Premium increase following non-fault accident

rca779

My son's car was just been written off by Admiral following a non-fault accident (he was stationery when the 3rd party swerved across the road and hit him head-on. The 3rd party has admitted full liability). Luckily he's find and no injuries

However, with my experience of Admiral, despite it being a non-fault accident and having protected NCB, they do put your premium up at renewal - they state that you are a higher risk because you've had an accident.

With this in mind and that accidents need to be declared for at least 3 years and therefore renewal premiums will be higher for 3 years, I have been asking them for additional compensation to cover these potential costs

So far Admiral have said nothing can be done. It just so happens that the 3rd party is also insured by Admiral so it's a win-win situation for them - increased premiums and smaller pay out.

Is there anymore I can do about this or do I just wait until September and see how much the renewal has changed by?

Car_54

It's not a win-win situation. Neither your son nor the other party are forced to renew with Admiral. Indeed, the more they increase the premiums, the less likely their customers are to do so.

Admiral (and other insurers) could produce stats to show that those involved in a non-fault accident are more likely than others to have a subsequent accident. The likely explanation for this is that (sometimes) there is something in the innocent party's driving (or parking) that increases the risk.

As for additional compensation, Admiral can argue that the accident hasn't created the additional risk, simply brought to light.

BTW Are Admiral really discussing your son's policy with you?

rca779

It's my policy, a multi car policy and my Son is a named driver on my wife's car. He uses it occasionally to visit mates - don't worry, we're not fronting.

Wherever I go for insurance now, we are going to have to declare this accident and no doubt pay additional premiums. I fail to see how his driving could be at fault. He was going down the road, saw the car on the opposite side of the road swerve over the road towards him, executed an emergency stop and came to a halt before the 3rd party hit him

DullGreyGuy

rca779 said:

My son's car was just been written off by Admiral following a non-fault accident (he was stationery when the 3rd party swerved across the road and hit him head-on. The 3rd party has admitted full liability). Luckily he's find and no injuries

However, with my experience of Admiral, despite it being a non-fault accident and having protected NCB, they do put your premium up at renewal - they state that you are a higher risk because you've had an accident.

With this in mind and that accidents need to be declared for at least 3 years and therefore renewal premiums will be higher for 3 years, I have been asking them for additional compensation to cover these potential costs

So far Admiral have said nothing can be done. It just so happens that the 3rd party is also insured by Admiral so it's a win-win situation for them - increased premiums and smaller pay out.

Is there anymore I can do about this or do I just wait until September and see how much the renewal has changed by?

Not win win at all, do you think either's premium will increase sufficiently to cover off the claim payouts? Most two party claims are going to be over £10k, do you think they are going to increase your premiums £2k each and if they did would you actually renew with them?

You ultimately have to substantiate what your losses are with supporting evidence, which is next to impossible unless you wait until the renewal. As has been said you dont have to stick with Admiral and certainly some insurers dont increase premiums for a single non-fault accident on an otherwise good risk. 

You can't just see how much his premium changes though, that will happen naturally even without a claim, you have to show exactly what the accident is contributing to your premium. 

XRS200

rca779 said:

 multi car policy and my Son is a named driver on my wife's car. He uses it occasionally to visit mates - don't worry, we're not fronting.

Your first post said it was your son's car.

The problem with recovering costs like this is the duty to mitigate losses - you would have to shop around anyway so could well find cheaper cover.

Baldytyke88

I have just renewed my Admiral policy, it was cheaper than any other quote.

If you are not happy with Admiral, choose another insurance provider.

Nobbie1967

rca779 said:

It's my policy, a multi car policy and my Son is a named driver on my wife's car. He uses it occasionally to visit mates - don't worry, we're not fronting.

Wherever I go for insurance now, we are going to have to declare this accident and no doubt pay additional premiums. I fail to see how his driving could be at fault. He was going down the road, saw the car on the opposite side of the road swerve over the road towards him, executed an emergency stop and came to a halt before the 3rd party hit him

Not necessarily his driving, but just the areas he drives in. The same happens if your parked car gets hit. Insurance may conclude that it’s a dangerous spot and they might have to payout if a future driver doesn’t stop. I’ve had three cars hit while parked in the road outside my house, luckily they were sufficiently spaced apart that there was little perceptible effect on my insurance each time. May be different for a younger driver.

ThorOdinson

Do you have legal cover? You could potentially use small claims court to recover the losses. It may not be worth the effort though, depends how much it goes up by.

Bigphil1474

I haven't had a claim in 25 years, my premium still goes up every year. The question is how much will this claim affect your future premium - nobody knows. Just make sure you note a no fault claim when shopping around in September. My guess is it will make little difference.

prowla

Make sure it is noted as a no-fault claim.

Insurance companies like to share blame where possible.

Frozen_up_north

My premiums for insurance in general have come down a little this year, no idea why.

Incidentally, if you shop around via that irritating Meerkat comparison site and buy insurance through them, you get discounted meals out and 2 for 1 cinema tickets, for a year. We save up to £500 a year as we eat out at least once a week, sometimes more often, and you get typically 25% discount.