Lots of people believe that the first thing that you need to do after an accident, whether it is your fault or is not your fault, is to call your own insurance company.
This is only correct if the accident was your fault.
It is not the most beneficial first step to take if the accident was not your fault.
By calling your insurance company after a non-fault accident, you are potentially initiating the claim process directly onto your own insurance policy. By doing this, you put your own no claims bonus at risk.
Call us on 0330 128 1407
Start your claim now >
If you choose to work with an Accident Management Company such as Auto Claims Assist, we work with you to process the non-fault accident claim directly to the at-fault driver’s insurance provider.
This avoids the need to bring your own policy into the claim process; protecting those well-deserved yearly discounts.
By working with an Accident Management Company, you’ll also receive a series of other non-fault driver benefits that you wouldn’t receive if processing the claim through your own insurance company, these include:
Generally, insurance providers say that ‘a claim may reduce or remove a driver’s No Claims Bonus’ even if a claim is processed directly through the driver’s insurance policy who was not at fault.
There are many reasons why your No Claims Bonus could be affected when claiming with your insurer, including:
Unfortunately, a ‘No Claims Bonus’ is not looked at as a ‘No Blame Bonus’.
When you initiate a claim with your own insurance company, circumstances can mean that it doesn’t matter if the accident wasn’t your fault. As the claim is being managed by your insurance company, it can be too late at that point to get better, independent, non-fault advice.
As the non-fault driver, this isn’t a fair outcome from a situation that you didn’t cause. This is why we strongly recommended that you work with an Accident Management Company if you’re in this predicament.
Here is an average example of how insurance providers calculate a no claims bonus discount from your years of no claims:
(This table is referenced from an external data source, Admiral, and does not necessarily represent all insurance providers throughout the UK.)
As a driver builds up their discount for every successful year without a claim, the reduction on an annual insurance premium provides significant savings.
For someone to lose the entirety of their No Claims Discount based on an accident that was not their fault could cause an unexpected and drastic financial penalty.
If you would like to speak to one of our non-fault accident experts about a non-fault accident that you have been involved in, give us a call now on 0330 128 1407. Alternatively, you can request a callback from us and we’ll be in touch shortly.
As well as losing your no claims discount, your insurance may also go up on your next insurance renewal after a non-fault accident.
In addition of a reduction in your no claims bonus, your insurance provider may also increase your annual premiums on your next renewal after a non-fault accident if you choose to initiate your claim directly with them.
For more information on how your insurance could go up after a non-fault accident, we have detailed article here with all of the possible increases you may face if you make your claim directly with your own insurance company rather than with an accident management company
Claiming directly with your own insurance company places a ‘pending claim’ onto your policy. If your next renewal comes around with the claim still in progress, this pending case is essentially classed as non-concluded.
Some providers deem this as the same risk level as an ‘at-fault’ case.
This is because, until the liability is accepted by the at-fault driver’s insurance provider, your own policy may yet potentially be liable for some, if not all, of the costs.
This increase can be anything from 20%-50% according to research undertaken by USWITCH
As each year’s insurance premium is calculated on risk, this may cause your next premium to be increased by up to this much.
You can avoid this increase completely by working with an accident management company.
By not initiating a claim with your own insurance, the process doesn’t require a claim on your own policy. Auto Claims Assist, as your Accident Management company, only files claims directly with the at-fault driver’s insurance.
Here is a generic example of how your insurance policy could be affected if your no claims discount was reduced while your claim was pending when your next renewal came about.
(Please Note: The insurance costs in this example are not based on any particular data and do not represent any particular insurance company or policy. The discount rate estimates in this example are based on average external source data and should not be used as factual guidance for your insurance policy or no claims bonus. All insurance providers have their own process, terms and conditions. This table does represent the facts of your insurance provider or policy.)
If you’re concerned and searching ‘Do I lose my no claims if not my fault’, this is how you can make a non-fault insurance claim and avoid losing your no-claims bonus.
Like many, you may be searching do i lose my no claims if not my fault after you’ve been involved in a non-fault accident.
Knowing what to do in a car accident is not always everyones area of expertise. The most beneficial first point of contact after a ‘no fault’ accident is always Auto Claims Assist.
In order to avoid the risk of losing your no claims if the accident was not your fault:
A driver’s insurance can be affected in other ways after a non fault car accident in the UK.
These effects are usually if a driver chooses to speak to their insurance company to process a claim instead of a Credit Hire Company.
We’ve developed a knowledge base of car accident resource which includes how a non-fault accident can affect my insurance.
If you have any questions after a road traffic accident or would like some general advice about our services, please feel free contact us and our team will be ready to help.
