The most common car insurance claims

Accidental damage without injury – such as a collision where no one was hurt – is the most common type of car insurance claim, Which? research has found.

Comprehensive car insurance policies cover a range of accidents and mishaps, but that doesn't mean you won't incur costs when making a claim. 

For example, there may be a significant excess to pay, and some policies also have gaps in cover that could leave you out of pocket.

To help you choose the best policy for your needs, Which? reveals the most common car insurance claims and the exclusions you should watch for. 

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The most common car insurance claims

The latest figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show providers paid out £11.7bn in motor insurance claims in 2024. 

Our survey of 4,719 car insurance customers who'd made a claim in the past two years revealed accidental damage without injury accounted for 49% of claims. 

Windscreen damage came second, with 16%. While 12% of claims were for accidental damage with injuries, and 11% for theft or burglary.

The biggest payouts were for accidental damage with injuries, with claimants receiving a median average of £3,400. Injury-free accidental damage, theft and burglary each averaged £2,000, while the average payout for windscreen damage was £300.

• Find out more: best car insurance companies

The cost of claiming

Comprehensive car insurance covers a wide range of risks, and our survey revealed that just 1% of customers had their claim rejected. 

But even if your insurer agrees to pay out, this doesn't mean all costs are covered.

Our analysis of 76 car insurance policies highlighted some of the most common omissions and limits to look for.

1. Holes in personal possessions cover

We found that one in six policies didn't include personal possessions cover. This protects items you have with you in the car, such as gadgets or a handbag. 

Fewer than one in 10 people we surveyed claimed on this element of cover, but the median average payout was high at £1,000. 

One in eight policies – including those from supermarket brands Sainsbury's, Co-op and M&S – don't cover mobile phones. 

Plus, if you have a dash cam or sat nav that isn't integrated into your car, a quarter of policies won't cover it.

2. Misfuelling exclusions

When it comes to misfuelling cover, failing to check the policy booklet could leave you hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

Our analysis found 34 out of 76 policies don't offer misfuelling cover at all. 36 cover it as standard, with 30 of those including both drainage of fuel and engine damage cover. 

Six policies only offer drainage of fuel. A further six policies offer misfuelling as an optional extra, but again, only offer drainage.  

Misfuelling can result in a high bill. According to the RAC, costs can reach up to £5,000 in extreme cases.

3. Expect to pay an excess

Even if you're covered for all your needs, you have to pay the excess on your policy when making a claim.

Our analysis found the average excess for an injury-free accidental damage claim was £152, but it could be as high as £400. 

Excesses on windscreen claims can also vary, depending on whether you are repairing or replacing. The average repair excess is £21, but it's £104 if you want a replacement.

You should always get your repairer authorised by your insurer first. That's because the excess can jump dramatically if you choose to use an unapproved contractor for your windscreen replacement. 

Our survey found the range of excess when using an approved repairer was £19 to £150, but using an unapproved repairer carried an excess of £74 to £495. 

4. Claiming may push your premium up

A no-claims discount (NCD) – also known as a no-claims bonus – is a percentage discount on your insurance premium to reward you for not having made a car insurance claim in the previous year. 

If you make a claim, however, you could lose your discount and your premium could rise.

For example, we found that in 82% of policies, a claim for personal belongings would affect a NCD.

A NCD can also be affected if a claim for accidental damage with no injuries involved a third party who was uninsured.

• Find out more: what's happening to car insurance premiums?

How to make a successful claim

The first step when making any claim is to report it to your insurer, providing as much detail and evidence as possible.

Try to keep records of correspondence between you and anyone involved in the claim to avoid misunderstandings or confusion further down the line.

What to do if your claim is rejected

If you're unhappy with how your claim was dealt with, or the eventual result, you can complain. 

You’ll need to give the business a chance to respond, but if it takes longer than eight weeks, you can ask for a 'final response'. If there's still no joy after a couple of weeks, you can request that the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) investigates.

Making a complaint to the FOS is pretty simple – just visit the ombudsman's website and fill in a short online form, including as much evidence as you can.

After considering all the evidence, the FOS will write to you and the company with the decision and if there is to be an 'award'. If your complaint is upheld, then this letter will include details of what the company must do to put things right.

• Find out more: how to take a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service

Support our campaign to End the Insurance Rip-off

We think too many insurance companies are letting customers down when they need them most, so we're campaigning to put pressure on the regulator to make the industry fairer and provide better value for policyholders.

You can visit our campaigns page to find out more about it, how it's progressing and to sign our petition.