While it’s impossible to protect your car completely from hail damage, there are steps you can take to minimize the impact. The first step is to be aware of hail-prone areas in your area and check the weather forecast on a daily basis. Having this knowledge will allow you to plan ahead and park your vehicle in a garage, at the mall, in covered parking at the doctor’s office or another nearby covered structure.

Having blankets in the trunk of your vehicle will also help soften the blow of large hailstones. You can use your own blankets or buy a specific hail car cover, but it is essential to tape them down so they don’t get blown away in the wind. Tape will not damage your paint and it is far better to deal with a sticky residue than to have dings in your windshield or side windows that require expensive repair through paintless dent removal techniques.

If you find yourself without a covered space, or you are on the road during a hail storm, pull over and put on your hazard lights. Try to seek shelter under a bridge or overpass, as this will shield your car from the majority of the hail. It’s important to remember that driving in hail is not only dangerous for you but it can also be dangerous for other drivers.

The most resilient part of your car is the windshield, but even this can be damaged. If you have to drive through a hailstorm, try to position your car so that the hail hits the front of it, not the back or sides, as these glass components are more prone to shattering.