I am about to renew my car insurance. Earlier in the year I reversed into a parked car and damaged it. Being an honest person, I left a note on the other car with my details and those of my insurance. I didn't claim on my insurance for damage to my car, but the 3rd party may have done. I am shopping around online (as I do every year) for insurance. On some sites I am asked whether or not I have had any accidents in the last 4 years, regardless of whether or not I made a claim, and I obviously declare mine. However some sites don't ask this question and just ask simply if I have made a claim, which I haven't. These sites tend to give me a cheaper quote. There is nowhere on such sites to declare such an accident. Do these sites not need to know about my minor accident? Am I OK to go ahead and arrange my insurance through them or am I being dishonest?

As you have found out even if you dont claim your insurance will go up if you contact your insurance company about any damage. I think if the 3rd party has claimed you would be contacted so I would go ahead and get insurance- if you are not asked about damage only claims then you are not being dishonest.

Good luck

Panda

In your shoes, I would first of all check with your Insurers to see whether any claim has been submitted by the 3rd party. The chances are that a claim was not submitted as otherwise you would have received a letter from your Insurance company to ask that you complete a claim form. Many years ago I had a similar accident and the 3rd party did not submit a claim. I spoke to them at the time and they advised that it was a company car, so they might not bother. It was only a minor ding.

In regard to the difference between the questions on the internet sites, you need to be a little careful. On the sites where it only asks about claims and not accidents, check the terms and conditions for the quotes. In the small print it mght also mention accidents.

In the event that the 3rd parties Insurers register the claim late with your Insurers, the information could then appear on a shared claims database that Insurers use. In the future if you then tried to claim, you could experience some difficulty in trying to persuade Insurers it was not a case of non-disclosure.

My advice therefore is that once you have checked with current Insurers that no claim was submitted, is to phone Insurers to arrange cover. Mention the accident and that you have checked with your previous Insurers, that no claim was submitted. It was a minor ding and therefore it was debated at the time, whether the 3rd party would need to make a claim. The Insurers may decide to just note the record not as a claim, but just as a note on the record.

Huckster