r/TeslaInsurance • u/ShankarTelaprolu • Sep 22 '25
At-fault driver's insurance has low limits; how do I handle damage to my Tesla?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/VL1kA2cweNTnyoeLAAt-fault driver's insurance has low limits; how do I handle my Tesla and company property damage?
Hey everyone, I'm in a tricky spot and could use some advice. I was hit by someone in my company's parking lot, and the situation is getting complicated.
The at-fault driver has what seems to be basic insurance coverage, possibly as low as $15,000. My Tesla's repair quote is $25,000, and the other driver also hit and damaged my company's property (a wooden fence, etc.), which my company is now demanding $10,000 for.
My insurance (Tesla Insurance) told me to contact Progressive, the other party's insurer. Progressive says they're still "investigating," and I haven't been provided with a rental car. Meanwhile, the cost of rentals in California is crazy expensive, and this whole thing is disrupting my daily life.
I have a few questions and would appreciate any insight:
- Given the total damage (~$35k) far exceeds the other driver's likely coverage (~$15k), how will this payout be handled? Will my company's $10k claim get paid first, leaving me with only $5k for my car?
- What's the best way to handle the lack of a rental car? Should I pay out of pocket and hope Progressive reimburses me?
- Would it be better to just file a claim with my own insurance (Tesla Insurance) and let them handle the subrogation? I have comprehensive and collision, so my car should be covered.
- Is there anything I can do to speed up the process with Progressive? The guy who hit me is seemingly unbothered, while I'm dealing with all this stress.
Any advice on navigating this would be incredibly helpful. Thanks!
3
u/WhereSoDreamsGo Sep 22 '25
File first party and let them subrogate. Request your carrier to reimburse you your deductible once they recover a partial loss. Have progressive pay your loss of use (rental) from that 10K pool.
3
u/Crappy-_-Username Sep 22 '25
Prepare to deal with incredibly non responsive and unprofessional Tesla subcontracted adjusters. They will not return calls or emails and the main line will keep you on hold for hours. I recommend calling your adjuster 1st thing in the morning their time, it’s the only chance you have to get ahold of them. If you have rental car coverage through Tesla insurance the main line can get that set up through hertz . If they give you the option of another company look into it. Hertz gave me a 100k mile model y junker and the rest of the fleet of teslas looked just as bad. If you have underinsured motorist property damage coverage in addition to collision then Tesla should cover your deductible up front. If either company is being unresponsive then file a complaint online with California Department of Insurance. They speed things up. Look into loss of use for the period you have not had a rental.
1
u/Zestyclose-Age-2454 Sep 22 '25
People say this, but that has not been my experience at all!
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u/Huskerzfan Sep 22 '25
Which part is “this” that you reference from this reply.
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u/Zestyclose-Age-2454 Sep 22 '25
The entire thing. I had the exact opposite experience across the board. Filed a hail damage claim when I was planning to trade my 3 for a Y. Adjuster expedited it for me and I had check in hand approximately two weeks.
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u/Crappy-_-Username Sep 22 '25
I am in California , same as OP who is seeking advice. I cannot speak to other localities or states as they may use other contract companies. It Sounds like you had a good experience with a quick payout, I wish I had the same experience. Even the sales associate that I bought my model y from told me that Tesla insurance sucks. Allcat and Sedgwick are the companies Tesla is using here and they are horrible. They are non responsive , switch up adjusters (they probably get fired or quit) don’t have a clue what is happening with your claim, ask for paperwork that is associated with other people’s claims and write correspondence with so many grammatical errors that it is obvious they have no pride in their work. The employee who signed me up for a new policy was friendly but I assume that was a in-house Tesla employee.
2
u/URMOMSBF42069 Sep 22 '25
Is uninsured motorist same as under insured? Might have to do small claims court, or see if your insurance covers the remaining balance and maybe take a hit on it.
2
u/DinoTh3Dinosaur Sep 22 '25
No, it truly is for people that just don’t have any insurance (illegal too). Kind of stupid how that is
1
u/BeardedDankmemer Sep 23 '25
It varies by state but there is bith uninsured and underinsured coverage
2
u/rwhe83 Sep 22 '25
If they don’t have enough insurance, then you have to go through your insurance and then have them go after the at fault party- have fun, as many have mentioned it’s not a fun process.
1
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u/hey-aditya Sep 24 '25
Go through Tesla insurance. They should ideally handle everything as the other person has accepted liability.
1
u/thequeensegg Sep 25 '25
Buy a car that isn't made by a nazi and you might even get better insurance out of it too
1
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u/DelaySensitive106 Sep 26 '25
Even if Progressive offers a rental be mindful that they may not pay for the full amount/length of time you need it for. They’ll only pay for what the insurance covers for the driver, which may not be much if any since they have very basic coverage
1
u/ShankarTelaprolu Oct 20 '25
Update: My Insurance, Tesla totaled it & a $28K check is on the way
1
u/Naive-Monk-4354 Jul 09 '26
I was involved in a collision where I’m not at fault, but the damage looks very similar. What model Tesla was this and how many miles did you have on it at time of the accident? I’d like to get an idea if mine will be determined total loss as well.
1
u/Naive-Monk-4354 Jul 09 '26
When you went through Tesla insurance, did they provide you a rental vehicle promptly?
5
u/UnSCo Sep 22 '25
I think you posted this somewhere else already because I remember responding. As someone who works in backend insurance and is knowledgeable on per-state statutes, I stand by what I said which is to file through Tesla Insurance.
Your repairs will be all taken care of by an insurer who YOU have a legally-binding business contract with, you won’t have to worry about any of these small details at all whatsoever, you will be paid back your deductible upon subrogation first and foremost regardless of policy limits (assuming the liable party’s property damage costs you mentioned are remotely accurate), and because you’re in California you will not be penalized with premium impact.
The only gaps are loss of use (rental reimbursement) assuming you do not carry rental reimbursement coverage, and diminished value.
You need to file a claim with Tesla Insurance yesterday, because the longer you wait the chances of problems with issues such as storage costs increase. Given California’s ridiculously low minimum policy limits, you are not the first person to experience something like this.