What is an insurance claim?
If you are a vehicle owner and have vehicle insurance, then in case of an accident or damage to the car or its components, you can file the insurance claim with your car insurance company. The insurer pays for the repair cost. This compensation is as per the policy availed by the policyholder.
It is important to make a claim within two days of the accident. In the case of a cashless claim, the policyholder doesn’t have to pay anything, whereas in the case of reimbursement, the policyholder will have to bear the repair cost initially, and later, it is reimbursed by the insurance company.
Documents to Submit for the Claim of Car Insurance
To make a claim for car insurance, the policyholder must provide certain documents. Make sure that you submit all the documents to avoid hassles during the insurance claim process. You will be required to have the following documents:
- A copy of the car insurance policy
- FIR report that has been filed for the car damage
- Registration certificate of the car
Additionally, you will be required to submit:
- An estimate of the repairs
- Medical report in case there has been any physical injury
- Original record of any other expenses borne by the policyholder
How to claim the car insurance?
The claim process can sometimes become overwhelming for the car owners, and hence, it is important that you must know about the right steps of the insurance claim process beforehand. The following section highlights the detailed steps of an insurance claim:
Step 1: Contact the insurance company
One of the first things that you must do in case of any damage to your car is to inform about the car damage to your insurance company. There is a timeline, and you must inform the car insurance company about the same. This timeline may vary from one insurance company to another, so make sure that you follow the instructions as mentioned by your insurance provider.
Step 2: Lodge An FIR
Simultaneously, you must also file the FIR in the nearest police station. FIR is mandatory for the claim settlement, and you will be required to submit the FIR to the insurance company along with the other documents. The police will visit the spot to check the damage and will identify whether it was an accident or mechanical failure. The insurance company will also need the surveyor to check the vehicle. An important point to note here is that you must not move the vehicle without the permission of the police and insurance company.
Step 3: Take Photographs
To support your claim process, you must also click the photograph of the scene of the event. This will help you in the claim process.
Step 4: Submit All the Documents
After the FIR, your next move should be to submit the claim required with your car insurance company. The company will start processing your request only when you submit all the documents such as the FIR, car registration, DL, and other documents that your insurance company may ask for.
After the visit of the surveyor and the submission of the documents with the company, the company will assess whether or not the claim process is genuine.
An important point to note here is that the amount of insurance claim depends on the type of insurance policy you hold. For example, if you have third-party insurance, then the cost of damage to a third-party vehicle is covered, and in the case of a comprehensive insurance policy, the repair cost of the policyholder vehicle is also covered.
To save yourself from the hassles of the claim process, it is important that you must follow the steps of the insurance claim properly. In case your claim is rejected, you can raise a dispute with the grievance redressal officer as well.