Dealing with the aftermath of an accident is stressful as you grapple with getting your car repaired and back on the road, especially when it wasn’t your fault. But when you make a claim for an accident you didn’t cause what happens to your insurance?
It’s a common worry with drivers eager to know whether their premiums will rise even when they weren’t to blame. The idea they’ll be financially penalised in future seems particularly unfair when you did nothing wrong. Unfortunately, it’s likely you will see a rise in insurance costs although not as much if you were at fault.
Here we answer your most pressing no-fault accident car insurance questions.
In some cases, it will be obvious who’s at fault. For example, you were doing something illegal at the time of the accident such as speeding or using your mobile phone in which case you’re to blame.
In many instances, though it won’t always be clear, and an insurer will make an assessment based on the evidence available such as the position of the cars, speed at the time of the accident, witness testimony, police reports, dash cam footage, photos of damage etc.
That’s the million-dollar question! Firstly, if you weren’t at fault your insurance should cover you and your insurance company will attempt to recover the cost of any repairs or replacements from the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
But if they can’t because it was a hit and run or the other driver was uninsured it may then be viewed as an at-fault claim.
Even if the other driver was at fault and offers to pay privately for your repairs you still need to report the accident to your insurer.
If you later change insurers, you’ll need to tell them about the accident when you give them your driver history even if you weren’t deemed to be at fault.
So, does all this affect insurance? Unfortunately, yes. Despite not being at fault you will likely see a bump in future premiums. Insurers base their pricing on many factors including the likelihood of you having an accident. Statistically speaking, if you’ve made a claim in the past you’re more likely to make another claim in the future and your premium will reflect this. The rise, however, is likely to be far less than it would be if you were to blame for the accident.
In all likelihood, you will lose your no-claims discount (NCD) unless you have protected NCD where you’re allowed to make a certain number of claims in a time period defined by your insurer.
You lose your (NCD) because it’s no-claim not no-blame. You’re still making a claim despite not being at fault.
At EvolveARC, we understand the stress and confusion that can follow an accident. We’ll guide you through the process and ensure your vehicle is repaired to the highest standards. Contact our expert team today!
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