If the accident is not my fault will it affect my renewal?

Barbarella2

My son's car insurance is up for renewal and his insurers Bell are quoting such a high premium (£1490), He has been shopping around and got a quote from Admiral (the same company effectively) and they quoted him £895. He didn't say he had a claim because it was not his fault. When he spoke to his insurers Bell, they said his renewal premium reflected the fact that he had had a claim. He pointed out that the accident had not been his fault and had been dealt with as such. They said it didn't matter, it still put up his premium.

I was amazed that an accident where it had been accepted was not his fault could affect his premium, and by so much. Is this really the case, and do all insurance companies do this? If he shops around online and is asked if he has had a claim, if he says yes will he be able to explain that it was not his fault?

And is this a case for the Ombudsman?

jd87

Yeah even non-fault accidents have to be declared and they put your premium up. This is hardly breaking news. The idea behind it is that if you have accidents like this it means you are possibly prone to putting your vehicle at risk. This is normal, all insurers do this, it is not a case for the ombudsman. Sorry.

YorkshireBoy

Barbarella2 wrote: »

He didn't say he had a claim because it was not his fault.

Assuming he was getting his quote over the phone, did he listen carefully to the question asked? Or if obtaining his quote online did he read the help section carefully/at all?

Because in my experience they always (and have done for a good few years now) say "have you had a claim/accident in the past x years regardless of fault?"

alun4

On an internet quote, there is invariably a "drop down " box that gives you the opportunity to categorise the accident. For example "at fault", " windscreen glass" ..... etc. So full disclosure is always a must, however much we all feel a victim again.

huckster

Suggest that your son keeps on phoning around and speaks to a local broker. The loading applied for non fault claims did not use to be that much, but now Insurers appear to be adding much more. Hopefully if he continues phoning around he will find a better quote.

I said on another thread, that my opinion is that Insurers are getting stung by so many dodgy claims for personal injury, that premiums are going up across the board, pricing some people off the roads. Unless the government starts working with the FSA,ABI and other relevant bodies to see what it can do to deal with this, it could get out of hand. There could be many thousands of additional unisured drivers on the road and it could act as drag on the economy if people lose mobility when they cannot afford to keep motoring. If Insurance is going to cost say an average of £750, plus fuel at £1.40 a litre, plus other costs, this could add up to a modest car costing £4k per year to keep on the road.

McKneff

Not all insurance companies do this.
I am with the Coop (CIS) and informed them that i was making a claim directly with the persons insurance who's vehicle had hit my car.
I checked with them as to whether it woud affect my premium when it was renewed and was told that it wouldnt

My renewal was up only weeks later and i checked that it hadnt affected it.

lisyloo

He pointed out that the accident had not been his fault and had been dealt with as such.

Did he make a claim on his own insurance and has it been settled and all money recovered from the third party?
If it hasn't been settled and he claimed on his own insurance then this will be classed as a fault claim until it's settled. Once it's settled it's still a claim but will be non-fault if all money was recovered.

Many insurers do put up premiums even if the accident was non-fault, but not all do.
We cannot say what every insurer will do, but it's common to put up the premium.
Those that don't may not be the most competitive so the besy way is to use a search engine (with false email and phone number but correct postcode).

It's absolutely crucial that your son declares the accident and the correct status.
Not declaring it can result in claims not being paid and insurance being refused which carries a lifetime stigma (there is a question about refused insurance, which he'd have to answer for life).

lisyloo

if people lose mobility when they cannot afford to keep motoring

Many people could use public transport.
If they don't live near public transport they could look at a lift share.
I realise it won't suit everyone, but I don't believe the country will come to a standstill if some people can't drive.

When a 2+ lane went in around Bristol, my sister has people fighting over her as a passenger so they could use the new road, so there are certainly many who could share in cities with the correct motivation.

vaio

Barbarella2 wrote: »

My son's car insurance is up for renewal and his insurers Bell are quoting such a high premium (£1490), He has been shopping around and got a quote from Admiral (the same company effectively) and they quoted him £895. He didn't say he had a claim because it was not his fault. When he spoke to his insurers Bell, they said his renewal premium reflected the fact that he had had a claim. He pointed out that the accident had not been his fault and had been dealt with as such. They said it didn't matter, it still put up his premium.

I was amazed that an accident where it had been accepted was not his fault could affect his premium, and by so much. Is this really the case, and do all insurance companies do this? If he shops around online and is asked if he has had a claim, if he says yes will he be able to explain that it was not his fault?

And is this a case for the Ombudsman?

Nothing the Ombudsman will be able to do as insurance companies can charge what they like, if you don't like it, vote with your feet.

and your son will have to declare the non-fault whenever asked.

On the bright side, as the extra cost is solely as a result of an accident that was someone else's fault then it can be reclaimed from the third party just like all other consequential costs

Quentin

Barbarella2 wrote: »

He didn't say he had a claim because it was not his fault. ........... And is this a case for the Ombudsman?

Impress on your son (who won't realise the possible consequences) that he must declare this incident to all insurers when applying for a policy, and needs to double check (when he chooses an insurer) that it has been marked down against him in the policy schedule paperwork.

(The consequences can be major especially if he is a young driver - all insurers will discover the truth at the very latest if he has to make a claim, or one is made against him, and some insurers may say the policy is voided (some insurers only take young clients with spotless records), others can do so if they see the issue as a deliberate attempt by him to mislead.

Regarding your FOS question - no - involving the FOS would be a waste of everyone's time.

Flyboy152

jd87 wrote: »

Yeah even non-fault accidents have to be declared and they put your premium up. This is hardly breaking news. The idea behind it is that if you have accidents like this it means you are possibly prone to putting your vehicle at risk. This is normal, all insurers do this, it is not a case for the ombudsman. Sorry.

Not all insurers. In fact oddly enough, Admiral don't. I had a claim last year and I had a similar discussion with them regarding this. I tried Diamond (another EUI company and they loaded the premium, as did Elephant (another EUI), but Gladiator (yes....you guessed it...) didn't. Other companies loaded the premium, some ignored the claim.