Whether you’ve been involved in a car crash and need advice or you just want to prepare for any future accidents, knowing how the car insurance claims process works is a must. Road accidents are, unfortunately, very common in the UK and last year’s data revealed that there were over 133,000 casualties of varying severities.
The prevalence of accidents on UK roads is ongoing to rise as the number of registered vehicles continues to grow as well. This makes it all the more important to get savvy on the car insurance claims process to ensure you’re prepared.
So, if you want to know what you can expect during a car insurance claim, our guide below can help. Continue reading to find out more.
Why should I learn how the car insurance claims process works ahead of an accident?
Once you find a reliable car insurance provider, we believe knowing the claims process can be very beneficial. This is because it can:
- Ease your anxiety
- Ensure you’re prepared and can act fast
- Increase your chances of a successful claim
- Help you avoid common mistakes made
What is the process?
While every insurer is slightly different, the process you’ll likely follow if you’re involved in a road traffic accident will be the following:
Exchange details with other parties and get evidence
As soon as the accidents happen, you should try to get as much evidence as possible to support your claim. Take pictures of the incident, ask witnesses to provide a statement and get the other driver’s contact and insurance details.
Please note, that this should only be done if it’s safe to do so. If anyone is seriously injured, contact the emergency services before gathering evidence.
Initiate your claim with the providers
Once you have your evidence, contact your insurance provider to let them know about the incident. Some information they’ll ask for at this stage includes your policy number, incident details, description of car damage and evidence, official reports if one was field and the other parties’ information.
Let the insurance provider investigate
The insurance provider will then get to work to validate your claim. They’ll assess the information provided by you and others involved, take a look at the damage to your car, look at medical reports and determine who’s at fault.
Once they’ve done this, they’ll review your policy and try to detect any fraud. This should be the final stage and they should then come to a decision.
Claim approval or dispute resolution
If your claim is approved, a payout will be calculated to cover medical expenses, repairs or other costs incurred. However, there may be disputes over who’s to blame and the claim value, which will need to be settled before you receive your funds.
Once these disputes have been solved, you should receive your settlement figures.