost. If the deductible is $500 and the repair is $400, filing costs you more than paying directly.
Rate impact. Hit-and-run claims under UMPD with no identified party typically do not raise rates, because you weren't at fault. Claims under collision coverage occasionally do. Ask your insurer before filing if rate impact is a concern.
For significant damage (over $1,500 in repair cost) or any structural damage, filing is almost always the right call, both for the repair itself and for the police report record.
What Crash Lab does on hit-and-run repairs
Same process as any other claim. We coordinate with your insurer, write supplements where necessary, source OEM parts by default, and deliver the repair on our lifetime warranty. The only practical difference is that the diminished value conversation is off the table, and you're paying your deductible instead of the at-fault driver's policy covering it.
The work itself is identical. The repair, when done correctly, is invisible. The hit-and-run disappears from the vehicle's physical presentation. It stays on the vehicle's history report, and that's where the lingering cost lives.
If you came back to your car and found damage with no note, call (949) 859-7990 before you file. We will help you document it properly so the claim does not get delayed by missing paperwork.
Frequently Asked
Do I have to call the police for a parking-lot hit and run?
For a claim to be paid, yes. Most insurers require a police report for hit-and-run claims, and many states (including California) technically require reporting any collision causing property damage over a minimum dollar threshold. File the report even if you think it's a small incident.
Will a hit-and-run claim raise my rates?
Under California's uninsured motorist property damage coverage, hit-and-run claims with no identified at-fault driver typically don't raise rates, because you weren't at fault and weren't negligent. Under collision coverage, some carriers do apply a rate increase, though most don't. Ask your insurer before filing if you're unsure how they handle it.
Can I recover diminished value if the hit-and-run driver is later identified?
Yes, if the driver is identified and their insurance accepts liability, you can pursue diminished value as a separate third-party claim against their insurer. This is uncommon (most hit-and-run drivers are never identified), but when it happens, DV recovery becomes available. Your shop can provide the documentation needed for the DV appraisal.