Crash Guide

Someone hit your parked car

Crash Guide Editorial TeamPublished 10 September 2026Last reviewed 10 September 2026General information only. Crash Guide is not a law firm, an insurer or a medical service.

Short answer

Someone hit my parked car. What do I do?

Photograph the damage and the position of your car before moving it, and look immediately for witnesses and nearby cameras. If a note was left, verify the details straight away. If not, report it to police and to your insurer — cover for an unidentified driver depends on your policy, and an excess may apply.

Before you move the car

  1. Photograph the damage close up and from a distance.
  2. Photograph where the car is parked, including signs and line markings.
  3. Look for paint transfer or debris — colour is a real lead.
  4. Check your own dashcam if it has a parking mode.
  5. Look for cameras: shops, homes, other parked cars, the street itself.
  6. Ask anyone nearby whether they saw or heard it.

If a note was left

Photograph the note before it blows away or the ink runs, then call the number immediately to confirm it is real and get the full details you would collect at any accident — name, address, licence, registration and insurer.

If nobody left a note

Report it to police and get an event number. Then contact your insurer.

  • Comprehensive: usually covers you, though an excess commonly applies and may not be refunded if the driver is never found.
  • Third party property: typically will not assist, because these provisions generally require an identified driver.

Weigh the excess against the repair quote before claiming, and check whether your policy requires you to notify the insurer regardless of whether you claim.

Finding the driver

Act in the first day or two. Ask nearby businesses to preserve footage, note the paint colour transferred onto your vehicle, and ask neighbours with doorbell cameras. Residential streets are often better covered than people expect.

Common questions

Will my premium go up if I claim?

It can, particularly where the other driver is never identified and there is no one to recover from. Ask your insurer how they treat this type of claim before you lodge it.

Can I claim if I only have third party property cover?

Usually not for damage to your own vehicle. Uninsured motorist provisions generally require the other driver to be identified. Check your policy wording.

Sources

Crash Guide checks state rules against primary government and regulator sources. If something below has changed, tell us and we will correct it.

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