How Much Will My Insurance Cost After a Claim Go Up?
Your insurance cost after a claim typically increases by somewhere between 20% and 50% at your next renewal, and the claim usually stays visible to insurers for around five years through the shared CUE database. The exact rise depends on the size of the claim, whether you have protected no-claims discount, and how many years of no-claims bonus you’ve built up.
Why the increase varies so much
A small fault claim from an insurer who considers you otherwise low-risk might only nudge your premium up slightly, while a large payout — a serious collision or a total loss — can push the increase toward the higher end of that 20–50% range or beyond. Insurers weigh the claim size, your driving history before it, and how many no-claims years you lose as a result.
How protected no-claims discount changes things
If you’ve paid for protected no-claims bonus, your discount percentage itself won’t fall after one or two fault claims within a set period, but your premium can still rise — protection covers the discount tier, not the underlying price the insurer charges for your now-higher-risk profile.
How long it actually follows you
Most insurers ask about claims and accidents from the past five years on a new quote, and the claim sits on the industry-wide CUE (Claims and Underwriting Exchange) database for insurers to check, so it’s rarely worth omitting one — undeclared claims found later can void a policy entirely.
Frequently asked questions: Insurance cost after a claim
Does a non-fault claim affect my premium?
It can still nudge the price up slightly, since insurers see any claim as a marker of increased risk exposure, even where you weren’t to blame — though the rise is usually far smaller than for a fault claim.
Do I have to declare a claim from years ago?
Most UK insurers ask about the last five years specifically, so a claim older than that typically doesn’t need declaring, but always check the exact wording on the question asked.
Can protected no-claims stop my price rising after a claim?
No — it protects your discount percentage from being reduced, not the base premium, which can still increase to reflect the claim.
How Rooster can help
If your last claim is starting to age off your record, it’s worth re-quoting rather than auto-renewing — Rooster looks at your current driving, not just your claims history.
Had a claim and seen your premium jump? Download the Rooster app to see how much you could save on your car insurance.
