When you’re involved in an accident, it’s not always black and white when it comes to finding blame. If one person isn’t entirely to blame, your insurance company may suggest that you make a ‘split claim’.
This means that both insurance companies will agree to split the costs of the claim. Depending on the specific circumstances and evidence available, this could be a straight 50/50 or a more detailed ratio split like 70/30.
However, a common misunderstanding for motorists is that ‘split’ claims are ‘non-fault’ – which unfortunately is not the case. This is because both insurers have covered a cost.
As part of our Know Your Policy series, we’ll help you to understand ‘split’ claims, and the impact it can have on your claims.
When ‘split’ claims can happen
‘Split’ claims happen when more than one driver is responsible for causing an accident, meaning both drivers share the blame. The insurance companies will investigate and decide if it is a split claim, and what the ratio should be.
Here are some examples of when a split claim might happen:
- A driver pulls out of a junction without looking and hits another driver who was speeding. Both drivers were guilty of doing something that increased the chances of the accident.
- Two cars are reversing from parking spaces and hit each other. Neither was paying close enough attention to avoid the accident.
- Two drivers change lanes without signalling and crash into each other. Both drivers failed to signal their movement to warn other road users.
Why they are recorded as ‘fault’ claims
A ‘non-fault’ claim typically means that your insurer manages to get all the money they paid out back from the other driver’s insurer. However, with a split claim, both insurance companies pay some of the costs. This means neither gets all their money back. As a result, these claims are marked as ‘fault’ for all drivers involved.
How it impacts your insurance
Although a split claim can sometimes be solved faster, it’s important to understand how it affects your insurance. Even if you weren’t entirely to blame, your insurer still has to pay money in a split claim, so it’s counted as a ‘fault’ claim. When this happens, your insurance risk profile changes, which impacts your no claims discount and likely leads to an increase in your future premiums.
When your insurer pays out for some costs due to a split claim, it leads to:
- Losing some or all of your no claims discount.
- The possibility of higher insurance prices in the future.
- The incident being recorded in your claims history.
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