Read our guide to non-fault claims and see how you could save on your car insurance.
Not all car insurance claims are the same — if you've had an accident that wasn’t your fault, this could be considered a non-fault claim. These are handled differently to other car insurance claims.
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What is a non-fault claim?
A non-fault claim usually occurs where another driver is involved and has complete liability for the incident — for example they pulled out at a junction and hit your car, or they hit you from behind while your car was waiting at traffic lights.
In a non-fault claim your insurer will attempt to recover any repair/replacement costs from the other driver’s insurance company. When your insurer can’t recover the costs from the guilty party, for example in the case of vandalism or hit and run, these may be considered as fault claims even though you were not to blame for the incident. Read our guide to car insurance for drivers with at-fault claims to find out more.
How will a non-fault claim affect my car insurance?
In many cases a non-fault claim will increase the cost of your car insurance, but it shouldn’t have as much of an effect as an at-fault claim.
If you make a non-fault claim, it’s possible you’ll lose some or all of any no-claims discount you’ve accrued over the years, unless it was protected at the time of the claim. It may come as a surprise that you’d lose your no-claims discount for an incident that wasn’t your fault, but it’s important to remember it’s a no-claims discount, not a no-blame discount. Insurers have found that drivers with non-fault claims are more likely to have an at-fault claim in the future, so some may increase your premium to reflect this increased risk.
If you do lose some or all of your no-claims bonus, you will notice a rise in your car insurance costs. Some providers can raise your premiums by up to 30% for one non-fault claim, and 50% for two non-fault claims.
Insurers will usually ask for your claims history for three to five years, but your claim will have less of an impact as time goes on and you rebuild your no-claims bonus.
Renewing before your car insurance claim is settled
Car insurance claims can take a couple of months to process. Before your claim is settled, you will be considered to be at fault as your insurer may still be investigating the circumstances.
If your claim is still pending when you need to renew, you may find that your quote is higher as you have an at-fault claim on your record. Once the claim has been settled and it’s confirmed you were not at fault, you can contact your provider and they should adjust your premium.
How to save money on car insurance if you've made a non-fault claim
If you’ve made a non-fault claim, there are general measures you can take to reduce the cost of your car insurance when it’s time to renew your policy, such as raising your voluntary excess, adding a named driver, or if you’re in the market for a new car you might consider choosing one in a lower insurance group.
If you’ve lost some or all of your no-claims bonus as a result of a non-fault claim, consider protecting it when you take out a new policy. This will prevent you from losing any no-claims discount you accrue in the future if you need to make another claim. And remember to shop around for the best car insurance quotes. You can compare quotes from different providers with the quick tool below:
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