Will Filing a Scratch Insurance Claim for a New Car Affect the Second Year's Insurance Premium?
3 Answers
Filing a scratch insurance claim for a new car will affect the second year's insurance premium. The following points should be noted when purchasing insurance: Avoid duplicate insurance: When purchasing insurance, avoid duplicate coverage. Even if a car owner duplicates coverage for one type of insurance, they will not receive excess compensation in the event of a claim; Avoid over-insurance or under-insurance: Over-insurance or under-insurance does not provide effective coverage. According to Article 39 of the Insurance Law: The insured amount shall not exceed the insured value. If it exceeds the insured value, the excess portion is invalid. If the insured amount is lower than the insured value, unless otherwise agreed in the contract, the insurer shall bear the liability for compensation in proportion to the ratio of the insured amount to the insured value; Carefully review insurance documents: Check whether the third copy is printed on white carbonless paper with light brown anti-counterfeiting background patterns, whether the upper left corner is printed with the words "Supervised by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission," and whether the upper right corner is printed with the words "Limited to sale in XX province, city, or autonomous region."
I just dealt with this, and indeed, claiming under scratch insurance can affect the premium for the next year, as insurance companies take any claims history into account. Even a minor scratch claim on a new car might result in losing the no-claims discount the following year. Last year, my car got scratched by a tree branch, and I claimed 800 yuan, only to see my premium increase by over 500 yuan this year. Paying out of pocket might have been more cost-effective, as such minor damage could have been fixed for just 300 yuan. Now I've learned my lesson—when I get a scratch, I first ask the 4S shop technician how much it would cost to fix before deciding whether to file a claim. Of course, for major scrapes, it's still necessary to file a claim—safety comes first.
As someone who frequently deals with insurance companies, I know that filing a claim for scratch damage will indeed increase the premium in the second year. The insurance company's calculation logic is based on the number of claims, even if it's just minor paint damage, it still counts as one claim record. It's particularly important to note that if a brand-new car files a claim in its first year, the probability of a premium increase in the following year is higher because the insurance company may consider you a novice driver. I suggest checking local repair shop quotes before filing a claim—some scratch repairs costing four or five hundred can easily be paid out of pocket. Also, pay attention to the deductible clauses when renewing the insurance, as some companies offer discounts unaffected by small claims.
