Understory, a specialty insurer serving automotive dealerships, has expanded the availability of its supplemental hail insurance product in five more states.

The company’s “Auto – Hail Safe” product is now available in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wyoming. Originally introduced in 2019, Understory’s product is now being offered in a total of 17 states, including Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Auto – Hail Safe utilizes technology to enhance and simplify the claims experience for auto dealers. The product allows dealers to select from different tiers of coverage depending on the desired payout and storm severity. Once a coverage tier has been selected, Understory will then install its proprietary “Dot” sensor on each of the policyholder’s dealerships – the devices provide precise weather measurements.

When a hail event reaches the conditions agreed on in the policy, the Dot sensor will then activate, automatically filing claims for the insured. This saves auto dealers from having to file any paperwork, wait for adjusters, or wait through a lengthy claims process.

Auto – Hail Safe can cover for a range of possible economic damage auto dealers could face following a hail event. The insurance can pay for claims related to damage to vehicles, roofing, property loss, revenue loss, advertising, and other related expenses.