Insurance renewal after claim last year, but still have 2 years NCD?

anto135

So basically, I ( would have) worked up 5 years no claims this year, but had to claim last year when I drove over something on the motorway that ripped the underside of my car causing damage to the oil sump, exhaust and a few other bits.

I was expecting my insurance renewal to go up excessively but to be fair, it’s not gone up as much as I expected it to (£1500 from £1070)

The reason for post, in my insurance app, when I’m checking my renewal details, under the Key points section, it states my NCD status 2 years? I would have thought it was wiped from the claim last year. 

I’d built up the NCD with this insurer for 2 years and had built up 3 years before that with a different insurer, if that means anything? I didn’t have protected no claims on my policy as far as I’m aware.

 I want to check my options and do some comparisons to see if anyone offers cheaper. I just need to know whether to declare 2 years no discount or 0 years. I don’t exactly want to ring my current insurance to query it on the basis that they might look at it and state that it’s a mistake and I get a more expensive renewal quote. 

Can anyone offer any insight?


-EDIT:  I’ve looked through my policy details from my renewal last year. It seems 1 claim within 4 years reduced my NCD to 2 years rather than wiping it. Would I still declare 2 years no claims discount when looking for quotes? Or is this only applicable to my current provider?

Car_54

So far as no-claims is concerned, generally they reduce your NCD by a couple of years after a claim, rather than go back down to zero. You can safely claim to have two years NCD.

The increase still sounds pretty hefty for one at-fault claim, so good luck with shopping around!

BTW have a look at Direct Line (who are not on the comparison sites) - thay now say they will not reduce NCD in circs like your claim.

anto135

Thanks @Car_54, I must’ve edited just as you replied, but it’s helpful to know I can declare them.

DullGreyGuy

If you look in your policy book it will say what happens when you make a fault claim. For most insurers if you have 4 or more years NCD then you go down to 2 years. Some are more generous if you are on over 5 years.

Aretnap

And on the wider point, even if your new insurer treated NCD differently to your current one, the amount you declare is still whatever you have from your current insurer.

The question you are asked after all is "how many years NCD do you have?" Not "how many years would you have if you'd been insured with us for the last X years and you'd made the same claims. NB you may have to delve into the darkest recesses of our policy book to work this out."

Goudy

Don't forget you will have to declare the claim on any new policy quote.
They will want to know what type of claim, who was at fault, how much it was for and sometimes how much NCD you lost.

It's also worth pointing out how what you pay for your policy is worked out.
There will be a premium which they apply any NCD too.

In the event of a fault claim you obviously lose some NCD but your premium will also rise as the perceived risk has increased.

For example, your last premium might have been £1000 with a 50% NCD, so you paid £500.
After a claim your premium might rise to £1300 but with only a 30% NCD, so now you pay £910.

You can of course pay to protect your NCD but you can't protect the actual premium, that is always subject to change.

tifo

Goudy said:

You can of course pay to protect your NCD but you can't protect the actual premium, that is always subject to change.

2 claims in 3 years usually. Though i've had insurers say 1 claim and at the next one they'll deduct NCD. Not what they say in documents though.

DullGreyGuy

tifo said:

Goudy said:

You can of course pay to protect your NCD but you can't protect the actual premium, that is always subject to change.

2 claims in 3 years usually. Though i've had insurers say 1 claim and at the next one they'll deduct NCD. Not what they say in documents though.

2 claims in 3 years and no more than 1 claim in 1 year is the usual. 

I suspect therefore the comment about the "next one" was meaning if it was in the same policy year unless you'd already had your first claim in a prior year.