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8 minute read Published on Jul 21, 2026 by BrokerLink Communications
If you’ve ever been caught in a hailstorm, you probably remember the sound first. That sharp, sudden drumming on the roof of your house or car. One minute you’re driving home. The next, you’re pulled over with your hazards on, waiting for the ice to stop falling out of the sky and hoping your windshield doesn’t crack.
Inside a strong thunderstorm, warm air pushes moisture upward. That moisture freezes, falls, gets pushed up again, freezes more and grows in layers. Eventually, the ball of ice gets heavy enough that the storm can’t hold it anymore and it drops. That’s the reality for a lot of Canadians now. Hailstorms aren’t a once-in-a-decade event anymore for many car owners. Especially in places like Alberta, southern Saskatchewan and southern Ontario. Read on to learn how to protect your car from hail damage.
If you’ve ever picked up some hail, you may have found it to feel pretty light in your hands. But even smaller hail can cause damage if it’s moving fast enough. Hailstones pick up speed as they fall and scientists estimate that a small ice pellet about one centimetre across can hit the ground at roughly 25 kilometres per hour, while a much larger one over eight centimetres wide can reach around 170 kilometres per hour by the time it lands.
That’s fast enough for big hailstones to crack windshields, break side windows and chip paint. Even smaller hailstones can dent thin metal panels when they hit at those speeds. That kind of damage can lead to other problems because:
Dents can weaken body panels and trap water
When paint chips off, the metal underneath can start to rust
A tiny crack can grow when the glass warms, cools or when the car drives over bumps
Most of the biggest hail losses in Canada have happened in Alberta. Over the last five years alone, insured damage from hailstorms has exceeded $6 billion in that province alone. Most recently:
On August 20, 2025, a storm near Brooks, Alberta, caused more than $235 million in damage.
On July 13, 2025, a hailstorm in Calgary led to roughly $164 million in insured losses.
On August 5, 2024, another storm in Calgary caused about $3.2 billion in insured damage.
But this doesn’t mean hail is only a problem in Alberta. Hailstorms have been recorded in every province and territory, and they show up regularly in many of them. It just happens more often in places like British Columbia, Alberta, the Prairies and southern Ontario.
Hail in Canada is mostly tied to warm-weather thunderstorms, so it shows up between late spring and early fall. The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) says that hail season for Alberta and the Prairies is from June until September, with the highest risk between mid-June to early August. In Ontario, a severe hail frequency study shows that hail occurs mainly from May to October.
Most hailstorms also form later in the day, when heat and rising air help thunderstorms build. That’s why hail often shows up in the afternoon or early evening, even though it can still form at other times if the conditions are right.
If you want to reduce hail damage, the only real chance to do that is to prepare before the storm begins. Ensure you do the following:
Not just at home. At work, at the grocery store, near your kids’ school. A nearby parking garage or covered structure is sometimes the best protection you’ll ever have, even if it’s not convenient.
You don’t necessarily need a whole survival kit. You just need options:
A foldable hail blanket or a hail car cover
A couple of microfiber towels for drying the windows before covering
A pair of gloves, as hail blankets can be wet, dirty or icy
This should be enough to give you something to work with if a storm hits while you’re out.
If you don’t know whether you have comprehensive coverage, then you don’t actually know if you’re protected against hail. You should check in with your insurance company or broker before storm season starts so you’re not facing thousands of dollars in damage later.
Hail damage is often covered under comprehensive coverage. This is the part of your car insurance policy that deals with things that happen to your car, rather than things your car is involved in. That includes hail, theft, fire, vandalism, falling objects and some types of water damage. With comprehensive coverage, insurance usually pays for:
Cracked or broken glass
Dented or damaged body panels
Water leaks that happen because hail damaged the car
You can add comprehensive coverage on its own or it can be bundled into an all-perils car insurance policy. And if your car is leased or financed, your lender will usually require you to carry comprehensive coverage until the loan is fully paid off.
Just like with collision coverage, comprehensive coverage comes with a deductible that you’ll have to pay if you need to file an insurance claim. It’s commonly somewhere between $250 and $1,000, depending on what you choose.
Say you have a $500 comprehensive deductible, and the cost of repairing the hail damage to your car is $4,000. You pay the $500, and your insurance pays the remaining $3,500. But if your damage is only $300 and your deductible is $500, your insurer won’t cover it since the repairs cost less than your deductible.
For older vehicles with low resale value, comprehensive coverage doesn’t always make financial sense. If your car is worth $4,000 and your deductible is $1,000, you’re paying a meaningful amount every year to protect something insurance might only pay a few thousand dollars to replace. When a car reaches this point, some drivers may decide to drop their comprehensive coverage to save money on their policy and just accept the risk instead.
Hail claims usually won’t affect your premiums in Canada the same way an at-fault accident does. Weather-related claims are generally treated as “no-fault” events, which means you may not notice much of an increase.
That said, there are still some exceptions. For example, if you’re often filing claims, even for weather, your insurer may see you as a higher risk and increase your premiums under the assumption that you’ll continue to file more claims. So while a single hail claim may not change much, having a pattern of frequent claims could.
There are a few types of covers, pads and shelters that can help keep your car safe from hail. So while you can’t stop hail, you can give it something else to hit first. If you’re choosing between them, here’s what each one is actually good for:
These are thick, padded covers designed specifically for hail. They absorb some of the impact before it reaches the metal and glass, which helps prevent dents and cracked windows. They usually take a few minutes to install and secure, so they work best when you put them on your vehicle before the storm starts. If your local forecast is calling for possible hail, it may be a good idea to put one on ahead of time instead of waiting.
You can use these as a backup if you don’t have a hail cover. Just remember to:
Lay them over the roof and glass
Tuck the edges into the doors and trunk to keep them from blowing off
The thicker the blanket is, the better protected your car will be.
These are a last-minute option for protecting glass when you don’t have anything else. Place them on the windshield and rear window with the soft side down. They won’t protect the body panels, but they can reduce the chance of a cracked windshield or back window. You can also layer cardboard under floor mats (or blankets) for maximum protection.
These can be really helpful for people who park outside and don’t have a garage. They:
Keep hail off the car entirely
Reduce other long-term weather damage as well
Take up space and require setup, but you won’t need to scramble to secure something before a storm hits
If hail starts while you’re driving, your priority should always be safety first. Take a look:
Look for covered parking if there is any nearby. A parking garage, gas station canopy or building overhang can help. If there’s no cover, pull over to the side of the road and stop. Don’t:
Try to drive through it faster. Speed makes the impact harder and increases the chance of an accident.
Stop under trees, signs or bridges. Branches, loose panels and debris can fall and cause more damage than the hail.
If you can, angle your car so the hail hits the windshield instead of the side windows. Windshields are reinforced. Side glass isn’t.
Hail can seriously injure people. If glass starts cracking or breaking, turn away from the windows and protect your face and head.
When the storm passes, take photos of any car damage right away. Even if it looks small or you’re not sure if you’ll file an insurance claim. It’s easier to delete photos later than wish you had them.
You can’t stop hail and you can’t predict exactly when it’ll hit. But you can decide how exposed you want to be when it does. A quick conversation with a licensed BrokerLink advisor can help you understand your coverage, adjust your deductibles and find affordable coverage when it’s time to renew your policy. We can even walk you through the claims process if you’re not sure how to file one for hail damage.
Connect with BrokerLink today by phone, email or in person at any one of our locations throughout Canada. You can also try our free online quote tool, which can provide you with a competitive car insurance quote in minutes.
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Yes, there are car covers specifically designed to protect against hail. These covers are usually padded or inflatable to cushion the impact of hailstones.
During a hailstorm, it’s best to park your car under cover, like in a garage or under a carport. If that’s not an option, you can use padded or specially designed hail covers or blankets to protect it from damage. If you are driving, pull over, angle your car so that the hail hits the front where the windshield is, fold in your side mirrors, and wait out the storm. If the storm is severe, turn your back to the windows, lie down, and cover yourself with a blanket in case the windows shatter.
If you have any questions, contact one of our local branches.
