It doesn’t matter how cautiously you drive, scratches will almost always end up on your car. After all, it is impossible to foresee the actions of other motorists or the condition of the roads in India.
In fact, dings and dents can happen as soon as you drive your brand-new automobile home from the dealership. Today, most dings and scrapes may be overlooked, and many automobile dealers even give you paint protection features like plastic coating or lacquer coating, which can be useful to an extent. Multiple or significant scratches, however, can detract from the beauty of your beloved automobile and cause unnecessary stress.
You may be considering filing a car insurance claim to compensate for your financial losses in this scenario. Can you move forward with it? The solution may be convoluted. Find out why by reading on!
Does Your Insurance Policy Cover Scratches?
Make sure to check with your insurer first to see if dents and dings are covered before filing a claim. First and foremost, review your car insurance coverage. The next step is to read your policy in full, paying special attention to any caveats or limitations.
To the extent that the other driver’s car sustains any damage at all, your own insurance company will only be responsible for paying for the smallest portion of the repair bill. But if you have full coverage on your vehicle, you can get your money back for repairs.
What kind of impact will this have on your No Claim Bonus?
The No-Claim-Bonus (NCB) is the next consideration after determining what sort of auto insurance covers the smallest of accidents. If you are an owner-driver, you may be familiar with the no-claims discount (NCD) that can be earned if you do not file any claims during the policy period. Gaining this bonus entitles you to a decreasing renewal premium on your insurance policy since the NCB rises with each year that you do not file a claim.
Insurance claims that are filed for minor damages to a vehicle, such as dings and scratches, will not earn you any NCB points. Filing a claim for auto body damage can wipe out any bonus you may have accumulated during the prior policy term. It’s better to pay for minor damages out of pocket and keep your claim-free record intact so you may cash in at renewal time.
Confirm the possibility of filing a claim to have paint blemishes repaired
Just because you can do something does not necessarily indicate that you should. You should consider the benefits and drawbacks of filing a claim even if your insurance does cover the cost of scratch repair. If the price of repairing the paintwork is less than your No-Claim Bonus, you shouldn’t file a claim. Second, don’t file a claim if the amount is less than your mandatory deductible. If you need a paint job but it’s not too extensive, you’re better off footing the bill yourself.
How Do Deductibles Work With Auto Dent Claims?
When buying auto insurance online, you might have to agree to pay a percentage of the total claim amount. This is referred to as the “deductible” amount. The remaining balance of the claim is paid by the insurance company. As a result, you’ll have to pay for some of the repair costs for your car.
Let’s say you filed a claim because your car had some minor dings, and the repair cost was Rs. 4000. In this case, you would be responsible for paying Rs 3,500 toward these costs, with the insurance company picking up the tab for the rest. An increased deductible will result in a significant out-of-pocket expense, making this option impractical.
However, filing a claim for even a minor repair under your auto insurance coverage will result in you losing your NCB prize. Be important to figure out how much of an impact your deductible will have on your finances before filing a claim for anything as minor as a dent in your automobile.
What Kind of Effect Will It Have On Your Premium?
Making a claim for car paint damage wipes out your no-claims benefit, as indicated before. Your premiums rise. Also, if you continue making claims, insurance companies may raise your premium since underwriters analyze and flag cases of frequent or bogus claims. Insurance covers unanticipated difficulties. It’s not supposed to cover routine vehicle maintenance; if you do, CAR INSURANCE providers will consider you hazardous. Premiums will rise. See whether you can fix automobile scratches out of pocket.
Conclusion
In spite of the fact that filing an insurance claim for a scratch on a car in India is technically possible, doing so is not recommended. It will have a substantial impact on your premium cost, as well as your no-claim bonus and deductibles. As a consequence of this, even if you will save a few bucks in the short term, you may end up spending more in the long run.