Car insurance quote gone up after claim

Hi David,

That's the frustrating thing about car insurance. Even if you are a really good and careful driver, you may find yourself in a position where you have to make a claim to your car insurance company. It may not be your fault at all and the third party have accepted the responsibility as well but as soon as you make that phone call to your insurer, a record of that incident is logged onto your account.

When you fill out forms for car insurance quotes, insurance companies (including short period car insurance), will ask whether you've made a claim within the last 3-5 years. Now, whether it was your fault or not, it is still a claim which you have to disclose and that's why your quote goes up because the calculation is made on the basis that you've been involved in an acccident and that you are a high risk now. I know this sounds stupid but this is what happens most of the time. There are only a handful of insurance companies which will ask whether the claim was your fault or not and give you the discount you deserve if it wasn't your fault.

The bottom line is if you ever have a minor accident, it is always better to try sort things out with the 3rd party before making that phone call to your car insurance company, no matter if it is your fault or not.