Someone hit my parked car — what should I do?

You walk back to your car and there it is — a fresh crease down the door, a cracked bumper cover, paint that isn't yours smeared across the panel. Nobody's around. It's a frustrating, oddly personal feeling. The good news is that a parked-car hit is one of the more recoverable situations you can be in, as long as you handle the first hour well. Here's the calm, step-by-step version.

What should I do in the first few minutes?

Before you move anything or drive off, build your record. Insurance claims and police reports live or die on documentation, and it only takes a few minutes:

• Photograph the damage up close and from a distance. Get the dented panel, any transferred paint, and a wide shot showing where your car is parked and how it's positioned.
• Look for a note. Check under the wipers, on the ground beside the car, and stuck to the windshield. An honest driver often leaves their name, number, and insurance.
• Find witnesses. Ask people walking by, employees of nearby shops, or neighbors whether they saw what happened or heard it. Write down names and numbers.
• Note the details. Time, exact location, and anything you remember about the surrounding cars. Small facts help later.

Should I check for security and doorbell cameras?

This is the step most people skip, and it's often the one that solves the case. Modern parking lots, storefronts, and homes are covered in cameras. Look up: is there a business with a camera facing the lot? A neighbor with a doorbell cam pointed at the street? Ask politely and quickly — many systems overwrite footage within a few days, so the sooner you ask, the better your odds of catching a plate. Even partial footage of the make, model, or a plate fragment can turn an unknown hit-and-run into an identified, insured claim.

Do I need to file a police report?

If the driver left without identifying themselves, yes. Under California law, leaving the scene after damaging an unattended vehicle without leaving your information is a hit-and-run. Filing a police report does two things: it creates the official record most insurers require before they'll pay an uninsured-motorist or collision claim, and it gives investigators something to work with if a camera or witness later identifies the vehicle. In many areas you can file online or at the station for minor property damage — you don't always need an officer at the scene. If the other driver did leave a note, you generally don't need a report, but you should still exchange and verify insurance details.

Who actually pays — the other driver or my own insurance?

This is the question that matters most, and California has three common scenarios:

• The driver is identified and insured. You file against their property-damage liability coverage. In a clear parked-car hit, fault is theirs, and you typically pay no deductible.
• The driver is never found (a true hit-and-run). In California, uninsured-motorist property-damage coverage generally requires the other driver to be identified, so it usually won't apply to an unknown vehicle. That means collision coverage is normally your path, and you'll pay your collision deductible. Your insurer may pursue reimbursement if the driver turns up later.
• You carry liability only. If the driver is never identified and you have no collision coverage, the repair may come out of pocket. This is exactly why full coverage matters if you park on the street.

Deciding whether to file at all is its own question — sometimes a smaller repair costs less than your deductible. We walk through that math in should I file a claim or pay out of pocket?

Will a parked-car claim raise my insurance rates?

Usually not. California's Proposition 103 prohibits insurers from surcharging you for a claim in which you were not at fault — and a car sitting legally parked is about as not-at-fault as it gets. A well-documented parked-car claim shouldn't move your premium the way an at-fault collision can. The stronger your evidence that the car was parked and struck, the cleaner that protection holds.

What's the reality on hit-and-runs?

Be realistic but not discouraged. Hit-and-runs are common — nationally, roughly 15% of police-reported crashes now involve a driver who fled — and not every parking-lot case gets solved. But cameras are everywhere now, and a surprising number of these are cracked simply because a witness caught a plate or a storefront camera had a clean angle. Do the documentation, file the report, and let your coverage do its job. Even if the driver is never found, your collision coverage still gets your car repaired properly.

How much will the repair cost, and how do I get an estimate?

It depends entirely on what got hit. As a 2025 reference: a small door ding runs roughly $75 to $150 with paintless dent repair, or about $200 to $400 at a body shop. Once the paint is broken, repainting a door usually runs $500 to $1,000. A minor bumper scuff is about $150 to $600, while a cracked bumper cover — especially one with parking sensors that need recalibration — costs more. Those are ballpark ranges; your actual number depends on the panel, the paint, and whether anything underneath is bent.

The only way to know is a real, written estimate. A good shop will show you the damage, tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix or a structural repair, and put it in writing so your insurer has something concrete to work from. If the driver fled, a proper repair also matters for a clean handoff — see our guide to hit-and-run collision repair and the broader checklist in what to do after a car accident.

The bottom line

A hit on your parked car feels like bad luck, but the outcome is mostly in your hands in the first hour. Document it, look for a note and cameras, file the report if the driver's gone, and let the right coverage pay for a repair done to your vehicle's manufacturer standard. Handle those steps and you turn a bad morning into a solved problem.

This article is general information for California drivers, not legal or insurance advice. Coverage rules vary by policy — confirm the specifics with your insurer or agent.