How long after an accident can you claim car insurance?
Have you been in a bingle? You may be too shaken up to call your insurer straight away but how long after an accident can you claim car insurance?
If you or someone you love is injured, in particular, you won’t be thinking about whether or not there’s a time limit. You will be too focused on recovery.
The good news is that if you have comprehensive car insurance you are unlikely to have to lodge your insurance claim within a certain time limit. As the name suggests, this type of insurance covers you for most unwelcome scenarios, including accidents, theft, and damage to other vehicles.
A quick call to your insurer will determine if there is anything in the fine print of your policy about time limits but, generally speaking, when you make a claim is up to you. Wait until you have recovered sufficiently before worrying about the insurance.
Having said that, it’s best to make the call as soon as you feel able. This will ensure you have the best recall of the circumstances and the insurer’s assessor can gather any extra information quickly and efficiently.
This will enable a quicker assessment, and decision, so that you aren’t waiting an unreasonable time to have your car repaired, or replaced, and get back on the road.
When is it too late to file a claim?
Every time you pay your registration, you’re also paying for something important, known as compulsory third party (CTP) insurance. It is a legal requirement.
CTP insurance provides owners and drivers with liability cover if they cause a crash which results in an injury to another person. It does not cover damage to property or other vehicles.
There are time limits for making a claim after an accident for CTP, which vary between states and territories from nine months to three years.
If your car is registered in Victoria or Tasmania, you’ll have 12 months from the date of the accident to make a claim. In Queensland, it is just nine months, although there is also allowance for the “first appearance of symptoms of an injury”. Residents in the ACT have the shortest time frame – at just 13 weeks after an accident – to make a claim or provide a clear explanation why they couldn’t meet that deadline.
Western Australians must lodge a claim within three years from “the date the person is aware of the injury”. Any claims lodged after three years in the Northern Territory will be dismissed, while South Australians have six months from the accident or as soon as reasonably practicable if the at-fault vehicle was unable to be identified or was unregistered.
Whenever you lodge your car insurance claim, insurers must adhere to set timelines to respond appropriately. This includes coming back to you within 10 business days to either reject or accept your claim, or ask for more information.
Getting back on the road
Even if your car insurance policy does not require you to lodge a claim within a certain time after your car accident, do it as soon as you feel well enough. You don’t want to be without a car for long and any delays in claiming can result in delays in processing.
If you are unhappy with the way your insurer is handling your claim, lodge a complaint with us, and we’ll help you handle it.
