Dents on the roof, hood and trunk lid
These horizontal panels take the most hits, from small dings to deep craters.
Edmonton hail damaged car buyers
Cash for Hail Damaged Cars in Edmonton: Sell It As-Is After the Storm
Dented, cracked or written off? Get a firm offer, free towing and payment at pickup.
- Cars, trucks, SUVs and vans
- No repairs needed
- Cash or e-transfer at pickup
Sell Your Storm-Damaged Car As-Is
A summer hailstorm in central Alberta can dent every panel on a car, crack the windshield and shatter a sunroof in a few minutes. Then the hard part starts: repair quotes, insurance adjusters, deductibles and weeks without a vehicle.
If the damage costs more to fix than the car is worth, or your insurer has already written it off, Cash 4 Junk Vehicles will buy it as it is. We pay cash for hail damaged cars, trucks, SUVs and vans across Edmonton and the Capital Region, tow them away for free and pay you at pickup. Call (780) 236-0089 or use our quote form to get an offer, even if your insurance claim is still open.
Alberta storm season
Why Hail Damage Is So Common Around Edmonton
Alberta sits in one of the most hail-prone regions in Canada, and the corridor between Edmonton and Calgary sees severe storms almost every summer, usually from June through August. Warm afternoons and cold air aloft produce storms that can drop hail the size of golf balls or larger.
In August 2019, a storm with hail described as grapefruit-sized hit west Edmonton, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain. The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimated about $90 million in insured damage, including roughly $46.9 million in auto claims. Further south, the August 2024 Calgary hailstorm caused over $3 billion in insured damage in the IBC's later reporting, making it the second-costliest natural disaster in Canadian history. Storm-damaged vehicles can end up as write-offs.
Sources: IBC on the 2019 Edmonton-area storm and IBC's updated Calgary storm report.
What we buy
Types of Hail Damage We Buy
We buy hail cars with light cosmetic damage and those that look like they went through a gravel crusher.
Cracked or shattered glass
Windshields, rear windows, side glass and panoramic sunroofs.
Broken lights and mirrors
Headlight and taillight lenses, mirror housings and trim.
Chipped paint
Large hail can break through the clear coat and paint, leaving bare metal that will rust.
Water damage
When glass breaks, rain gets in, soaking carpets and seats and sometimes reaching wiring and control modules.
Damaged trim and mouldings
Plastic body cladding, roof rails and grilles.
Understand the paperwork
When Insurance Writes Off a Hail Damaged Car in Alberta
An insurer may declare a car a total loss when repair costs and salvage value approach or exceed its pre-storm value. On older vehicles, widespread hail damage can reach that point even when the car still runs.
Registry status depends on the damage. Alberta's Vehicle Inspection Regulation makes an exception when the only damage is hail damage to the outer body sheet metal. For other write-offs, a vehicle may be branded salvage or non-repairable. A salvage vehicle must pass a licensed Salvage Vehicle Inspection before it can be re-registered; after passing, its status becomes rebuilt. A non-repairable vehicle can only be sold for parts or scrap and cannot be re-registered.
Salvage inspections include a Rebuilt Vehicle Work Plan, and structural or safety repairs must follow manufacturer or I-CAR standards. Some insurers allow owners to keep a written-off car by deducting its salvage value from the payout. If you've kept a hail car and changed your mind, we'll make an offer on it.
See Alberta's salvage inspection guidance and the Vehicle Inspection Regulation, section 2(2).
A simpler sale
Why Hail Damaged Cars Are Hard to Sell Privately
Private buyers are cautious about hail cars. They worry about hidden rust under chipped paint, leaks from replaced glass and a rebuilt status hurting resale. After a big storm, the market fills with dented vehicles at the same time, which pushes prices down further. Some buyers may need extra paperwork to finance or insure a salvage or rebuilt vehicle.
Selling to a dedicated hail damaged car buyer avoids those problems: we price the damage up front and don't need you to explain or repair anything.
A fair offer for the whole vehicle
How We Price Hail Damaged Cars
Hail cars are often mechanically sound, so they can be worth more than a typical junk car. Your offer depends on:
- The year, make, model and kilometres
- Whether the car runs and drives normally
- How deep and widespread the dents are, and which panels are affected
- Glass damage and any water intrusion inside the cabin
- Its registry status: clean, salvage or non-repairable
- Demand for its parts, especially for popular trucks and SUVs
Hail-damaged pickups are common after Alberta storms, and because of their weight and parts demand, they often earn strong offers. See our cash for trucks page for details. We also buy vehicles headed for scrap car removal.
From damage to payment
How to Sell Your Hail Damaged Car
Take a few photos
Photograph the roof, hood, trunk, glass and interior. They help us give you an accurate price quickly.
Request a quote
Call (780) 236-0089 or use the quote form. Tell us whether there's an open insurance claim or a salvage status.
Accept a firm offer
Once you know the offer, choose a pickup time that works for you.
Get paid at pickup
Our driver checks ownership, completes the bill of sale, pays you by cash or e-transfer and tows the car away for free, whether it drives or not.
Bring your registration and photo ID, and remove your licence plate before the car leaves. If there's a loan on the vehicle or your insurer holds the ownership after a payout, tell us at the start so we can sort out who signs the paperwork.
Edmonton & beyond
Hail Damaged Car Pickup Across the Capital Region
Hailstorms don't stop at city limits, and neither do we. We buy hail damaged vehicles in every Edmonton neighbourhood, from Lewis Farms and Callingwood in west Edmonton, the part of the city hit hardest in the August 2019 storm, to Mill Woods, Ellerslie, Clareview and Castle Downs. We also cover Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Leduc, Beaumont, Fort Saskatchewan and Morinville.
Edmonton and the Capital Region
Our free towing is included with every vehicle we buy.
Straight answers
Hail Damaged Car FAQs
Questions about your car or claim? Call us any time.
(780) 236-0089Can I sell a hail damaged car with an open insurance claim?
Possibly, but talk to your insurer first. If the insurer pays out or takes ownership, the paperwork changes. Tell us where the claim stands and we'll work around it.
Do you buy hail cars with a salvage status?
Yes. We buy hail damaged vehicles with clean, salvage and non-repairable statuses. The status affects the offer, so mention it when you ask for a quote.
Is it worth fixing hail damage on an older car?
Often not. If the repair estimate is close to or more than the car's value, selling it as-is usually leaves you with more money and less hassle.
My car still drives fine. Will you pay more for that?
Yes. A hail car that runs and drives well is worth more than a non-runner, because its engine, transmission and other parts keep their value.
How quickly can you pick up a hail damaged car?
Often the same day, and usually within one to two days, even during busy weeks after a major storm.
Ready when you are
Turn Storm Damage Into Cash
You didn't choose the hailstorm, but you can choose not to spend months and thousands of dollars fixing it. Call Cash 4 Junk Vehicles at (780) 236-0089 or request a quote through our form for a firm offer on your hail damaged car, free towing and payment at pickup. To see every type of vehicle we buy, visit our cash for cars Edmonton page.