What to do in the event of a claim
If you do happen to be involved in an accident, make sure to take the other driver’s details – including their name, address, telephone number, vehicle registration number, insurer details from the other driver, along with contact information for any witnesses of the incident.
Take down the location of the accident, such as road names, and, if any property was damaged during the accident, note the address of that property. If you have access to a mobile phone or camera, take photos of the scene and any resulting damage to all vehicles/property. If you don’t have a camera available, make a sketch detailing as much information as you can.
Never admit fault or blame, or offer any payment without our permission. If asked, simply advise that your insurance policy prohibits you from doing this without their permission. If you receive any correspondence from the other party’s insurer, don’t respond to it. You’ll need to inform your insurer, and forward it to them to respond.
If the accident results in damage to another vehicle, an animal or property, you are required by law to give your name, address, registration and the vehicle owner’s details (if different from your own). If you have your Certificate of Motor Insurance to hand, you should show it to anyone requiring this information. In the case of injuries to other persons, you must show your Certificate of Motor Insurance to the police at the scene of the accident, or within 24 hours if you don’t have it with you.
Who do I contact if I need to make a claim?
Please contact our Claims Helpline on 0333 241 9566 as soon as possible after the accident to make your claim.
What happens if my vehicle is damaged as a result of an incident?
Your policy includes the reasonable cost of recovery after an accident or attempted theft if your car can’t be driven. Our Claims Helpline will arrange this for you and any costs will form part of your claim.
If your vehicle is repaired at one of our national approved repairers, they will supply you a courtesy vehicle for the duration of the repairs (subject to availability).
Upon collection of your repaired vehicle, and subject to you being satisfied with the repairs, you will need to pay your policy excess to the garage. This amount will be shown on your Schedule.
Will claiming for an accident affect my no claims discount?
That depends on the circumstances of the accident. If an accident was caused by another party, and their insurer accepts full liability, then the accident will not affect your no claims discount once the claim is closed and the full costs of the claim have been recovered. If the insurers settle the claim on a partial liability basis i.e. both insurers pay part of each drivers claim, then this would result in a reduction of your no claims discount.
If an accident was your fault, and your insurer agrees to accept full liability, again this will reduce your no claims discount. If your no claims discount is reduced, this will occur at the next policy renewal date, and will not result in increased premiums midterm.
Please note that even if you believe an accident wasn’t your fault, but we can’t recover the costs of the claim from a third party, your no claims discount will be reduced. This includes if you are hit by an uninsured driver, or if your car is vandalised or stolen. This may cause increased premiums for your insurance.
Keywords: crash, collision, hit, damage, claim, report, NCD, NCB, no claims bonus