Can I Get Car Insurance If I’ve Recently Been Involved In A Car Accident?

Caeva O'Callaghan | March 3rd, 2023

Getting a quote for car insurance is relatively easy – but what if you’ve just had an accident? Will you be able to insure your car?

Yes. You will be able to get car insurance no problem, once you settle your accident claim.

The claim in progress must be finalised before you can renew or purchase a new insurance policy. This is why finalising claims as quickly and smoothly as possible is very important.

In this article, we’ll cover questions such as:

• I was in an accident, can I still get car insurance?
• Will my car insurance go up if I’m in an accident?
• How do I switch car insurance policies after an accident?

Don’t forget, any car insurance company will want to know your claims history before you purchase a new policy.

First, settle your claim

If your claim for your car accident is ongoing, it will be nearly impossible to receive a new quote. There’s simply too many factors in the air for the competing company to make a decision on how much to charge you for your car insurance. Once the claim is over with, finding a car insurance quote will be much easier.

If you’re lucky enough to find a car insurance provider who is willing to give you a quote while your claim is ongoing, don’t hide the fact. It’s not worth the risk of to lie about your claims history: it counts as insurance fraud. This type of crime comes with hefty consequences, and will certainly impact your ability to get insurance down the road.

Instead of shopping around for a new quote, you will likely need to renew with your existing insurance provider. It’s much better to just click “renew”, and compare quotes later on.

About your no claims bonus

If your insurance company has reduced your no claims bonus and the claim is “no fault” (i.e. no fault of yours), then your insurance company will refund you the difference.

But a ‘fault’ claim means when an accident is either:

• the driver’s fault
• not the driver’s fault, but another party can’t cover the cost (for example, if you hit a parked car and can’t find the driver)

If a fault claim is on the record, it means the insurance company considers it your fault the accident happened. Having one on your record is likely to impact your no claims bonus, if you haven’t protected it. This is normally stepped back by two years. Insurers should explain in their policy how any reduction in no-claims bonus would be applied.

For example, if you had four years’ no-claims bonus with no protection on it and you have a fault claim, your no-claims bonus will be reduced to two years.

Paying for extra protection on your no claims bonus means you spend a little more each month securing it against a claim. So, if you have a car accident and need to claim on your insurance, this kind of protection means you won’t lose your bonus.

Consequences of having an accident

Even if you don’t make a claim after an accident, you could still see an increase in your insurance premium. That’s because some insurance providers consider drivers who have an accident (even if it wasn’t their fault and they didn’t claim for it) more likely to have another accident later on.

This will not impact your ability to get car insurance, providing your claim is over with. However, it may affect your premium.

Have you had an accident, and made a claim on your car insurance? If you aren’t sure what steps you need to take next, give us a call. We’ll be happy to walk you through the process.

If you have had an accident recently, and are searching for car insurance, call us now!

If you have been involved in an accident recently and are looking to renew your car insurance, call us and talk to one of our car insurance experts. We will compare the market for you and explain all the various options with you directly. We are available for calls Mon-Fri between 8.30am and 5.30pm on 0818 224433 or 042 9359051.

If you are looking to get an immediate car insurance quote online, our quote engine compares the Irish car insurance market from 13 leading insurance providers. We look forward to helping you today.