How Many Claims Can Be Raised in Two-wheeler Insurance Policy?

How Many Claims Can Be Raised in a Bike Insurance Policy in a Year?

In India, there are no such restrictions on the number of claims you can raise in a year. However, raising a claim once will affect the No Claim Bonus (NCB), and repeated claims within a year will also increase the premium amount at the time of renewal of the policy.

In case you have purchased a zero depreciation bike insurance add-on cover with your comprehensive bike insurance plan, there are restrictions on the number of claims you can make in a year. This restriction varies from insurer to insurer. Usually, two claims are allowed by many insurance companies.

What Happens When You Raise Claims Repeatedly?

There is no limit on raising claims under your bike insurance policy. However, you must be careful while filing claims multiple times because it will hamper your other-related benefits. Below are those other benefits-

1. No Claim Bonus (NCB)- It is a bonus given in the form of a discount at the time of policy renewal for not raising a single claim during the previous policy term. The discount percentage varies from 20-50% and keeps on increasing with every consecutive claim-free year. If you raise any claim between your policy term, you will lose all the accumulated bonus discounts. Also, we suggest you not raise the claim for small damages, or else you can buy an NCB protection bike insurance add-on cover to save your accumulated bonus even if you raise the claim.

2. Increment in Premium- When you repeatedly raise claims under your bike insurance policy within a year, your insurance company may increase the premium during the renewal. The reason behind this is simple, raising multiple claims means you increase the financial risk to the insurer, and to cover that, they might increase the premium of the policy.

3. Deductibles- If your repair bill is lower than the deductibles mentioned in your policy document, it is suggested to not raise a claim. In case you do not follow this and make a claim, you will receive an insufficient compensation amount because of this deductible factor.

4. Zero Depreciation Bike Insurance Add-on Cover Limit- When you choose zero depreciation bike insurance add-on cover with your bike insurance policy, you are limited on the number of claims you can raise under this in a year.

When is the Best Time to Raise Claims?

Getting the best two-wheeler insurance for your bike is simple, but knowing when to raise the claim can be a quiet task for you. So, below we have a couple of tips to make you aware of when not to raise a claim against your bike insurance policy-

• It is advised not to raise the claims under your two-wheeler insurance policy when the receivable discount bonus amount of the No Claim Bonus is more than the repair expense on the bike.
• When your repair bill amount is less than deductibles, then you should not apply for claims. A deductible is an amount payable by the policyholder during the claim settlement. If the amount payable by the policyholder does not exceed the deductible, the insurer does not offer any claim amount.
  Moreover, you should keep in mind that if you are raising an amount under one claim for two separate mishaps, then the set deductible shall be separate for both events.
• When the third party is liable to pay for the damages that occurred during an accident, you should take the benefit and do not brag to pay by yourself.

Process of Raising Claims Under Your Bike Insurance Policy

Before filing claims against the damages, the first thing you must do is to notify or intimate your insurer about the mishap. The online bike insurance claim process offers a hassle-free experience, however, you need to follow the required steps. For clear understanding, we have mentioned steps below for raising the claims under your bike insurance policy-

• When your bike meets with an accident and needs repair work, the first thing you have to do is to intimate your insurer and the local police.
• Take photographs of the damaged bike and the accident site on your smartphone. It will help you at the time of inspection by the surveyor.
• Your insurer will send an authorised surveyor to evaluate the damages. You must share the taken photographs of the event with him.
• Once the inspection is over, you will have to fill up the claim form and submit the required documents to your insurance provider.
• After the verification of the submitted documents, your insurer will send the bike to the nearest network garage for repair work in case of cashless claim settlement. If you have chosen reimbursement claim settlement, make sure you collect all the bills for bike repair so that you can send them to your insurer for reimbursing the amount.

Documents Required for Raising Bike Insurance Claims

The documents asked by your insurer for raising claims are- a claim form duly filled along with an attached RC copy of the bike, DL, tax payment receipt copy of the bike, FIR copy in case of third-party damage, estimated repair bill, and bike insurance documents.

Summarising

There is no limit to the number of claims you can raise in your bike insurance policy. However, it is always advised to not raise multiple claims within a year, so it does not affect your other-related benefits. Also, try to intimate your insurer regarding the accident as early as possible to raise claims, so your insurance company does not deny the claim based on a disclaimer about timely intimation.