How to make a car insurance claim: Your handy guide

Need to make a car insurance claim but not sure what it involves? Our easy guide takes you through the process from the moment something goes wrong to receiving your decision. 

EASY AS HACK

If you’ve taken evidence photos, email them to yourself or create a new folder in your phone – you don’t want to be scrolling through dozens of pictures to find them.

If there’s one piece of life admin you shouldn’t delay, it’s making a car insurance claim. It might feel like something to push to the bottom of your to-do list, especially when you’re already dealing with the aftermath of an accident. But getting your claim started as soon as possible helps protect evidence, prevents delays, and means repairs may be approved sooner.

Insurers recommend being contacted as soon as possible after an incident. This applies even if you don’t want to make a claim on your policy.

The key is to take things one step at a time. Here’s a simple guide to help you through it.

Before you start a claim

• Don’t accept liability at the scene: Wait until you have spoken to your insurer.
• Note the date and time: This may seem obvious but it’s easy to forget these small details in stressful situations.
• Document everything: Take plenty of photos from different angles. Capture the whole scene as well as the specific damage - for example, include road markings and nearby road signs. You should also get details of any witnesses and contact plus insurance details of anyone else involved. Increasingly, dashcam footage is being accepted by insurers as evidence and can be used to verify speed, location and other vehicles involved.
• Create a folder for your evidence: Keep photos, receipts, reports and other documents together. If your claim involves police or medical reports, store these safely too.
• Review your policy: Fully understanding your car insurance policy helps you make your claim correctly, avoid surprises, and make sure you meet any specific requirements from your insurer. Whether you are able to claim may depend on what type of cover you have. Third Party cover only covers damage to others’ vehicles, Third Party, Fire and Theft offers cover if your car is stolen or burned and Fully Comprehensive offers the highest level of protection, including damage to your own car even if you are at fault. You can also check how much any excess payments would be.

Remember: It’s worth pinning your policy details within your inbox now, just in case. Or, if you’re an Ageas customer, you can find all your policy details in your online account, which is easy to set up if you haven’t already.

Deciding whether or not to make a car claim

You might decide not to move forward with a claim if the damage is minor or costs less to fix than your excess. Having your evidence and reviewing your policy first will help you make an informed choice.

Remember that some types of damage i.e windscreen replacement may have a smaller excess than standard.

However, you must still tell your insurer about some incidents, even if you don’t make a claim - for example, if you hit another vehicle but decide to pay for repairs yourself. Not reporting it could affect future claims.

Making your insurance claim

Now it’s time to actually start the process of making a claim – this might be through an app, online or via phone. For most Ageas customers, the quickest and easiest way to make a car insurance claim is via the online claims hub which is available 24/7.

Car insurance claims you can log online include:

• Damage caused by a pothole
• Damage caused by hitting an animal
• Damage caused by hitting a building or structure
• Loss of control due to road surface
• Damage caused by flood
• Accidental misfuelling
• Damaged windscreen or window glass
• Fire, theft or attempted theft (incl. personal belongings)

However, some claims have to be made via phone, or you may simply prefer to speak to someone and get extra guidance on the process.

Be prepared to explain what happened, when it happened, where it took place, and who was involved. Stick to the facts – don’t guess or estimate if you’re not sure.

You’ll need a few bits of information to hand to log your claim, including:

• Your policy number - you can find this on your confirmation email or documents
• Evidence photos
• Any witness contact details
• Third party details if anyone else was involved

Work with a loss adjuster

For smaller scale damage, an outcome may be reached using the evidence you’ve submitted alone, but for larger incidents a loss adjuster may come for an inspection or you may be asked to visit an approved repairer to assess the extent of the damage and costs of repairing.

Wait for an outcome

We understand this can be the hardest part, but providing clear and detailed information from the start can speed things up. It’s usually best not to arrange repairs until your insurer has confirmed the outcome. An assessor may need to see any damage to help decide the outcome of your claim.

You can track your claim and message us anytime through the online claims hub.

Review your claim settlement

Once your claim has been assessed, you’ll be notified of the outcome. Your insurer may:

• arrange repairs
• replace any items that have been stolen
• repair using an approved supplier
• or make a payment if replacement or repair isn’t suitable or if you prefer to use your own suppliers.

Depending on your cover you may get use of a courtesy car while yours is being repaired.

Unfortunately, there are also circumstances where claims are declined, this could be due to inaccurate or incomplete information, or because an incident isn’t covered under the terms of your policy.

Get back to normal

Getting your car back on the road can take time depending on the extent of the damage and the circumstances under which it occurred. Simple claims may be sorted in a matter of days or weeks, but more complex cases can, unfortunately, take longer.

Insurance Claims FAQs

Will making a claim affect my No Claims Discount

If you make a claim your No Claims Discount may be affected. It will depend on a number of factors including who was at fault and whether you have chosen to protect your No Claims Discount.

What happens if my vehicle is confirmed a total loss?

If the damage to your vehicle is uneconomical to repair, it will be declared a total loss, also known as being “written off”.

If this is the case, our team will discuss settlement with you based on the market value of the vehicle immediately before the incident. The amount you are offered will reflect the cost of replacing your vehicle with a similar one.

Will making a claim affect my policy cost?

Making a claim can sometimes cause your renewal cost to increase, it depends on the circumstances of why you are claiming. There won’t be any effect on your current policy cost.

Got any specific questions about our car insurance claims process? Take a look at our claims FAQs.