Car Insurance Claim – Step by Step Guide for Claiming Car Insurance

You already know that having a car insurance policy (third-party) is compulsory for you to drive a vehicle on the Indian road. Like many other countries in the world, Indian Motor Laws have made it compulsory for vehicle owners to have insurance along with other mandatory documents like driving license (DL), vehicle registration (RC), and certificate of pollution under control (PUC) for driving vehicles. If you are a vehicle owner or planning to buy a car soon, research which car insurance policy would suit you best. Also, explore how to claim car insurance in case of any fatality.

How to Raise Car Insurance Claim for Damages to Your Own Car?

In case of a car accident insurance claim, you need to follow the below steps to raise the claim:

1. Inform the Insurance Company

The first thing to do is to inform the insurance company about the car accident by calling their toll-free number as soon as possible. The forms are available in the official portal of the insurer and across their branches. You must submit a duly filled claim form and the required documents to the insurer. Next, take your car to the garage and estimate the damages done to your vehicle.

2. Inspection by the Insurer

Once the insurer receives your claim application, they will send a surveyor to take note of the damages. They will prepare a report after analyzing the damages, and based on that report, the insurance company will send your car to the network garage to get repaired.

3. Document Submission

Once the repair work on your car is done, you must give the repair invoice to the surveyor after signing it. Also, submit any other document required and the payment receipt.

4. Cashless claim

If the documents are in order, your car will be repaired at the network garage, and the payment of the repair expenses will be made by the insurance company directly via cashless claims

5. Reimbursement claims

In case of reimbursement claims, policyholders are required to pay for the repair cost on their own after getting the car repaired. They can raise a claim later with the insurer by submitting all the original documents and invoices. The amount will be transferred to their account by the insurer as per the policy terms and conditions.

Car Insurance Claim Process for Third-Party Claims

When it comes to third-party motor insurance claims, they are slightly different from the others. Here are the steps to follow to raise a third-party claim:

In case of third-party claims, if you receive a legal notice from the concerned party seeking compensation using a claim, you are required to inform the insurer first
You are not supposed to communicate with the third party, make any monetary commitment or settlement out of court, etc., until you speak with the insurer
Next, you are required to submit a copy of the legal notice sent by the third party to the insurer
Along with the copy of the notice, you also need to submit copies of your driving license, car RC, and the FIR (in case of an accident)
In the next step, the insurer will verify all the documents and analyze the accident. If the insurer finds everything satisfactory, they will appoint a lawyer for you
Once the court proceedings are over, if the court directs you to pay the damages to the third party, your insurance company will make the payment directly
The claim amount paid in case of third-party claims depends on various factors like age, income, and profession of third-party

Car Insurance Claim Process for a Stolen Car

Below are the steps to follow to raise a claim in case your car has been stolen:

File a complaint by lodging an FIR at your nearest police station and get a photocopy of the FIR
You will have to submit the FIR copy to your insurer
Seek the final police report stamped by the court and make a copy of the same. Submit this copy to your insurer
Your insurance provider will assign an investigator to investigate the theft further. You must cooperate with the person with the required details
You will have to wait for the claim to be approved until the process of investigation is concluded
Once the claim gets approved, the insurance company will require the RC of your stolen car so that the owner’s name can be changed to the insurer
When all the formalities are over, the insurance company disburses the claim amount, which is equal to the insured declared value of the stolen car