Does car insurance cover flood damage in the UAE?

Third party cover does not pay for your own car. On comprehensive cover there is no flat yes. The policy text excludes natural disasters such as floods, the CBUAE said rain damage in April 2024 was covered, and insurers’ own documents differ. Look for “natural disaster” or “flood” on your schedule, and ask your insurer in writing if it is not there.

The CBUAE release does not say how a future flood will be treated. The policy forms have not changed since: the Rulebook shows version 2, consolidated 18 January 2021, as In-Force on 6 November 2026.¹

What should you do first if your car has been flooded?

1. Do not start it. Mechanics quoted in March 2026 called restarting the biggest mistake.² The policy makes you take the precautions needed to stop damage getting worse, and any added damage from driving before repair is not the insurer’s responsibility (L&D Ch 3 cl 2).¹
2. Photograph the car, its plate and the water level. Dubai and Sharjah certificate requests ask for photos of the car.³ Fujairah Police asked for photos showing the plate.⁴
3. Tell the authorities and your insurer. The policy says the authorities immediately and the insurer promptly (L&D Ch 3 cl 4).¹
4. Get the paper your emirate issues. See Table 1. Ask your insurer which paper it accepts before you pay for one.
5. Ask the insurer to move the car. If the loss is covered, the insurer bears the necessary cost of safeguarding the car and moving it to the nearest repair shop (L&D Ch 2 cl 6).¹
6. Wait for the repair permit. A repair centre may not repair a vehicle with signs of accident or damage without a permit from the traffic authority or whoever it authorises (Art 28).⁵

If you have a hybrid or electric car, the US safety regulator warns that flooded vehicles may have high voltage and short circuits that can shock and cause fires. It says not to park a damaged lithium-ion vehicle in a garage or within 50 feet of a building, another vehicle or anything combustible.⁶

A mechanic quoted in Khaleej Times on 29 March 2026 put engine repair or replacement after hydrolock at Dh15,000 to Dh25,000 or more, depending on the car. Mechanics said drying and fluid changes may cost a few hundred to a couple of thousand dirhams.² If repair goes above 50% of the pre-accident value, the policy treats the car as a total loss (L&D Ch 2 cl 5).¹ See total loss and depreciation.

Which paper does your emirate issue for rain damage?

Emarat Al Youm reported on 29 March 2026 that Dubai Police had issued 720 of these certificates since the previous Monday. It said the applicant then brings the car to the nearest police station for inspection before the certificate is issued electronically.¹³ Dubai Police’s service page does not mention an inspection.¹¹

Dubai’s form files rain under “Natural Disasters”.³ Neither Dubai Police nor the policy says whether that label counts as the decision in the policy’s definition. The federation official said rain in 2024 and 2025 was not classified as a natural disaster.¹⁴

What does the unified policy say about floods?

The Loss and Damage policy defines Natural Disaster as a general natural phenomenon such as floods that leads to extensive and widespread damage “and in respect of which a decision is issued by the concerned authority in the country”. It defines Flood as “An event that occurs within the concept of Natural Disasters”.¹

Chapter Four exclusion 09 excludes accidents related directly or indirectly to natural disasters such as floods. The exclusion does not repeat the decision wording.¹

Chapter Two para 1 lists the covered events: run-over, collision, turnover or incident, unexpected mechanical breakdown, wear and tear of parts, external fire or explosion, spontaneous combustion, lightning, robbery or theft, a third party’s wilful act and transport. Rain, storm and flood are not named there. The same paragraph includes any additional cover agreed under the policy or a rider.¹

Hail, rain and storm are not among the definition’s examples, which are floods, tornados, hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes and quakes.¹

The Third Party policy excludes the same events at Chapter Four exclusion 2 and carries the same Natural Disaster definition, ending “in the State”. It has no separate definition of Flood. That form is written for liability to other people, not for damage to the insured’s own vehicle.¹⁵ The Arabic text of both forms uses the same words for the definition, ending in the equivalent of “the competent authority in the State” (our translation).^16,17

Has the position changed since April 2024?

The policy wording has not. Heavy rain returned in March 2026. Statements from that month and April are in Table 2, and they still differ on whether cover is automatic.

Where do the sources disagree?

The policy text and the regulator. Exclusion 09 excludes floods. The CBUAE said in 2024 that rain damage was covered under comprehensive insurance. The step that would reconcile them, that the rain was not classified as a natural disaster, comes from the federation official as reported in December 2025. It is not in the CBUAE release.^19,14

The federation and an insurer wording. The official said the unified comprehensive policy includes rain and flood protection automatically. Sukoon’s wording makes natural disaster cover an extra that applies only if listed on the Schedule.²² A broker said the same of an add-on in April 2026.²⁵

Two market reports. AM Best says the standard does not cover natural disasters and leaves the choice to insurers, and that comprehensive policies typically include flood cover.¹⁸ Guy Carpenter says comprehensive cover would include natural catastrophes.²⁰ They agree on what comprehensive policies do. Only AM Best addresses the standard.

When could a comprehensive claim be refused?

Hamadeh, who heads the federation’s Motor Committee, said coverage depends on vehicles being parked or driven in recognised and permitted locations such as public roads and designated parking areas. Damage from deliberately driving into wadis, flood channels or known high-risk areas is, he said, not a natural hazard, and insurers are not obliged to pay in those cases even on a comprehensive policy. If the state did declare a natural disaster, he said, compensation would fall under state responsibility rather than insurers. These are his statements as reported by Gulf News.¹⁴ The Arabic report it cites says deliberately being in such places, not driving into them (our translation).²⁸ The unified policy text has no list of permitted locations and no statement on state responsibility. Its nearest clauses are Loss and Damage Chapter Four exclusion 12, which excludes damage off the road unless a rider is issued, and Chapter Three para 2, which requires all reasonable precautions to protect the vehicle.¹

A rental company manager told Gulf Business in April 2026 that a car parked in an area known to flood may be treated as negligence, and that parking outdoors with reasonable precautions is not.²⁵ Abu Dhabi Police told drivers on 31 March 2026 not to park under bridges or in tunnels during rain, for road safety.²⁹

Does your own policy include flood?

Table 2 shows how Sukoon’s wording and the GIG Gulf product page present flood. Both companies are listed in the CBUAE register, September 2026.³⁰ Two documents are not a market survey. What a named policy covers depends on its schedule and riders.

Where an insurer agrees cover beyond the form, the tariff requires it in clear wording, in a different colour or by addendum (Article 3(3)).³¹ The CBUAE release urges the public to read the policy, and to go to Sanadak with a complaint or dispute.¹⁹ The order of steps is in the Sanadak guide.

DubiCars, a car listings platform, published this video on 23 April 2024.

Play: Filing Flooded Car Insurance Claim with Sharjah Police Mobile AppNothing loads from YouTube until you click. Plays through youtube-nocookie.com.

How many accidents are recorded as caused by rain?

Ministry of Interior records for 2025 show 6,014 accidents. Heavy rain was given as the cause of 1. Data period 2025. Checked 6 Nov 2026.³² In 2024 it was 2 of 4,898.³³

These are accident records, not flood claims or a count of cars damaged by water. Full tables are at UAE traffic statistics.