{"id":189658,"date":"2019-04-25T15:48:24","date_gmt":"2019-04-25T14:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/uk\/?page_id=189658"},"modified":"2025-01-07T15:34:55","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T15:34:55","slug":"car-insurance-for-drivers-with-previous-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/uk\/car-insurance\/car-insurance-for-drivers-with-previous-claims","title":{"rendered":"Car insurance for drivers with previous claims"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’ve made several claims on your car insurance<\/a> in the past, you might want to consider how your claims history might affect your future car cover premiums. Take a look at our guide to compare car insurance providers and find out how you can still save money on your car insurance<\/a> even after making previous claims.<\/p>

Will a previous claim affect the price of my car insurance?<\/h3>

Several factors can affect the cost of your car insurance<\/a>. These include your age, driving experience and history, where you live, your car’s make and model, security and what you use your car for. Another factor to affect the price of your car cover is your claims history.<\/p>

Making a claim on car insurance will almost certainly affect the price of your premiums and means it increases. A no claims discount might also be partly or completely lost when a claim is made, pushing the premium up even higher.<\/p>

While no two claims are the same, insurers tend to separate claims into two categories to assess who is responsible. These are “at-fault” claims and “non-fault” claims.<\/p>

At-fault claims occur when the driver’s insurer has to pay out for a claim and can’t recover any costs from a third party due to the policyholder being deemed at fault.<\/p>

Non-fault claims claims occur when a third-party insurer makes the payments towards any damage because the third-party driver is at fault.<\/p>

How long will a claim affect my car insurance for?<\/h3>

How long a previous claim will affect a car insurance premium really depends on the insurance provider. When you obtain a car insurance quote, you’ll be asked about your claims history that usually covers a period of around three to five years. Any claim made within this time period is likely to affect your premium but as time passes between your last claim, those older claims should start to have less of an effect on your premium.<\/p>

How much does car insurance go up after a claim?<\/h3>

At-fault claims or claims you’re responsible for are likely to push premiums up higher than non-fault claims. This is mainly due to insurers believing that at-fault drivers are more likely to need to claim again, which increases their risk profile.<\/p>

The amount your car insurance premium increases will depend on the nature of the claim, how much your insurer has to pay out to cover the claim and your current level of risk.<\/p>

Will making a claim affect my no claims discount?<\/h3>

Unfortunately, making a claim on your car insurance is likely to affect your no claims discount, unless you chose to enhance your cover with no claims discount protection when you first took out car cover with the insurer.<\/p>

Many insurers have an uninsured driver promise included in the cover benefits, which means if you’re involved in a crash with an at-fault uninsured driver, your no claims bonus might still be protected.<\/p>

It’s worth remembering that even if you manage to keep hold of some or all of your no claims discount after a claim, your overall premium could still increase. This is because an insurer may view you as more of a risk on the roads or more likely to make a claim again.<\/p>

The guidelines will vary between insurers so be sure to understand whether you can make any claims without affecting your no claims discount.<\/p>

How can I save money on car insurance if I have made previous claims?<\/h3>