Car Insurance: forgot to declare about previous accident to my new Insurance company

[asterix..]

Hello everyone,

 

I don't have too much experience with car insurance companies, so not too sure what to do. Maybe someone could give me an advise.

 

OK, so last year my car was insured with Direct Line and once I was involved in car accident which was not my fault. At the beginning I decided to make a claim because the other driver simply didn't stop and carried on driving, so informed about the accident to my insurance company. Apparently the damage to my car was not too bad at all, so phoned to Direct Line and told them that I would like to cancel the claim. I also asked them how this would affect my insurance history, they said that it will not affect it and it will look like nothing has happened. So I accepted that and just forgot about it.

 

Then renewal time came, I went with another company called Admiral. I genuinely forgot to declare about the accident I had last year. Last week we were chatting with friends about various accidents and this came to my mind. It's been over 2 months since I'm insured with Admiral now. So what should I do now? Do I need to tell them about the accident last year? Will they believe me I forgot to mention this to them? Or should I just leave it as it is?

 

My previous Direct Line insurance renewal letter didn't say I had an accident and Admiral has contacted Direct Line to confirm my 6 year No Claim Bonus. A few weeks later after purchasing new insurance with Admiral I called them and asked if my NCB were confirmed and if everything else is OK, they said it's all OK, you don't need to worry about anything.

 

So could someone please advise me on my next steps I should take in order not to screw up my driving history.

 

Thank you

[unclebulgaria67]

I would not worry about it. Insurers use a central claims database called CUE and I am sure that Admiral would have picked this claim up when you arranged the policy. I suspect that Direct Line removed the claim or amended their record, so it is not showing.

 

I would therefore leave as it is and don't do anything. If you contact Admiral they will probably want to note it as an incident you did not claim for and will want an extra premium. You should technically disclose such incidents, as Insurers do factor them in when calculating the risk premium.

[BankFodder]

I'm afraid that I disagree with UB.

If you have an accident that is sufficiently serious, the insurance will look at every detail of it and of you to find a way to wriggle out of paying. That's what they do.

Decalre the accident - and make sure they do it in writing. Taking the word of insurers on the phone - always means trouble

[afcwben]

I'm afraid that I disagree with UB.

If you have an accident that is sufficiently serious, the insurance will look at every detail of it and of you to find a way to wriggle out of paying. That's what they do.

Decalre the accident - and make sure they do it in writing. Taking the word of insurers on the phone - always means trouble

 

The OP did not claim off his insurance company as it was not serious and stated the damage was not too bad, so nothing for the insurance company to wriggle out of, or is there?

[BazzaS]

The OP did not claim off his insurance company as it was not serious and stated the damage was not too bad, so nothing for the insurance company to wriggle out of, or is there?

 

I'm with BF on this, depending on the question the insurer asked.

If they asked "have you had any claims in the last x years" then all is well.

 

If they asked "have you had any accidents in the last x years" then they want to know about accidents, not claims, and if you later needed to make a major claim they might then say "we have become aware that you didn't disclose a material fact"

[unclebulgaria67]

I'm with BF on this, depending on the question the insurer asked.

If they asked "have you had any claims in the last x years" then all is well.

 

If they asked "have you had any accidents in the last x years" then they want to know about accidents, not claims, and if you later needed to make a major claim they might then say "we have become aware that you didn't disclose a material fact"

 

Perhaps the OP needs to find out what Direct Line did with the claims information. Perhaps they just deleted the claim and if this is so, then it won't be reported on CUE, so no way of Admiral knowing about it . It is then their choice as to whether they want to inform Admiral of this incident and pay the extra premium required.

[dr fox]

Anytime ive insured a car online there is always the question that asks

 

"any accidents or claims in the last 5 years regardless of fault"

 

As BF said it could be a get out clause for them if something did happen. If it were me id play it safe.

[BazzaS]

Perhaps the OP needs to find out what Direct Line did with the claims information. Perhaps they just deleted the claim and if this is so, then it won't be reported on CUE, so no way of Admiral knowing about it . It is then their choice as to whether they want to inform Admiral of this incident and pay the extra premium required.

 

This is the actual 'key' issue ...... "the extra premium required".

If a material fact that would have led to an increased premium isn't revealed, and the Insurer discovers this when you need to claim, they have their "wriggle room" to decline the claim ........

[asterix..]

First of all thanks for all your support to this case.

 

At the moment my thoughts are to contact previous company Direct Line and ask them what details are being held about that accident and if they are recorded into CUE database as well. Would that be a good idea?

 

OK, perhaps Admiral didn't check CUE database on the time I was buying new policy with them. Also maybe they didn't check if I had any accidents with Direct Line when Admiral contacted them regarding my No Claim Bonuses. Who knows now how come I was that lucky to get away with that for more that 2 months already.

I could pay £10 to check what details are entered about me in CUE database, but that would take up to 40 days, a lot can happen in this time. What if I will get in an accident and I will need to make a claim. If that accident is recorded into CUE database Admiral will not pay me out and cancel my policy.

 

So perhaps I should contact Direct Line and ask them to confirm that that accident is not affecting my current policy and that there are no details about it on the database they are sharing with others, as the member of their staff simply told me "It will look like the accident has never happened"...

[citizenkain]

WELL,DONT BELIEVE ANY MEMBERS OF STAFF TELLING YOU,IT WILL LOOK LIKE THE ACCIDENT NEVER HAPPENED,these people are short on the ground when you try to refer back to them,my personal experience with insurance companies,tell them everything and get it in writing you have,as has been said above,insurance companies are notorious for using anything they can to do a wriggle!

[Ethel Street]

WELL,DONT BELIEVE ANY MEMBERS OF STAFF TELLING YOU,IT WILL LOOK LIKE THE ACCIDENT NEVER HAPPENED,these people are short on the ground when you try to refer back to them,my personal experience with insurance companies,tell them everything and get it in writing you have,as has been said above,insurance companies are notorious for using anything they can to do a wriggle!

 

I agree. And there's a more fundamental reason why it's irrelevant what the Direct Line employee said. Even if you could prove the conversation the opinon of an employee of Direct Line, your previous insurer, is irrelevant to what Admiral, your current insurer, think they should be told about the accident. Even if Direct Line think it's irrelvant Admiral might not and it's their opinion that will matter if you have another accident. And bear in mind many insurers don't check CUE when you sign up for the policy only when you put in a claim.