Close

	Receiver's Name:		*
	Receiver's Email:		*
	Your Name:		*
	Your Email:
	Your Message:

Understand the car insurance claim process for different scenarios

Your car insurance policy can cover your car against accidents, theft, third party damage or damage from natural calamities. Here we explain to you the claim procedure that you can follow depending upon the scenario applicable to you.

Even under the different scenarios there might be some common steps that you need to take. So before you get into the details of each scenario, here are some common things that you must be aware of doing regarding a successful claim procedure.

• Take the injured to hospital: If in an accident, you have a social responsibility to take the injured to hospital.


• Record the details of the accident: Where possible, record the other drivers name, contact number and registration number of the car, names and numbers of witnesses


• Contact the insurer: Whether you are in an accident or your car is damaged due to an natural calamity, contact the insurer to initiate the claim process and inform the of what has happened. They will give you a list of documents that will be required and what your responsibilities are. In case you are ready for your car to be repaired, they will also suggest a list of garages in their network where a cashless repair facility might be available.


• Survey of damage: The insurance company will likely send a surveyor to record the damage and estimate the cost of repair that will be sanctioned. This might even happen at the garage where you repair the car.


• FIR: Subject to the kind of claim you might also need to file an FIR with the local police.

The following sections describe the claim process for different types of scenarios.

Claim process in an accident - Own damage

One scenario is if you have been involved in an accident and want to claim for damage caused to your car. Apart from the above common steps the following might be needed:

1. Get the car towed: Get the car towed and sent to a workshop. The tow charges can later be claimed from the insurance company if your insurance covers this. A comprehensive insurance policy provides for towing charges from the place of accident to the workshop.


2. Review of the car by surveyor: A surveyor from the insurer's side will review the car's condition and take photographs to assess the expenditure that could be involved in the car's repair.


3. Submit documents: Within 24 hours of registering the claim, the insurance company contacts the insured party for collection of documents. A representative from the company collects the documents and gets them verified with the originals.


4. Approval and payment: The insurance company evaluates how much amount should be paid in lieu of the damages. Depending upon whether you choose a cashless or reimbursement claim, the insurer will pay the garage directly or reimburse your for your out of pocket expenses. A balance amount, if any, is paid to the insured person as per the terms and conditions of the policy.

Claim process in a third party damage

Third party claims protect other people who have been injured or damaged due to your fault.

1. Notify the insurer: You must notify the insurance company when damage has been done to a third party due to your fault. They will then issue a claim form which you will have to submit along with the following documents:
   
   • Copy of the registration certificate of your car
   • Driving license of the insured person
   • Copy of the FIR
   • Policy document


2. Insurer will hire a lawyer: The insurance company will hire a lawyer on your behalf who will fight the case for you. The court then decides the claim amount that you will need to give to the third party. The insurance company directly pays the third party depending on the amount decided by the court.

Claim process in a theft

Unlike being in an accident where the car or humans might be affected, the process for filing a claim is slightly different in case of theft.

1. Lodge an FIR and give copy to insurer: The first thing that you should do when your car is stolen is to lodge an FIR in your local police station. Give your insurer a copy of the FIR.


2. Provide final report to insurance company: If your car is not found within 90 days, the police will give you a non-traceable certificate. You need to submit this certificate to the insurance company for approval of the claim process.


3. Transfer of ownership: After the claim is approved, the registration certificate needs to be transferred in the name of the insurer. You will also need to hand over the duplicate keys of the car to the insurance company. This is done in order to make sure that even if there is a chance that you get the car back, the insurance company would own it as the claim amount has already been given to you.

In case only an accessory has been stolen from your car that was covered under the policy, for example a music system, the insurer will provide you with compensation only up to the insured declared value (IDV) of the accessory.

Claim process in a natural calamity

Your car may get damaged completely or partly due to natural calamities like floods, earthquake, or fire. In such a situation, you must take the following actions:

1. Alert the concerned authority where relevant: For instance, if there has been a fire, immediately call the fire brigade. Take a report from the authority describing what happened.


2. Evaluate if the car can be repaired: Inform the insurance company about the situation and along with the surveyor you can evaluate if it makes sense for the car to be repaired at all. For instance, if the damage is only structural to the chassis, maybe a dent and paint job can repair the car. However, if 90% of the car is burn, then it might not make sense to repair it.


3. Connect with the insurance company for paperwork and settlement: Once the insurance company is aware of the extent of the damage and an estimate of the loss, they can decide a course of action. If it is repairable, they will reimburse you for the costs spent on repair of the car. If the damage to the vehicle is more than 75% of the IDV, the insurance company will consider it to be constructive total loss. In such a case, they will reimburse you the IDV of the car but take the car from you.

Comments

Thanks for your comment