Affects Of A Claim On Your Car Insurance Premiums

April 1, 2010 | Posted by Graham McKenzie

Generally, after making a claim your car insurance premiums is expected to rise. The main reason for this is that now you have become a liability for the insurance company. They have to spend a great deal of money each time you have an accident and the insurer wants to ensure that your premiums are enough to compensate for the expenses and at the same time get profit from them.

To what extent your car premiums will go up is really difficult to comprehend. One of major factors is the number of claims you have had already. If your driving record shows instances of past accidents then premiums will increase further. If the frequency of accidents is more then you are considered a driver with high risk, and you may have to pay highly for it.

Your insurance premiums are also influenced by how frequently you get involved in accidents. In case you get involved into car accidents twice in a year then your car premiums are expected to rise considerably. Regardless of which company you apply for, you premiums will be influenced in a similar manner by your driving history, though you may shop around and get a better premium deal.

The young male drivers have to pay the highest premium rates. Though this may sound a bit typecast, according to a research done by the insurance companies such young drivers have a higher chance of getting into accidents. The young male drivers are considered a liability by the insurance companies, because they don?t have any past record. If such drivers get involved in an accident then their premiums will shoot up till they create a good driving record of several years.

However, there are some instances when your premiums may not be so affected, mainly if the accident was not due to your fault or if you have had a solid past driving record. Obviously, there are some insurance companies which will anyways increase your premiums, even if the accident wasn?t caused by your mistake.

In order to know the process how the premiums are set you must have a slight knowledge about the ISO symbols. ISO is the abbreviated form of Insurance Services Offices, Inc. and they give a particular symbol or number to every car. This symbol tells how much the value of the car is. This makes the ratings by the insurance companies just and identical for all. If you own an expensive vehicle then your ISO rating must be really high. This means that it will take more money to fix the damages of your car. Such vehicles usually have a higher premium rate. After an accident, your premiums will also increase regardless of your ISO rating.

Your car insurance will of course not be cancelled after accident, but it may increase so much that you may have to terminate it. Even though you call off your insurance after an accident, you will receive the full coverage of your claim. Remember that the accurate time of accident is extremely essential. If the accident took place even after a minute of the expiry of your plan, your claim will become void and you?ll have to bear the costs yourself.

Now you know how much your claims influence your premium rates. You may thus find it needless to file claims for light accidents, to avoid paying higher premiums in future. It is recommended that you avoid filing a claim if the expenses are below $750 dollars. You may even avoid claiming for insurance second time if you face another accident on your driving record in one year.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car insurance portal.