Claim-free years under a motorhome insurance policy

Accumulating claim-free years

By taking out motorhome insurance in your name and driving accident-free, you accumulate accident-free years. Accident-free years entitle you to a discount on your motorhome insurance. The amount of the discount you receive for each additional accident-free year varies by insurer. Essentially, the insurer is rewarding you for your driving behavior. For example, after 10 or 15 accident-free years, you’ll have reached the maximum discount.

How do you lose your no-claims years?

Making a claim on your RV insurance will cause you to lose no-claims years. A single claim can cost you five no-claims years. Fewer no-claims years can cause your premium to rise significantly in the following insurance year. You do not lose your accumulated no-claims years with every claim. Damage covered under limited comprehensive coverage does not count against your no-claims years. This includes, for example, windshield damage, storm and hail damage, and theft of the RV. However, if damage results from a collision or vandalism, filing an insurance claim will count against your no-claims years.

Claim-free years in Roy-data

The accumulated claim-free years are tied to the RV insurance policy. When the policy is canceled, the accumulated claim-free years are released. The insurer records them in Roy-data, a central database that insurers can access to record accumulated claim-free years. When applying for a new RV insurance policy, insurers can consult Roy-data, but this is not possible when switching policies. This is because those years are still tied to your current policy. In that case, you can use your policy to prove how many years you have accumulated.

Claim-free years accumulated abroad

In the Netherlands, insurers can access the Roy-data system, but your years of coverage aren’t recorded there if they were accumulated abroad. You can ask the foreign insurer for a statement showing your claims history. Of course, this is only possible if your motorhome insurance policy has already been canceled. How Dutch insurers handle this statement varies by insurer. They may credit you with claim-free years, or they may offer you an additional discount. Naturally, the first option is preferable for you. After the policy ends, you can carry over the years of no-claims history to your next motorhome insurance policy.

Making Smart Use of Your Claim-Free Years

Claim-free years are tied to the insurance policy. In some cases, it may be wise to transfer them from one policy to another. For example, let’s say you have a classic car for which you’ve accumulated 10 claim-free years. You’ve insured this car with liability coverage at a very low premium. You can transfer the claim-free years from this policy and use them for your family car, for which you’re purchasing more comprehensive liability and collision coverage. The benefit is greater when insuring the family car than when insuring the classic car.

Transferring Your Claim-Free Years to Your Child

Young people up to age 24 have a hard time finding affordable RV insurance. As parents, you might want to transfer some of your no-claims years to your son or daughter. That won’t work. They can be transferred between spouses, but not to other people.

Second Car Program

When you buy a second family car, your claim-free years start over at zero. As a result, you’ll pay a high premium for the second car’s insurance. This may be different if the insurer offers a “second car” policy. In that case, you can receive an additional discount on the insurance for the second car. This discount is based on the claim-free years from your first car insurance policy.

Validity Period of Claim-Free Years

Claim-free years that are no longer linked to a RV insurance policy have only limited validity. In the past, claim-free years were valid for only one year. Insurers have recognized that this is an unreasonably short period. Claim-free years not linked to an insurance policy are now valid for three years with most insurers.