Leave it where it is
Do not try to drive the car out from under the tree, and do not start cutting branches off the roof of the car. A limb pinned between a car and the ground is often bent under load, and the International Society of Arboriculture warns that “trees and limbs under tension may react unexpectedly when cut or moved.” A branch that springs up or sideways can do more damage than the fall did.
If any wire is involved, the electric utility comes first. A tree on a power line
Which policy pays
The Texas Department of Insurance answers the question directly:
If a tree falls on your car, your auto insurance will pay for damage if you have comprehensive coverage.
Texas Department of Insurance
A homeowners policy is not where the car damage goes, even when the tree came from your own yard. Whether either policy pays to cut the tree off the car is a separate question; ask both insurers before the work is done, and keep the bill.
Photographs first
Take pictures of the car with the tree on it from several sides, of where the tree or limb broke, and of the stump or root plate if the whole tree came over. If the tree came from a neighbor’s yard or from the street, photograph that too. A neighbor’s tree
What removal involves
A crew cuts the tree into pieces small enough to lift off by hand or with a rope, starting with the parts that are not resting on the car, so the weight comes off evenly. A car parked on the street under a city tree may be a job for the city or county; call them first and ask. Once the tree is off, the car can be towed or driven away, and the rest of the tree can be cut up and hauled. What removal costs
Updated 2026-10-11.
On the house or roof
On a power line
On a fence or shed
Across the driveway or road
After a storm
Leaning
Dead or dying
Split or cracked trunk
Hanging broken limb
A neighbor’s tree