When a storm starts rolling in, then hail might be on the horizon. Instead of trying to make room in your garage, or worrying about your insurance policies being up-to-date, investing in one of the best car covers for hail protection makes more sense.
Through our hands-on testing and research, these are the covers that will offer you the best chance of keeping your vehicle safe, even during the most severe weather. So stop stressing about a freak hail storm when you’re at work or home and your car or truck is out in the elements.
See Also: How to Store Your Vehicle for the Winter
Top Hail Proof Car Covers
Hail might not always damage a vehicle, but anything more substantial than a pea size can create dents. That’s why you’ll want to consider owning one of these covers today.
1) Hail Protector System (Best for Hail Protection)
Whether you live in Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, or any other state known for its severe hail storms, no other car cover will protect your vehicle better than the patented Hail Protector. No matter if you’re dealing with pea-sized or baseball-sized hail, you’re protected.
This unique vehicle cover does it differently, as you can tell by the picture. No matter the length of your car, truck, or SUV, there’s a Hail Protector size for you (well maybe 99% of you). Hail Protector installs in about 5 minutes (after one practice install) and inflates to full size/protection in about another 5 minutes.
What’s great is that it includes 3 different power sources: an “AA” battery pack (1 hour of protection), car accessory plug (3 hours of protection), and standard A/C cord/adaptor (continuous use). You even get a remote control to be able to inflate the cover from the comfort of your home or work office.
Hail Protector was invented, developed, and tested in North Texas over a 5 year period so you’ll know it’ll stand up to damaging hail and high winds.
The obvious negative is the price so if you’re looking for more of an all-around car cover for an area that occasionally gets small hail, one of the covers below is probably a better option.
But knowing how expensive hail damage is to fix (or even the cost of your insurance deductible), the Hail Protector inflatable car cover can easily pay for itself after just one surprise hailstorm.
2) Seal Skin Supreme (Best All-Around Car Cover)
Seal Skin car covers are made out of a strong, yet lightweight material that repels water and resists UV radiation from the sun. Seal Skin offers several car covers at varying price and protection levels. Each cover is semi-custom, giving you a snug and secure fit for any make or model.
The Supreme is Seal Skin’s top of the line cover. The Supreme uses a SEAL-TEC fabric which is 100% waterproof, yet remains breathable to prevent mildew and paint damage. The seams are also waterproof; no water was able to pass through the cover during our tests.
We found the cover installation to be quick and easy, and the SEAL-TEC material is easy to work with. Simply unpack the cover and unroll it over the vehicle. Urethane elastic hems allow the cover to easily conform to the shape of the vehicle.
To prevent theft, this cover also comes with a cable lock mechanism to secure it to the vehicle. The cable lock can be passed through reinforced grommets that are built into the product.
The Seal Skin Supreme is thick enough to offer protection against some hail storms and other extreme weather. The product is backed by a 10 year warranty, comes with a storage bag, and ships for free. Seal Skin also makes covers for trucks, vans, boats, motorcycles, and more.
3) CarCovers.com Platinum Shield
For the best all-around car cover that offers good hail protection, it’s hard to beat those offered by CarCovers.com. They make it easy to find a car cover for your exact vehicle so you’re not guessing whether the cover will fit.
For most cars, trucks, and SUVs, five different levels of protection are offered. For the best hail protection, you’ll want to go with the Platinum Shield line of covers.
These feature an inner fleece lining while offering a strong, weather-proof exterior shell that reduces the risk of damage from hail, UV rays, rain, and snow.
Elastic hems on the front and the back work to ensure that you receive the fit that you need. High-wind straps come with the cover in the box, along with a cable and lock to prevent theft.
With free shipping in the US or Canada, custom fit guarantee, and actual customer service that you won’t get when ordering through Amazon or other large retailer, CarCovers is a highly respected company in the business.
Sure, these custom fit covers are a bit more expensive than some others, but you get what you pay for. For auto enthusiasts, start with CarCovers.com and then expand your search to other options if a custom fit cover is not available for your model.
4) Altindal Hail Protector Car Cover
This 6mm thick car cover from Altindal is strong enough that it can resist stones thrown at your vehicle. Although it doesn’t provide full side coverage, it will provide protection from anything that might fall from the sky.
At 500cm long, it provides ample coverage for a typical sedan but is also available in a larger SUV size version.
It is made from ethylene vinyl acetate, so there is some flexibility in the structure, but then there is still incredible resistance to impacts. It is ready to install less than a minute out of the box.
5) Leader Accessories Platinum Guard Car Cover
The Platinum Guard car cover will protect sedan-style vehicles from hail damage thanks to its 7-layer design. You’ll receive four layers of spun-bound polypropylene, two layers of UV resistance, and then one layer of soft cotton to protect the exterior from damage.
You can use it indoors or out for protection thanks to the buckle and strap points that protect against a heavy wind.
An elastic hem around the bottom ensures that your vehicle receives a snug fit every time. There are antenna patches included as well.
6) OxGord Executive Storm-Proof Car Cover
This OxGord Executive car cover will provide your vehicle with seven layers of protection. The design gives you enough strength to protect your investment in almost any weather conditions.
There are four different sizes currently available for purchase, including an XXL model that fits vehicles up to 216 inches in length.
Three layers of spun-bound polypropylene and a microporous film level work with the security grommets and tie-downs to give you a first-class experience for an affordable price. It will get the job done.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Should I Use a Car Cover?
Car covers are great when you can’t seal up the car for some reason, such as bad weather stripping or a broken window. If you need to store the car for a long period of time outside, car covers also offer excellent protection against the sun, and even light hail in some cases.
Are Car Covers Machine Washable?
To answer this question, it’s best to consult with the car cover’s manufacturer. Some covers are machine washable, some are not. Car covers may also be too big to fit in your washing machine. For larger vehicles, hand washing may be your only option.
What Size Do I Need?
Many car covers are fit for your specific make and model, or a range of similar sized vehicles. Most car cover companies have a sizing chart to help you pick the perfect size. Many websites also allow you to select by specific make and model.
How Long Does It Take to Put a Cover On?
It typically takes about 5 minutes to install a car cover. It may take a bit longer if your car cover comes with special fasteners to secure the cover to the vehicle.
Additional fastening hardware is often needed in areas with high wind, and typically included when you buy the car cover. If your cover offers a tight fit out of the box or your store your car indoors, this step may not be necessary.
Do Car Covers Keep Heat Out?
Car covers do an excellent job of keeping direct sunlight out of your vehicle. Avoiding direct sunlight also prevents the greenhouse effect from raising the temperature to levels that could damage the interior.
While your car will still be exposed to ambient temperatures, car covers will prevent direct sunlight from elevating the temperature in the interior past the temperature you feel outside.
Tips for Using a Car Cover
Here are some general installation tips for using a car cover.
1) Wash Your Vehicle
Before installing your car cover, wash the vehicle thoroughly. This limits the amount of dirt and debris that can be trapped between the car and the cover. When you cover a dirty car, the dirt can scratch the paint during installation or removal of the car cover.
2) Check the Installation Direction
Some car covers have a front and a back. Make sure you are installing the front of the cover toward the front of the vehicle.
3) Don’t Let it Touch the Ground
A car cover that touches the ground may introduce moisture and contaminants between the cover and the car, which could create mold or swirl marks if left unchecked.
4) Check on the Car
Even if you think you’ve done everything right, it might be a good idea to check on the car once in a while. Make sure you don’t see any moisture or debris under the cover. Correcting problems with the cover installation becomes increasingly difficult as time goes on.
Should a Car Cover Be Tight?
Car covers should fit snugly like a comfortable shoe. Allow a bit of room so you can apply the cover without stretching or tearing it.
Try to also find a cover that is not too baggy. A baggy car cover may allow dirt or water in between the vehicle and the cover. A cover that is too loose may catch the wind like a parachute, increasing the odds of the cover blowing off in a severe storm.
Final Thoughts
The best car covers for hail protection will reduce the risk of damage during a severe storm. That means fewer costly repairs and no insurance claims so that your vehicle looks fantastic all year long.
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Anyway to cover a pickup with an old work rack on it. I bought one in 2021 and between the winds and rain etc. It finally tore up last night during the storm. AndvI paid nearly 300 for it. I have to cover it because the city tagged it in 2021 until I can figure out how to get it moved to my enclosed fenced in back yard.
I invented a car cover that will stop baseball size hail. UV protection dust dirt even tree limbs I threw a rock that was 3 in in diameter at a windshield that I set up and put , my invention cover over it and to the rock as hard as I could from 25 ft away.it it stopped dead in his tracks and just drop down did not harm the windshield .whatsoever. I did this three or four times even with a 4-in 5-in round Rock and still did not hurt the windshield. I I shot a pellet gun at it and still no damage to the windshield material is made up of four layers total of 26 mils lightweight can fold and put it in trunk car when not using .
Where are you and what’s the cost
What’s the name of the car cover Eddie? You can’t tell us about it and then not say what it is.
Hi Eddie –
Please let us know if you are willing to share your invention and the cost. Thank you.
need a good outdoor cover for a 1970 volkswagen carman ghia convertable year round in wva.
Looking for Toyota hilux cover and Mercedes C200 2014 covers
The car armor hail protection system is in the top performers in hail protection, fast, light weight, easy on and off, non air powered. Great and effective