Hail on Wheels: Top 10 States for Hail-Damaged Cars

CARS.COM - Texas may be taking the biggest beating from hailstorms so far this spring, but South Dakota is the state that gets pelted the worst. And while the stone faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln are bombarded by little pieces of ice falling from the sky, so are the Mount Rushmore State residents' cars.

Related: Study: Cars Are No. 2 Casualty When Hail Rains Down

From 2008 to 2014, according to a new study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety's Highway Loss Data Institute, South Dakota posted the highest claim frequency for hail-damaged cars of any state. Motorists there filed an average of 26.5 claims per 1,000 insured vehicles - nearly four times the rate of motorists in Texas; the Lone Star state actually ranked at the very bottom of the top 10 during the seven-year period covered by the study.

Here are the top 10 states for hail-damaged cars, followed by their claim frequency per 1,000 insured vehicles:

10. Texas, 6.7

9. Iowa, 7.6

8. Missouri, 9.3

7. Colorado, 10

6. Montana, 11.8

5. Wyoming, 15.2

4. Kansas, 16.5

3. Oklahoma, 18.4

2. Nebraska, 19.1

1. South Dakota, 26.5

The study determined which claims were the result of hail by matching weather-related claims on cars from insurers nationwide to the dates of hail events recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Researchers determined that 2011 and 2014 were the costliest years for hail damage to cars during the period examined.

Insurers from 2008 to 2014 shelled out nearly $5.4 billion in automotive hail claims, with 2011 and 2014 each topping a billion dollars in estimated payouts. The overall frequency of claims was 3.2 per 1,000 insured vehicles, with a claim severity of $3,428 and overall losses of $11 for every insured car in the U.S. The frequency for 2011 - 4.3 per 1,000 - and average claim severity of $4,169 were the worst among the seven years.

This year is already shaping up to be worse than both 2011 and 2014, particularly after a spate of hail-producing storms in March and April in the Midwest and Great Plains states. Texas got it hardest, with reports of baseball-sized hail damaging roofs, breaking windows and dinging cars.

"So far in 2016, severe thunderstorms have pummeled Texas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma with large hailstones," the HLDI stated. "Vehicle damage estimates for three springtime Texas storms alone top $1 billion, according to the Insurance Council of Texas."

As bad as that sounds, it's still not the worst on record. HLDI reported that the most severe hailstorm in terms of car damage was Oct. 5, 2010 - and it wasn't in the hail-prone Midwest or Great Plains but in arid Arizona instead. Of the three counties impacted, Maricopa suffered the highest one-day loss tally with nearly 39,000 claims totaling more than $157 million.

Hail damage is covered by auto insurance under comprehensive plans, meaning residents of hail-prone areas who don't want their car looking like a chickenpox patient should strongly consider keeping full coverage. Meanwhile, for car shoppers, dealerships sometimes will hold "hail sales" on hail-damaged vehicles on their lots. If you don't mind some cosmetic damage on an otherwise fine car, you might be able to strike a nice bargain, but you should take certain precautions before signing on the dotted line. Get advice on buying a hail-damaged car here.