Making a claim to an insurance provider can be stressful. Especially if it was your fault or could involve losing your ‘no claims’ bonus.
Insurance providers deal with claims every single day. According to a Statista study, UK insurance companies paid approximately 11.8 billion pounds in motor claims in 2020.[1]
We’ve listed the Top 5 Most Common Car Insurance Claims made so you can try your best to avoid becoming a statistic…
1. Windscreen Damage
Windscreens are prone to damage very easily. Windscreen damage, from small chips to large cracks, is one of the most common car insurance claims.
It’s tempting to leave a small chip, but this can spread quickly if you drive over a bump, hit a pothole, or experience a fast change in temperature. This can then obstruct your view of the road, which can be very dangerous. Get your windscreen fixed as soon as possible to prevent it from getting worse. Here’s just a few reasons:
- Fixing a chip is cheaper than repairing a large crack or replacing the entire windscreen.
- Having a damaged windscreen can make you fail your MOT.
- If the police stop you for having a damaged windscreen, you could receive a fixed penalty of 3 points on your licence and a fine.
Not all insurance policies cover windscreen damage, so check your policy documents if you aren’t sure.
If you’re a Vavista customer, you can find out more about making a windscreen damage claim here.
2. Theft
A theft claim doesn’t always mean your entire car was stolen. It could be that someone has smashed the window and taken your new upgraded stereo system or even spare change.
A lot of newer vehicles now have keyless ignition or entry, we strongly recommend you investigate steps you can take to protect your vehicle.
Inform the police and get a crime reference number to report whatever has been stolen to your insurer.
The Citizens Advice Bureau suggests you might be able to claim on either your home contents insurance or vehicle insurance if only your possessions were stolen from your vehicle. This depends on whether the stolen items are covered by your home insurance and where your car was when it was broken into. Check your policy documents to confirm.
If you are looking for home insurance, head to Vavista Home Insurance page for a quote.
You can try and make theft harder by parking your car in your garage, or by fitting your car with an immobiliser if you don’t have one. Be sure to let your insurer know if you make any changes like this, so your insurance remains valid. Looking after your car keys can also help to prevent someone stealing your car too, if you lose your keys or think they have been stolen check your policy documents to see if you have key cover.
3. Whiplash
Whiplash is one of the most common injury claims when it comes to road traffic collisions (RTCs). This neck injury occurs when muscles in the neck overextend, often due to the impact of a crash throwing your head forward.
In the UK, more than 1500 whiplash claims are made daily. However, detecting whiplash can be very difficult, making it a prime target for fraudsters.[2].
To prevent false whiplash claims, the government introduced the Whiplash Reform Programme in 2021. This programme limits the amount you can be rewarded for whiplash and requires medical evidence to prove your claim is genuine.
If you think you may have whiplash as the result of an accident you can claim whether you are the driver or any of the passengers.
4. Damage to parked vehicle
If you come back to your car and there is clear damage that wasn’t there when you left it, it can be hard to know what to do. This could be because of:
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- A car door hitting yours when being opened.
- Someone hitting your car when reversing into a bay.
- Or a full hit and run when your car is parked on the street.
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Whatever happened, take photos and ask if anywhere around has CCTV or some ring doorbell footage you could use. You can fit your car with a dashcam, which may help you to find a driver if they do cause any damage to your car and leave the scene.
5. Rear-end crash
Rear-end crashes happen frequently, especially when a distracted driver fails to see you stop. Occasionally, these are incidents of “crash for cash”. This is where drivers deliberately cause accidents to achieve an insurance pay out. This can involve a car in front of you slamming on their brakes for no reason to cause the driver behind to go into the back of them. If you think this could be the case, it’s important that you tell us about the accident as soon as possible.
If you’re concerned about ending up in one of these situations, get a dashcam. It acts as a visible deterrent to criminals targeting you and provides footage of the incident to support your insurance claim. [3].
You should also never use your phone while driving. Not only is it illegal, but it also puts you at a huge risk of ramming into the back of another vehicle.
Though you can’t always avoid these situations, it’s important to protect yourself as best as you can. Adequate car insurance coverage gives you peace of mind, knowing you’re protected.
Why not read of one What to do if you have an accident blog?
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