Which cost can you claim?
Fortunately, relatively few traffic accidents occur in the Netherlands compared to other countries. Yet many cars are damaged in traffic every year. Not only due to accidents on the road, but especially when parking and entering an entrance. However, claiming car damage has consequences for your insurance. In the event of damage, therefore, always consider the question: is it smart to claim the repair costs or not?
If you sustain damage to your car, first find out how the damage occurred. You may have been the victim of a reckless driver who ran into your car. If someone else is responsible for causing the damage and is also found guilty, then the insurance of this counterparty must fully reimburse your damage. It is also possible that you have been careless yourself or that you have made a mistake when parking, for example. In that case, there is no counterparty from whom you can recover the costs. The same applies to damage caused by weather conditions or vandalism. In those cases, it is not always smart to claim the costs of the car repair from your insurance.
damage free years
Every insurance year in which you do not claim car damage counts as a claim-free year. The more claim-free years, the higher the discount on your premium. In some cases, this can be enormous: up to 75% with some insurers. It therefore certainly pays to build up as many claim-free years as possible. If the costs to repair the damage are low, it can therefore sometimes be cheaper to pay for it out of pocket. After all, this prevents the premium of your car insurance from becoming much more expensive.
Effectsin front of you premium
A claim on your car insurance will affect your claim-free years. For example, when the damage was caused by your own fault or when a counterparty can successfully recover damage from you. However, if your insurance can successfully recover the damage from someone else, the claim will not be at the expense of your claim-free years. The same applies to damage that is insured under third-party liability insurance, such as broken windows and theft. How much your premium increases as a result of a claim depends on the claim-free years already accrued and the conditions of the insurer. So always make a calculation before you claim small damages.