What do claim-free years mean?
Have you taken out a car insurance policy? Then you automatically build up claim-free years. Claim-free years are years in which you do not claim any damage from your insurer. They reward this with a discount on the insurance premium. This discount is determined by the number of steps on the bonus malus ladder. But what exactly are claims in relation to years without claims? In this article we explain it to you!
What is a bonus malus ladder anyway?
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 ladder consists, just like a real ladder, of steps. The higher you are on the ladder, the more no-claim discount you will receive. Each insurer has its own bonus malus arrangement. Therefore there can be differences in discount between the different insurers. The bonus malus scheme of your insurer can be found in the policy conditions of your car insurance.
Difference between claim-free years and increments
Claim-free years are years in which you drive without any damage, i.e. do not claim any damage from the insurer. This gives you a discount on the premium of your car insurance. The insurer links your claim-free years to a step on the bonus malus ladder. This step indicates exactly how much discount you will receive. One difference is that you can take your claim-free years with you when you switch to a new insurer. However, claims experience can differ per insurer, as each insurer is allowed to use its own bonus malus ladder.
What is the maximum number of steps?
Each insurer may use its own bonus malus ladder. As a result, the number of steps on the ladder may differ from one insurer to another. In addition, each insurer may differ in which step of the bonus malus ladder you start on. Have you built up 5 claim-free years? With one insurer you start on step 10 of the ladder and with another insurer on step 11. Just like any other ladder, the bonus malus ladder has a top step. If you are on this step, you have reached the top (the maximum discount). You still build up claim-free years, but these no longer count towards the no-claim discount. People on the top step can have 15 claim-free years, but also 30. There is a maximum number of claim-free years, namely 99.
How many claim-free years will I lose?
If you make a claim with your insurer, you always fall back five claim-free years. This is the same for all insurers. In the bonus malus table of your insurer you can see on which step you are after a claim. Have you built up 15 or more claim-free years? Then you always fall back to 10 years after a claim. How much discount on the premium of your car insurance you will get or lose, differs per insurer.
Claim-free years transferable since 1-1-2022
Since 1 January 2022, claim-free years are transferable in certain situations. In case of 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 the claim-free years. This way, they do not lose their accumulated claim-free years. In our blogpost you can read more about this new regulation.
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