Hail season 2026: 941 cars in one day

Hail doesn’t spread itself over the year. Five months bring 91% of the claims, and after a big storm hundreds of cars queue for the scanner at once. On those days the process simply has to hold. 4 August 2026 was one of them: 941 cars at 15 sites, at peak up to 121 cars an hour.

From the scanner straight into the claim

Every car drives through a hail scanner that records the number and size of dents on each panel. Car Appraisal with SAM takes that measurement straight into the claim. Nobody counts dents by hand or copies figures from a list.

The plate finds the claim

The licence plate from the scan finds the insurer’s claim. That insurer’s hourly rates, dent matrix and rules then apply automatically, the same at every site.

The software prepares, the appraiser decides

Once the scan is in, the damage map and a draft estimate are ready, with the parts lines that follow from the dent count already added. The appraiser checks the draft and adjusts it. That leaves time for what matters: look at the car, take the right photos and talk to the customer.

Better every season

Car Appraisal with SAM has been in production since June 2024. Since then, more than 70,000 hail claims and over 10.8 million dents have gone through it. Each season adds new connections, most recently the Integration Hub, one interface we share with many insurers.