CAR INSURANCE QUOTES

How to get your car insurance claim right

How do I claim on my car insurance for an accident that wasn’t my fault?

Report the incident as soon as possible – if your car insurance company has a 24-hour hotline, use that – and ask for a reference number. Car insurance claims don’t have to be a headache as long as you follow the right procedure.
Ask your car insurance company what documents they will need to support your car insurance claim and be sure to keep a copy of all certificates, receipts and correspondence that relate to your claims.

How do I claim if the other driver disputes the circumstances of the accident?

Follow the above steps to ensure you have gathered as much evidence as possible.
While insurance companies will do everything they can to defend your position, if the evidence is not there, the parties involved may have to share the costs. If this happens, your insurance provider will do its best to get the most satisfactory settlement with the other driver’s company. Remember, it’s in your insurer’s interest too.

How do I claim if my car is stolen? Or if my vehicle contents are stolen?

Be sure to report a stolen vehicle to the police straight away – you will need a crime reference number for your insurance company.
Then follow the above steps to ensure you have as much evidence as possible in relation to your claim.

You don't have to accept your insurers offer if you've suffered a total loss. Here's how to get the best vehicle valuation.
Being involved in a total-loss incident is a motoring nightmare, with a mountain of paperwork, the hassle of finding alternative transport, not to mention loss of no-claims bonus or any injuries sustained. And many consumers find that the settlement offered by their insurers just isn’t up to scratch.
But you can dispute your insurers offer, rather than begrudgingly accepting the payout, providing you have a strong enough case. Here's how.

Make your case

First things first, it’s important to keep your cool throughout the process. No matter how upset you are about the settlement, being polite to whoever is dealing with your query can only help your case.
Insurers usually calculate your settlement through a combination of an engineer’s report (unless the car was stolen) and a car valuation guide, which does take rough mileage into account. However, the process is ultimately a negotiation between customer and insurer.

Do your research

In order to make the strongest case against the settlement price, it’s important to have several things at your disposal:

• Before speaking to your insurer, browse as many valuation guides as you can to find prices supporting your claim, as these are what is taken most into account, for example Parkers or Glass’s (there is a small fee for valuation from Glass’s, but it is a reputable source.)
• Motor sales websites like Auto Trader will also be valuable in proving your case. Find an example of a car for sale that’s as similar to yours as possible and that supports your valuation.
• Keeping recent, date-stamped photos of your vehicle can also help illustrate the condition of your car prior to the loss.
• You can pay for an independent valuation by an engineer if you wish, however this can be costly and there’s a risk that the valuation comes in below the original, leaving you further out of pocket. Ask your local garage for a quote on a valuation.

Take these factors into account, remain collected, and you’ll give yourself the best chance of receiving a more generous settlement.

Protect yourself

There are certain precautions you can take that will help you in a total loss situation, and make the whole affair more manageable.
Firstly there’s car depreciation (or ‘GAP’) insurance; a policy that covers the difference in price between the valuation at purchase and at the time of loss, paying out on top of any settlement you receive. Read our GAP insurance guide here.
Next there’s top-up cover, an additional benefit sold by some insurers that pays out a guaranteed fixed sum (e.g. £1000) on top of your settlement figure. This is especially useful for drivers with lower value vehicles.
Finally, many insurers will offer you the benefit of car-hire for a one-off fee. Unlike the regular courtesy car, which only covers you if your car can be repaired, car-hire supplies you with a replacement vehicle whilst your claim is being settled and cheque sent out. For those living alone or in a one-car family, who rely heavily on their vehicle, this can be a life saver.

Exercise your rights

Ultimately your insurer may still stick with their initial valuation no matter how much you protest, however it is important to go through the process of challenging if only to make sure you’ve done all you can and simply to exercise your rights as a consumer.

Little Known Fact: There Are Six Distinct Coverages in car insurancePolicy

Auto insurance is a product with six distinct coverages.
Let's look at them here:

1. Bodily Injury Liability - This pays the medical and other expenses of those people injured or even killed in accidents you cause. This is required by most states, usually with a minimum coverage of $15,000 for any person involved in an accident with you and no more than $30,000 for all the persons in the accident.
2. Property Damage Liability - This covers the damage your car causes to property. Usually, that's the other car or cars involved in the accident, but it also covers damage you do to any object you hit; garages, buildings, lampposts, fences, whatever. This is also required in most states, usually with a minimum coverage of $5,000.
3. Collision - This is for damage done to your car when it collides with other vehicles (your fault) or other objects (again, your fault).
4. Comprehensive - This covers damage to your car resulting from something other than a collision with another vehicle. For example, damage caused by vandals or a wind-blown tree hitting your car. It also includes coverage for theft.
5. Medical Payments - This pays medical, and even funeral, expenses for you as well as members of your family and passengers in your car if it is involved in a collision, regardless of who caused the accident. It also covers you as a pedestrian if a vehicle hits you.
6. Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist - This pays for injuries to you and, in some policies, damage to your car if you are hit by a driver who doesn't have insurance - or by someone who doesn't have enough insurance to cover your losses. In most states, more than 10% of motorists don't have any insurance. In some states, as many as three out of 10 drivers don't have coverage.

Many of those who do have insurance don't have enough to cover the damages and injuries that would result in a major collision. If you don't have this coverage, which is often referred to as UM/UIM, you are taking a risk. UM/UIM also provides coverage for any injuries you suffer if you are hit while walking or riding a bicycle by a driver with inadequate or no insurance.