How to correctly declare accident

wba31

Last year I was taking my wife's car to the garage and had an accident that was my fault, and we had to claim on her insurance (I'm a named driver on her policy and she on mine)

I'm coming up for renewing my insurance policy on my car now, and I'm starting to shop around for quotes so that i can be ready to either renew with my existing insurer or buy a new policy elsewhere depending on price.

When declaring the incident last year, do i have to put it in both mine and my wife's history? Or does it go just on my wife's as it was a claim on her policy? but then i was the driver so I'm the one who should be penalised as I'm the greater risk? or is it correct that as im the risky driver, but she had to claim on her policy that it should go on both sets of history?

I dont want to put too little in, and do it wrong, or put it twice if unneccessary and take the hit (it's doubling my policy amount from last year - which if right is just a fact i just need to accept...)

Many thanks

AdrianC

What does the wording of the question actually ask? Not what you hope it asks, or what you think it might really mean. What it actually asks.

The meerkats, f'rinstance, ask...

Have you had any motor accidents, claims or losses in the past 5 years, no matter who was at fault or if a claim was made?

with a pop-up that says

It is really important you tell us about all motor vehicle related accidents, claims and losses

And, for named drivers, the exact same question is asked...

So - do you think that wording requires you to declare the incident you describe or not?
Yes, of course. For both of you. You had the accident. Your wife had the claim.

A further clue:
If you declare something you didn't need to, it won't make any difference to the premium.
If you don't declare something that you did need to, you run the risk of the policy being cancelled.

Quentin

The correct way to disclose this:


On your own policy: Only disclose it as part of your history


On your wife's policy: If you are remaining a named driver she only discloses it as part of your history.


If you are no longer to be a named driver then she discloses it as part of her claim history

Alter_ego

So what it boils down to is - Read the question carefully and answer truthfully.

wba31

Quentin wrote: »

The correct way to disclose this:


On your own policy: Only disclose it as part of your history


On your wife's policy: If you are remaining a named driver she only discloses it as part of your history.


If you are no longer to be a named driver then she discloses it as part of her claim history

Please correct me if I'm wrong but this seems different to what AdrianC has advised, which reads to me the accident is me and the claim my wife?

Quentin

You asked how to correctly disclose the incident.


(If you follow the advice in #2 you will end up reporting 2 incidents!)

AdrianC

Quentin wrote: »

You asked how to correctly disclose the incident.

(If you follow the advice in #2 you will end up reporting 2 incidents!)

No, you'll disclose one incident.

You'll disclose it as your collision, as explicitly required. You'll disclose it as your wife's claim, as explicitly required. The questions CLEARLY require you to do both - but it's still one incident.

Quentin

Nevertheless the OP wanted to know how to correctly declare the claim.

I am not arguing. Just correctly answering the question

Everyone is warned at the top of the forum to take care about posts here as anyone can post.

AdrianC

Quentin wrote: »

Nevertheless the OP wanted to know how to correctly declare the claim.

Indeed. And that cannot be said to be anything other than declaring it under both himself - as a collision - and his wife - as a claim.

Anything else is failing to answer one or the other question accurately.

As I said way up there ^ - if it didn't need to be declared, it won't change the premium. If it changes the premium, the insurer view it as relevant information.

wba31

I think to be safe I will declare accident for me and claim for her. they ask for the date of the incident and value of claim (which im not sure how to get..?) but if the information for both is the same I would hope the insurance company would put 2 and 2 together and figure out that it was 1 incident.

Needless to say i now avoid using my wife's car unless necessary!

Quentin

AdrianC wrote: »

As I said way up there ^ - if it didn't need to be declared, it won't change the premium. If it changes the premium, the insurer view it as relevant information.

No


If the OP incorrectly reports this as part of both their histories, then the premium will be (unnecessarily) loaded for 2 incidents.


(Do dummy quotes and you will see what doing this your way does to the premium v doing it the correct way!)


Anyway, you constantly arguing just confuses the OP, who is best advised to seek a definitive answer from his insurer.