Claim-free years on a scooter insurance policy

Accumulating claim-free years

By taking out scooter insurance in your name and driving without making any claims, you accumulate claim-free years. Claim-free years entitle you to a discount on your scooter insurance. The amount of the discount you receive for each additional claim-free year varies by insurer. Essentially, the insurer rewards you for your driving behavior. For example, after 10 or 15 claim-free years, you’ll have reached the maximum discount.

Claim-free years are transferable between partners, but not to other people in your life.

How do you lose your no-claims years?

Making a claim on your scooter insurance causes you to lose no-claims years. A single claim can cost you as many as five no-claims years. Consequently, if you have fewer no-claims years, your premium may rise significantly in the following insurance year. However, you do not lose all the no-claims years you’ve accumulated with every claim. Damage covered under the Liability + Theft and Fire policy does not count against your no-claims years. This includes, for example, windshield damage, storm and hail damage, and theft of the scooter. In the case of damage caused by a collision or vandalism, however, filing an insurance claim will count against your no-claims years.

Claim-free years not included in Roy data

The accumulated claim-free years are tied to the scooter insurance policy. Therefore, when the insurance policy is canceled, the accumulated claim-free years are released.

For auto insurance, the insurer records the number of claim-free years in Roy-data. This is a central database that insurers can access to record the number of claim-free years accumulated. For scooter insurance, however, a cancellation statement is used.

When you cancel a scooter insurance policy, you will receive a cancellation statement. An insurer issues this only once, so be sure to keep it safe. A new insurer can only transfer your claim-free years based on an original cancellation statement.

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 accrued abroad. You can ask the foreign insurer for a statement showing your claims history. Of course, this is only possible if your scooter 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 experience to your next scooter insurance policy.

Use Wisely

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.

Validity Period

Claim-free years that are no longer linked to a scooter insurance policy have only limited validity. In the past, claim-free years were valid for only one year. Insurers have realized 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.