What is a no-claims discount?

How does the no-claim discount work?

Insurers determine the no-claims discount according to the bonus-malus ladder. This is a table showing the number of claim-free years and the corresponding discount you receive on the premium. The more claim-free years you have, the higher you are on the ladder and the more no-claim discount you receive. Each insurer has its own bonus malus scheme.

What does no-claim discount mean?

No-claim discount means that you get a discount on the premium of your car insurance, if you do not claim any damage with the insurer. No claim = no claim. It is always wise to check first whether it is better to claim a damage or pay for it yourself. With each claim, you lose 5 claim-free years, regardless of the claim amount. Because of this, for small damages, with a low claim amount, it may be more advantageous to pay for the damage yourself instead of claiming on the car insurance. Often the premium increase that occurs when you claim is higher than the total claim amount of a small damage.

What is the maximum no-claim discount?

The maximum no-claim discount varies from one insurer to another. This is because it depends on the bonus-malus ladder the insurer uses. Each insurer may use its own bonus-malus ladder. The maximum no-claim discount can be as high as 80%. If you find an insurance with an 80% no-claim discount, however, this does not mean that this is also the cheapest car insurance. One car insurance policy with a high 80% no-claim discount can still be more expensive than one with a 70% discount. It is therefore important to calculate how much premium you will end up paying per month. You can do this easily by comparing car insurance policies.

What is the no-claims discount table?

The no-claim discount table is also called the bonus malus ladder. A bonus malus ladder is a table that insurers use to determine the no-claim discount of your car insurance. The discount you receive is determined by the number of no-claim years you have. The higher you are on the ladder, the more no-claim discount you will receive. Each insurer has its own bonus malus scheme. As a result, there may be differences in discount between different insurers. You can find the bonus-malus scheme of your insurer in the policy conditions of your car insurance.

Car insurance no-claims discount relapse?

The more claim-free years, the higher the no-claim discount on your car insurance policy. But what if you do damage your car? Suppose you hit a pole with your car or you drive into another car. This causes you to fall back in no-claim discount when you are responsible for the damage you drive, and the insurance company has to pay out. It doesn't matter to the insurance company how big or small the car damage is. The moment you fall back on the ladder, you receive less no-claim discount and thus your car insurance premium becomes higher.

What is covered by the no claim discount?

The moment you are not responsible for the damage, you do not fall back on the bonus-malus ladder. For example, in case of theft of your car, windshield damage or fire. Also damage caused by a collision with a wild animal does not affect the bonus-malus ladder. Damages incurred for which you are responsible do affect the no-claim discount. In some cases, it is worth considering paying for damages to your vehicle caused by your own actions. It may be cheaper to pay for the damage yourself, and thus maintain your no-claim discount.

No-claim and a second family car can I apply that?

The moment you bought a second family car, you may be wondering if you can apply your first car's no-claims discount and claim-free years to your second car. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way for insurers. Usually the second car has a different regular driver with different driving experience as well. Claim-free years therefore only apply to one car at a time. Therefore, you cannot automatically carry the no-claim discount to the second car.

Often insurers do have a so-called second family car scheme. This means that if you have a second car with the same insurer, you benefit from the same discount. You cannot take the claim-free years with you; you build them up separately for the second car. In most cases, there are some conditions attached to this second family car scheme. Some examples include:

• Minimum age of driver; age should be at least 24 years for both drivers.
• Living at the same address; both partners have to live at the same address (resident children excluded).
• Maximum catalogue value; the second family car has a maximum catalogue value of €75,000, including VAT.
• Negative number of claim-free years; if one of the policyholders has a negative number of claim-free years, the second family car plan is not possible.
• No fault damage;no fault damage must have been reported on the insurance policies of both cars during a period of 12 months.
• Private purposes; both vehicles are passenger cars, and are only used for private purposes.

No claim protector; what is that?

A number of insurers allow you to get additional insurance on your no claim. We call this the no claim protector. As a result, you will not drop on the bonus malus ladder if you claim damage.

Claim-free years transferable since 1-1-2022

Since Jan. 1, 2022, claim-free years are transferable in some situations. Upon death, for example, they can be transferred to the surviving partner. Also for lease drivers and drivers who have lived abroad for years, it is now possible to transfer claim-free years. This way they do not lose their accumulated claim-free years. You can read more about this new regulation in our blog post.