If you own a car and you are the regular driver, you would know that there is a high possibility that you’ll be involved in some sort of vehicle-related accident during your lifetime, whether you were the cause or not. Even though Car Insurance is something most of us probably hope that we will never use, it’s a monthly payment commitment that we almost cannot live without.

If you’ve been in a car-related accident in the past, you’ll know that making a car insurance claim can be quite a stressful process. We have put together a quick summary on how to make an accident-related claim.

When should I file a car-related insurance claim?

Depending on the type of cover provided by your insurance policy some or all of the below could be covered. It’s important to know the details of cover provided by your Car Insurance policy. At the very least, you should contact your insurance provider as soon as possible when any of the following occurs:

Your car has been stolen
Your car has been hijacked
Your car has been damaged by an accident or collusion
Your car has been damaged by a natural disaster
Your car has been vandalised
You have been involved in a collusion where you damaged the property of another party

Your insurance provider will require some important details from you in the process of filing a car-related insurance claim and we have put together a list of the most common information that would be required from you during the call:

Have your Car Insurance policy number handy
In most cases, your insurance provider will be able to assist you based on the policy holder’s ID (Identification Number).
Have the full details of the incident ready, which will include the date and time when the incident occurred as well as the following list of information of all people involved:
- Names
- Contact numbers
- Addresses
- Driver’s license details
- Car registration numbers

The process after you have called your insurance provider:

Even though most insurance providers have digitised most of their processes, you might still be required to complete claim forms. Whether it’s a digitised process over the phone or a physical form you need to complete, the details required will be as per the above list and would also include the case number from the police where applicable.

Depending on the incident, the process may vary from here. If your car has been involved in an accident and needs to be repaired, your insurance provider will usually provide you with a list of their pre-approved repair companies that you may choose from. You will then have to get a quote from your preferred repairer, as per the available list, and then inform your insurance provider of the cost and quote before any repairs can commence. In some instances, your insurance provider might request that you provide two or three different quotes. It’s always good to read through your policy schedule and claim related procedures in detail to know the exact requirements.

If your vehicle has been stolen or badly damaged, an assessor will be sent to you by your insurance provider to assess damages and conduct an interview with you. Based on the outcome of the assessment it might be that cost of repairing your car is higher than the actual value of your car and in this case, the insurance provider may choose to “write-off” the car. If this happens, your insurance provider will usually pay out to you, the policy holder, an amount equal to the car’s value before the incident occurred, i.e. before it was damaged or stolen.

Comprehensive Car Insurance