Damage to road vehicles caused by giant hailstones saw AA Insurance take nearly £1.5 million in claims earlier this month. The broker has estimated that over 1,700 cars will end up having suffered damage in the storms that hit England in the first week of July, with some claimants reporting that their cars were dimpled enough to look like 'golf balls', with roofs and bodywork sustaining serious damage. One driver in particular reported that hail had cracked his front windscreen, smashed the rear screen and caused substantial damage to the chassis.æ What's more, the car was 'full of water and huge hailstones' when inspected. Janet Connor, managing director for AA Insurance, confirmed that claims made due to storm damage would be accepted, but warned that some drivers might lose some or most of their no-claims bonus. However, Ms Connor did also state that those with bonus protection cover would get the full pay-out, less their excess, without their bonus being affected. Connor also noted that in some cases, extreme hail damage can be enough to completely write cars off. 'Dozens of panel dents usually makes the repair cost greater than the value of the car,' said Connor. The AA's home insurance arm also received a number of calls, with claimants reporting broken windows as well as smashed greenhouses and conservatories. Ms Connor added: 'Thankfully, while storms of this kind are not uncommon in mainland Europe during the summer, they are rare in the UK and are usually isolated'. The last time hailstones caused such widespread damage was in Leicester in July 2012, when over 200 claims were made.