How To Claim Car/Bike Insurance – A Step-By-Step Guide

Moreover, It is worth mentioning that not many people know how to claim insurance after getting involved in an accident. As such, many people consider claiming insurance after an accident as a tedious process. However, in reality, claiming insurance after getting involved in an accident involves only a few steps. So, here is a step-by-step guide on how to claim your car/bike insurance.

Take Pictures

Taking pictures of the accident is a very important and crucial step as it will help validate the accident. This step will help smoothen the remaining process of claim settlement. Moreover, while taking pictures of the accident, it is very important to click pictures of the car/bike and the accident spot.

In addition to that, you can also note down the name and contact details of witnesses to further validate the accident.

Inform Insurer

One of the primary reasons for insurance claims to be denied is that many people fail to inform the insurer within a particular timeline. As such, it is wise to inform your insurer about the accident as soon as possible. Also, while informing about the whereabouts of the accident, it is very important not to hide any information.

Since informing the insurer plays a key role in the insurance claim process, it is recommended to reach your insurer and understand the time limit for an insurance claim.

File FIR

The next step in claiming insurance will be to file an FIR (First Information Report) at the nearest police station. After the FIR has been filed, a police personnel will visit the accident spot and try to verify the cause of the accident. In addition to that, the police personnel will also take the record of the driver, witnesses and other people involved in the accident.

However, it is worth mentioning that not all types of accidents require an FIR report to claim insurance. This includes minor accidents involving a few scratches and dents.

Submission Of The Relevant Documents

After completing the above steps, you have to provide relevant documents such as a copy of the insurance policy, a copy of the First Information Report (FIR), a copy of the driver's license, and a copy of the registration certificate (RC) of the car/bike to start your insurance claim process.

It is worth mentioning that the insurance cannot be claimed if you fail to provide any of the above-mentioned documents.

Inspection Process

Once the above-listed documents have been submitted to the insurer, you should request your insurer to send a surveyor to start the inspection process. This surveyor will asses the total damage to the car/bike and he/she will also help you select a suitable workshop in case of a 'Cashless Claim'.

Repair Of The Car / Bike

Once all the above steps have been completed, the car/bike involved in the accident can be sent to the workshop for repairs. However, there are two types of claims - Cashless Claim, and Reimbursement Claim.

Cashless Claim: Under Cashless Claim, the damaged car/bike can only be repaired at the workshops listed by the insurer. However, apart from the deductibles, the rest of the amount for the repair will be paid by the insurer.

Reimbursement Claim: Under this claim, the car/bike can be repaired at any workshop, but the full amount for the repair should be initially borne by the policyholder. Post the repair, the policyholder must submit all the bills, receipts, photographs, etc, to the insurance company. After this, the insurer will reimburse the repair amounts after subtracting all the deductibles.

Thoughts About The Car / Bike Insurance Claim Process

The car/bike insurance claim process is relatively simple and straightforward. However, it is the lack of knowledge and the resulting unnecessary confusion that leads to complexity in the insurance claiming process.