If I damage my own car can I claim on my insurance?
If I damage my own car can I claim on my insurance? It depends. You can sometimes claim on your own insurance if you damage your own car, but only if you have the right level of cover.
To claim for damage on your own vehicle, you’ll need to be covered by comprehensive insurance. That’s the highest level of cover, which pays out for damages to other people’s vehicles and to your own, and which also covers other problems like fire and theft.
Even with comprehensive insurance, though, just because you can claim, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s always a good idea. Claiming on your insurance will likely affect the costs of your premiums, even if the incident wasn’t your fault. whether that’s 50/50 or a different % of fault, both parties will record a fault claim on their policies as both policies will have paid out a proportion of the claim.
In this article, we explore what you need to know about claiming on your insurance for damage, when it’s a good idea, and what the downsides might be.
What is a claim on car insurance?
If you ever have an accident in your vehicle, car insurance is there to give you some financial protection. Depending on the kind of insurance policy you have, your insurer may help you cover the costs of damages or injury caused by the accident to you or other people.
To receive payment from an insurer, you need to make a claim. A car insurance claim is when you formally ask your insurance provider for payment after an incident.
That said, there’s not just one type of claim. Instead, the type of claim you make will depend on who’s responsible for the incident:
Non-fault claims. Non-fault claims are insurance claims you make when someone else has caused the accident. To make this claim, though, your insurer needs to know the details of the person who was at fault. A claim is classed as non-fault when your policy insurer has recovered all costs of the claim from the third party’s insurer, in most cases the claim will be treated as fault until costs are fully recovered allowing it to be “closed” as non-fault.
At-fault claims. As the name suggests, at-fault claims are those made when the incident was your fault. You’ll also need to file an at-fault claim if it’s not possible to cover the costs from the other driver — even if they caused the incident.
Partial fault claims. These claims recognise that both parties were at fault, whether that’s 50/50 or a different % of fault, both parties will record a fault claim on their policies as both policies will have paid out a proportion of the claim.
If you’re at fault, your insurer will likely cover the costs of damages to the other person’s vehicle and any injuries. But depending on the type of insurance you have, they may not cover damage to your own vehicle. That’s why it’s really important to know what your own insurance policy covers before you make a claim.
Can I claim against my own car insurance?
You can often claim against your own car insurance, even if you’re at fault. But to do so, you need to have the right level of insurance.
There are three main types of vehicle insurance in the UK:
Third party. Third-party insurance cover is the basic level of insurance and the minimum cover required by law. It covers you against costs of damages to other people’s vehicles and any costs arising from injuries to them. Crucially, though, it won’t pay out if your vehicle is damaged in an accident.
Third party, fire, and theft. This includes basic third-party coverage, plus protection against costs from your vehicle being damaged in a fire or stolen. Like basic third-party cover, it won’t cover damage to your car if you’re in an accident.
Comprehensive, or fully comprehensive. Finally, comprehensive cover is the highest level of insurance available. It protects against:
Injuries to other people and damage to their vehicles (just like third-party insurance)
Your vehicle being damaged in a fire or stolen (like third-party, fire, and theft coverage)
Accidental damage
Damage or theft of your vehicle’s contents
Ultimately, you can only claim for damage to your own car if you have comprehensive cover. If you just have third-party coverage, this won’t be possible.
In that case, you’ll need to pay for any damages to your own vehicle yourself. These costs can get quite expensive, which is why it can be a good idea to get the higher level of cover in the first place.
It is worth noting that even if you only have Third Party Insurance cover for yourself, if the Third Party is the driver at fault, a non-fault claim for you, then damage to your car should be covered by their Third Party Cover on their insurance.
Does car insurance cover repairs?
As we said, comprehensive insurance will usually cover the costs if you damage your vehicle in an accident. But it likely won’t cover you for the costs of general repairs to your vehicle, such as any repairs resulting from breakdowns or failed parts.
The specific repairs that are covered will differ from policy to policy. It’s therefore best to check your specific insurance policy to understand the circumstances in which you’ll be covered.
For instance, you may be covered for repairs to problems caused by fire or flood damage, but it’s unlikely that you’ll be covered for general wear and tear. The same goes for damage caused by negligence or inadequate maintenance, such as failing to check your oil level. The claim must be fortuitous, by definition it would need to be an accident and not intentional nor through negligent behaviour; an example of this is if a road is closed due to flooding but you decided to take the risk and drive down there, then it’s not fortuitous and it’s unlikely you’ll be able to claim against your policy for damage caused.
What happens if I claim on my car insurance?
It is worth noting that even if you only have Third Party Insurance cover for yourself, if the Third Party is the driver at fault, a non-fault claim for you, then damage to your car should be covered by their Third Party Cover on their insurance.
What happens if I claim on my car insurance?
To get your insurer to cover the costs of any damage to your vehicle, you’ll need to make a claim.
This just means letting your insurer know what’s happened — for example, that you’ve been in an accident or your vehicle has been damaged in a flood. Remember, though, that insurers will only pay for damage that’s covered in your insurance policy, so check that before you make a claim.
The process of making a claim usually goes something like this:
You get in touch with your insurer. You’ll usually need to phone them, but you can sometimes do it online. Most insurers ask that you get in touch within 24 hours of the incident.
You provide them with as much information as possible about your policy, what’s happened, and who you believe was at fault. The insurers will have questions relating to the information they need so don’t worry, you should be prompted to recall certain aspects that you may not have deemed relevant in your own mind – remember, claims teams do this day in day out and know what they need to make the process go as smoothly as possible for you and all others involved.
You provide them with as much information as possible about your policy, what’s happened, and who you believe was at fault. The insurers will have questions relating to the information they need so don’t worry, you should be prompted to recall certain aspects that you may not have deemed relevant in your own mind – remember, claims teams do this day in day out and know what they need to make the process go as smoothly as possible for you and all others involved.
The insurer will then tell you how much you’ll receive and how much excess you’ll need to pay. This is the amount you’ll need to cover to make the claim. The insurer then covers the remaining costs.
Some claims are more complicated than others and often not clear cut on who is truly at fault, as both parties may claim to be the innocent driver. Depending on the processes needed to evaluate the claim, the scale of damage to the vehicles and the communication from the third party insurer will have an effect on how long the claim takes to complete. Dash cam footage is really helpful in determining fault as it provides a live action replay of the incident for insurers to analyse, this can help speed up the claims process dramatically meaning you can be on your way and receiving settlements sooner rather than later.
After that, your insurer will arrange for payment to be made. Sometimes they’ll transfer the funds to you, but they may prefer to pay the person who makes the repairs directly.
Is it worth claiming on car insurance for a dent (UK)?
When you make a claim on your insurance, it can push up the price of your premium. And, if you’re making an at-fault claim specifically, you’ll likely lose your no-claims bonus. (NCB) if you don’t have Protected No Claims on your policy – but remember this will only protect you so much and varies with insurers, for example you may be allowed 2 claims in 5 years or 2 claims in 3 years before you lose you NCB so if you’ve already hit that quota, then your no claims bonus will no longer be protected.
That’s why it can sometimes be tempting not to tell your insurer about an incident, particularly if it’s a minor one. Often, for smaller bumps and dents, it can be cheaper in the long run just to pay a garage out of your pocket for the repairs, rather than risk an increase in your premium.
That said, if you’ve been in an accident, even if it was just a minor one or it wasn’t your fault, you’re highly recommended to let your insurer know.
You don’t necessarily need to make a formal claim. But if you don’t tell them, it can invalidate your insurance. For example, if later on you discover that your minor bump had caused a problem for your engine, you may not get covered for those repairs. When reporting this kind of accident just provide the details as “for information purposes only, no claim made”.
How much will my car insurance go up after a claim (UK)?
If you make a claim on your insurance, your premium will likely go up, even if the damage wasn’t your fault. That said, it’s very difficult to calculate in advance exactly how much your premium will go up after a claim.
That’s because the cost of your car insurance premium is calculated using lots of different factors, including your age, the car you drive, where you live, and your claims history. There are just too many variables to work it out yourself. And the specific cost of a given claim will affect your premium, too.
After making a claim, it’s best to shop around for quotes from a range of insurers. Or you can speak to a broker for more advice.
Quick summary: If I damage my own car can I claim on my insurance (UK)?
If you damage your own car, you can sometimes make a claim on your insurance — but only in certain circumstances.
Firstly, you’ll need to have comprehensive cover to claim on your insurance if the damage was your fault. Third-party cover won’t be enough, as it only pays for damage to other people’s vehicles.
Secondly, you won’t usually be able to claim on your insurance for damage to your car that was not fortuitous or resulting from wear and tear, negligence or a lack of maintenance.
Everything you need to know about your car insurance can be found in your own insurance policy. Remember that different policies don’t always cover the same things and each insurer will have different terms of business and policy wording.
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