Can you sell a car with hail damage

Home
Information Centre
How to sell a hail damaged car
Hail storm damage
Sell Salvaged Vehicle
By
Doug Whiffin
Doug Whiffin
National Automotive Buyer and Second-In-Command Manager
February 1, 2022
3
minute read

Your easy guide to selling a car with hail damage

A hail storm can wreak havoc on a vehicle. In the best-case scenario, your car has only sustained cosmetic damage, and your panel beater can fix the body panels with paintless dent repair. In the worst case, the hail might shatter your windows and shred your interior. You could choose to get your car fixed and bear the repair costs (if your insurance policy doesn’t cover it) — or you could decide to sell your car and fill your wallet instead.

But who would buy hail-damaged vehicles? And do they sell for a reasonable price? Well, let’s find out.

Can you sell hail-damaged cars in Australia

The answer is yes — many second-hand buyers will purchase a car with hail damage. We’re one of them. At 1800 Salvage, we buy most cars and vehicles no matter their condition. We’re not fussed about the size, shape or type of damage, whether they’re roadworthy or unroadworthy, or whether your insurance company has declared them an unrepairable or repairable write-off.

We are the simplest, fastest way to sell your vehicle with hail damage.

How hail damage affects vehicle price

As you might expect, hail damage only decreases your vehicle’s resale value. Unfortunately, there are no reliable rules to gauge a fair price for your damaged car. 

We’ve got two bits of advice to help you set a great price when selling a hail-damaged vehicle:

  1. Find the average of two or more quotes.
    Contact a few second-hand car buyers and get a quote from each. The average of those quotes will be a fair price for your vehicle.
  2. Find the right buyer.
    The best way to get the best sales price for a damaged car is to find the right buyer. Car buyers set their prices depending on the value they’ll see in your car. If it’s just scrap metal for their car yards they’re after, they’ll lowball you. If they have a real passion for your vehicle, they’ll set a higher price.Find a car buyer with the connections and processes to properly salvage your damaged car, and they’ll likely offer you the best price.

1800 Salvage will buy your hail-damaged car for a cash payment

As one of Australia’s premier car salvaging businesses, we have the infrastructure, processes and partners to recycle and upcycle every component of our salvaged cars.

That means we can offer you an extremely competitive for your hail-dented vehicle, no matter how badly smashed it is. We’ll even organise a free tow for your car and pay you instantly. 

Don’t bother spending an arm and a leg repairing hail damage — contact 1800 Salvage, and we’ll turn your hail-damaged car into instant cash!

A bit of advice on Australia’s hail storms…

If you have the opportunity to get your vehicle under cover, watch out for hailstorms at the following times and locations:

  • In Australia, hailstorms occur most frequently in the Spring and Summer seasons, often between October and March.
  • The largest hail in Australia often occurs along the east coast between Sydney and Brisbane.
  • Hail does occur throughout Melbourne and across Victoria.
  • Point Cook, Victoria and Coburg, Victoria are Australian hail hotspots.
  • Hail can occur at any time, day or night.
  • Hail severity is predicted to become more frequent in most regions of the world.

Related articles

A 1800 Salvage member helping a customer assess the engine of their unregistered vehicle.
Sell Salvaged Vehicle
Doug Whiffin
June 17, 2024

How to sell your unregistered car in the Northern Territory

Selling an unregistered car in the NT is a straightforward, 2-step process. We’ll teach you exactly what you need to do, plus make you a competitive cash offer.

Read about it
Piles of old cars in a scrap yard, waiting to be recycled.
Sell Salvaged Vehicle
Doug Whiffin
May 30, 2024

What parts of a car can be recycled for money?

Your unwanted car could be a gold mine. We’ll teach you what parts can be sold to recyclers and how to get the most money for them.

Read about it
Selling an unregistered car in the ACT
Sell Salvaged Vehicle
Doug Whiffin
May 22, 2024

Selling an unregistered car in the ACT

Explore your options for legally selling an unregistered car in the ACT, including necessary permits, safe transportation methods and selling preparation.

Read about it

Get in touch for friendly advice

Whether you want to buy or sell salvage vehicles, we are here to help. Get in touch and we will get back to you soon with the information you need.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.