Car insurance is necessary to protect a vehicle in case of any untoward incident like road crashes. The coverage can put the insured vehicle owner rest assured if anything like that happens to them on the road. They can notify their insurers to help them cover the vehicle damages. The procedure of notifying the insurer of compensation for the vehicle damages is called filing insurance claims.
However, did you know how many claims are allowed in your car insurance policy? Some consumers may not know when it comes to limitation to file a claim (within a year). Read on as we explain below.
How many insurance claims can be filed within a year?
To your knowledge, most insurance coverage does not limit the number of claims you may file. There are no restrictions on the number of claims allowed under your policy in a year.
Therefore, you can file as many claims as you want.
However, please be reminded that numerous amounts of claims can affect your No Claim Discount (NCD). NCD is a ‘reward’ scheme for you if no claim was made on your insurance policy on an annual basis. Different NCD rates are applicable for different classes of vehicles.
NCD is a discount ranging from 25-55% on your premium payable that has to be earned by maintaining a claim-free record in the past 12 months.
Can you just file an insurance claim every single time?
Nevertheless, a claim approval is based on two factors which are: 1) the type of claim and, 2) the degree of damage to your vehicle.
You are advised to file a claim against the car insurance if the vehicle damages are substantial. However, you should pay yourself if the damage is not severe. Examples are such as dents on the bumper or a damaged mirror.
In addition to avoiding the hassle of having filed a claim, you can save your discount.
Downside of filing multiple insurance claims
Affect NCD
Your insurance provider will give you a reduction on your NCD rate for each year that you go without filing a claim under your insurance coverage.
Hence, if you file a claim, you may forfeit this discount. As a result, only file a car insurance claim if the repair costs are higher than the NCD amount.
You can consider paying for the damages out of your pocket if you caused the accident to keep your NCD. Most people will opt to settle it privately if the damage incurred may be smaller than what can be saved by the current NCD rate.
You can check your NCD rate online. You just need to provide your your vehicle plate number and identity card number.
Increase in premium
Multiple claims mean that you pose a higher risk to the insurance provider. In return, the insurer might increase the premium when you renew the policy.
Therefore, please be sure to practice safe driving. Avoid any possible road crashes that may lead to filing an insurance claim.
As such, do not engage in distracted driving; stay off the roads when the weather is bad; park your car in a garage or under a carport, and keep your car in tip-top shape.
Avoid multiple insurance claims to keep your NCD
It is hard to predict whether filing one more claim will affect your policy since rules can vary by the insurance company.
Your insurance provider won’t just cancel your policy outright if you file multiple claims.
Don’t be too relaxed. These multiple claims may cause your insurer to raise your rates or decide not to renew your policy at the end of your term.
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