No matter whose fault it is, the first thing you need to do when you’ve been involved in any sort of collision is make sure everyone is safe and contact the police if necessary.
There’s also key information you should get from the other party involved while you’re at the scene like contact details, car registrations and accident details.
Read our guide on what to do after a car accident which covers what to do immediately after an accident and how to make a claim.
What happens when someone claims on your car insurance?
The other driver involved in a collision might make a claim against your car insurance (known as a third-party claim) if they think you were to blame.
If you agree you were at fault, then the process is quite simple.
Once you’ve reported the accident to us and admitted you were at fault, you don’t need to do anything else – our Claims team will handle it all for you.
They’ll speak to any third-party representatives such as insurers or solicitors and check over the documents from both parties.
If the statements match up, they will then settle the claim as soon as possible.
The accident wasn’t my fault
If the accident wasn’t your fault, the way it’s settled might be different depending on whether or not the other party will accept blame for the accident.
If the other driver won’t accept blame
Our Liability team deal with thousands of ‘liability disputes’ where both drivers involved in an accident deny they are at fault.
In this instance, the team will look at lots of different evidence to decide who was to blame and assess if they can make a full or part recovery of the costs.
As well as taking verbal statements from the driver, the team could ask to look at any of the following additional evidence:
- images of damage on the vehicles
- CCTV of the accident
- witness statements
Once all the evidence has been collected, the team can make an informed decision on which party was to blame.
The claim can then be settled on a split liability percentage between both parties, or in full by either driver.
If the other driver has accepted it was their fault
If the other driver has accepted the accident was their fault, it’s more straightforward.
You’ll be able to go ahead and make a claim with us straight away.
You’ll get a replacement car while yours is being repaired at one of our approved garages.
Will my car insurance be affected if someone claims against me?
Whether or not you were at fault, many insurers’ data shows drivers who were involved in an accident are statistically more likely to be in an accident again within the next few years.
This means you could see an increase in your premium at renewal – the increase could be higher if you were to blame for the accident.
Don’t be tempted to keep the incident to yourself: you must tell your insurer if you’re involved in any incident.
If your insurer finds out about the accident, they can cancel your policy or refuse to pay out on a future claim.
Do I have to pay my car insurance excess if someone claims against me?
No, the excess – both voluntary and compulsory – is the amount you pay towards your own claim or repairs, so you won’t have to pay the excess if a third party is claiming against you.
See our guide on how car insurance excess works for more information.
Will my no claims bonus (NCB) be affected if someone claims against my car insurance?
Yes, if you or the other party make a claim and you’re at fault for the accident, or liability is settled on a split percentage basis, your no claims bonus will be affected.
However, you might not lose your entire bonus if this happens.
If you make one claim during your insurance period, you'll lose two years’ worth; so, if you have five or more years’ no claims bonus, it would change to three years at renewal.
If you’re not at fault for an incident and your insurer gets all the money back from the third-party insurers, your no claims bonus won’t be affected.
I’ve been hit by an uninsured driver
You could lose some of your no claims bonus if you’re hit by an uninsured driver, as the claim would be made through your insurer rather than the third party's.
However some insurers, including us, offer an uninsured driver benefit. We only offer this on our comprehensive policies.
This means if you’re hit by an uninsured driver and you successfully claim through the Motor Insurance Bureau, your NCB will remain untouched.
This is so long as you can give us the make, model and registration number of the other car involved.
Making a claim
If you’ve been involved in an incident or need to make a claim, you can contact us online or by phone.
Just visit our Claims page for all our details.
