The wildfires raging through Southern California have already incinerated an estimated 12,000 structures, and the devastation shows no signs of slowing. While the focus has largely been on homeowners grappling with staggering property losses, another issue has emerged: what happens to those who lost their vehicles to the inferno? For many Californians, their cars weren’t just a means of transportation—they were their lifeline, used to escape the flames. But for others, cars left behind in the chaos have now become smoldering piles of ash, raising urgent questions about insurance coverage.
According to Robert Passmore, VP of Auto and Claims at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), whether vehicle losses are covered depends entirely on the type of policy the owner has. “There are two kinds of coverage for damage to a vehicle,” Passmore explained in an interview with FOX Business. “That is collision coverage, for when you hit something or another object or another car, and then there’s comprehensive coverage, which is for pretty much everything else that can happen to your car — things like floods or a tree falling on it, or it gets hit by lightning, it burns up in a fire.”
In short, if you have comprehensive coverage, you’re in luck—your insurance will likely cover the loss. But without it? You’re on your own. And with thousands of vehicles already destroyed in the fires, the stakes are high for those whose policies don’t include this critical protection.
Passmore noted that vehicles caught in these fires are almost always total losses. “There’s no repairing a car that’s been in one of these fires, usually,” he said. For those with comprehensive coverage, insurance companies will pay out the market value of the vehicle at the time of the loss—essentially, what the car was worth before it turned to ash.
However, there are still hurdles that could slow down the claims process. One of the biggest issues? Paperwork—or more specifically, a lack of it. In cases where a vehicle title is destroyed in the fire (for instance, if it was stored in a home that burned down), the process of filing a claim can become more complicated. The title is a critical piece of documentation for insurance claims, but Passmore reassured that insurance companies can assist affected owners in applying for a duplicate title if needed.
For those looking to avoid these headaches, Passmore advised storing important documents, like vehicle titles, in a secure place. “Many people keep their titles in a safe deposit box at a bank or in a strong box in their home that they can take with them if they need to flee,” he said. While it’s not something most people think about until it’s too late, planning ahead can make a massive difference in the aftermath of a disaster.
One unsettling reality Passmore highlighted is how often vehicles are left behind in disasters like wildfires. Many households own more vehicles than they have drivers, and when evacuation orders come, some cars are simply abandoned in driveways, garages, or streets. Those left behind, unprotected from the flames, are typically beyond saving.