A comprehensive motor insurance policy not only safeguards your vehicle from third-party losses and damages but also protects your vehicle against damages and other situations. To get the benefits of your comprehensive motor insurance policy, you must immediately file a claim in case of an accident or theft. If your insurance provider finds the claims genuine, it will pay for all the damages and losses caused to your vehicle and you. However, if you are unsure of how to make a claim, here are the simple steps to do so.
Steps to File Motor Insurance Claim in Case of the Vehicle is Damaged:
If your vehicle is damaged in an accident and you want to file a comprehensive motor insurance claim, follow the below steps:
Step 1: The very first step is to inform your insurance provider. It is suggested to inform the insurer within 24 hours of the accident. You can call your insurer, and send an email informing them about the incident. You must adhere to the time frame as a delay in informing the insurer might attract claim rejection.
Step 2: After this, you must file an FIR at the nearest police station. The police will then visit the accident spot and will try to get all the necessary information related to this accident.
Step 3: Fill out the claim form and submit all the necessary documents required for the claim process. In case of a vehicle accident claim, you must provide the following documents:
Copy of FIR
Driving license copy of the person who was driving the car at the time of the accident.
Your vehicle’s registration certificate’s copy
Your insurance policy’s copy
Step 4: As soon as you submit the claim form with all the relevant documents, the insurer will assign a surveyor to get the inspection of your vehicle. The surveyor will inspect the damages caused to the vehicle and can also assist you in selecting the nearest network garage of your insurer if you are opting for cashless insurance.
Step 5: If the surveyor sends a positive report to the insurer about the accident and damage to your vehicle, the insurance company passes the claim. As soon as the claim gets passed, you can get the repair work of your vehicle started. There are two types of comprehensive motor insurance claim settlement options available:
Cashless Claim: In the cashless claim settlement process, you can take your damaged vehicle to any of the network garages of your insurer. Your insurer will settle the claim directly and you do not have to pay for it.
Reimbursement Claim: In the reimbursement claim settlement process, you have to pay for the repair of your vehicle from your pocket. After the repair, you have to submit all the required documents like bills, photographs, medical reports, etc. to your insurance provider. The insurer settles the claim after deducting all the deductibles. The best part about reimbursement claim settlement is that you can get your vehicle repaired at any of your preferred network garages.
Steps to File Motor Insurance Claim in Case the Vehicle is Stolen:
If your vehicle is stolen, you have to follow the below steps to file a claim with your insurer:
Step 1: File an FIR at the nearest police station and get its copy.
Step 2: Inform your insurance company about this. You can do this by filling out a claim form in case of vehicle theft. In the claim form, mostly you need to provide the details like your vehicle number, your car insurance policy number, and other information related to vehicle theft.
Step 3: After informing the insurer, you should inform your RTO office as well for theft. You may need to fill certain forms in RTO as well and get them signed by the RTO officer. Along with the signed forms, the RTO will also give you the transfer papers that you have to submit to your insurance company.
Step 4: Submit all the required documents to the insurance company. The list of required documents is mentioned below:
FIR’s copy
Copy of insurance policy
Copy of driving license
Claim form
Copy of RC book
Transfer papers issued from RTO and other relevant forms
Step 5: As soon as you file the FIR, the police will start investigating your lost vehicle. In case, the police are unable to trace your vehicle within a particular time frame, you are eligible to receive a ‘No Trace Certificate’ from the police station. This document is very important to file the claim.
Points to Remember While Filing a Motor Insurance Claim:
Always remember to inform the insurance company about the damage or theft within a stipulated time frame.
Note down the vehicle number, colour, and model number of the other vehicle involved in the accident.
Avoid making any statement in front of the insurance company or police until you are very sure about it.
Conclusion
Almost all insurance companies these days have active customer care teams. Therefore, inform the insurer at any time. Keep the points to remember in mind at the time of making a claim. Avoid presenting any false information. If you follow the simple process mentioned above, your claim can settle without any issues.
