Making a car insurance claim
How do you make a car insurance claim in Ireland?
To make a car insurance claim in Ireland, collect all relevant details at the scene, notify your insurer as soon as possible and provide clear evidence to support your claim. This page explains what to do whether the accident was your fault or not, how claims work for uninsured drivers and personal injuries and what insurers must do when assessing your claim. You can also find guidance on repairs, write‑offs and what to do if your claim is delayed, reduced or refused.
How do you make a claim?
What should you do if you have a motor vehicle accident?
If you are involved in a car accident, follow these steps:
- Do not admit fault at the scene.
- Collect names, addresses, phone numbers, and insurance details of everyone involved.
- Note the registration numbers and details of all vehicles.
- Take contact details of any witnesses.
- Take photos or videos before moving vehicles, if possible.
- Contact the Gardaí immediately and if they write a report, get a copy of it.
- Notify your insurer as soon as possible, even if you do not plan to claim. For most insurance companies this is a requirement under the terms of the policy. In addition, this is to protect you if costs start running high or in the event of an injury arising later.
What if you think the accident was not your fault?
If you think the accident was not your fault, your options depend on your car insurance policy:
- You can make a claim directly from the other person’s insurance company.
- If you have comprehensive car insurance, you can claim on your own policy.
If you claim on your own policy, your insurance company will recover its costs from the other person’s insurer. The accident will count as a claim on your policy until your insurer gets their costs back.
This means your no claims bonus could be affected for a time and you may have to pay the excess on your policy. However, the excess should be refunded once your insurance company recovers their costs.
What steps do you take if the accident was your fault?
- Tell your insurance company as soon as possible.
- Wait for your insurer to confirm who was at fault. If they agree you were at fault, they will handle the next steps.
- Your insurer will cover the other person’s claim.
- If you have comprehensive car insurance, your insurer will also pay for repairs to your own car.
- If you have third-party, fire and theft cover, your insurer will only pay for the other person’s claim.
What if you are injured in an accident?
You do not have to accept the amount an insurance company offers for a personal injury claim. If you are not happy with their offer, you can reject it and refer your claim to the Injuries Resolution Board.
PIAB will decide how much compensation you should get for your injuries. You can submit your claim yourself and do not need a solicitor. For more information on making a claim, visit the Injuries Resolution Board website.
What if the other driver was not insured or can’t be identified?
If the car accident was caused by an uninsured or unidentified driver, you may be able to claim from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland. More information can be found on the MIBI website.
How do you handle repairs to your car following a claim?
Some insurance companies may ask that you use one of their approved garages to repair your car or ask you to provide estimates before you can get the car repaired.
If your insurance company decides that it is not feasible or economical to repair the car, they generally offer you the car’s current market value and take the car from you. This is known as an insurance write-off.
There are different categories of insurance write-offs. More information can be found on the Road Safety Authority’s website.
What must an insurance company do when you make a claim?
If you are required to fill in a claim form, the insurance company must send you one within 5 working days of being informed of the claim.
Support and guidance
Insurance companies must:
- Offer to help you with the claim
- Tell you that you can use a loss assessor to deal with your claim, but that you will have to pay for this service yourself
- Provide you with the contact details of the loss adjuster appointed by the insurance company and notify you that the loss adjuster will act in the interest of the insurer
- Make sure that any offer made following the claims process is fair to the policyholder
For timelines and decisions, they must:
- Let you know their decision on your claim within 5 working days of making a decision in respect of your claim
- Allow you 10 working days to accept or reject the offer
- Pay out on the claim within 10 working days of you accepting the offer
What if your insurer goes out of business?
A liquidator will usually be appointed to the insurance company and they will establish if the insurance company has enough money to:
- Refund customers’ premiums and
- Pay out on outstanding claims
If the insurance company is not in a position to refund you the premium you paid, you will be out of pocket. If you pay by direct debit, you should contact your bank and cancel the direct debit immediately. Either way, if you want to continue to drive your car, you must buy a new insurance policy.
If the insurance company is not in a position to pay out on claims, the liquidator can make an application to the High Court to approve payments out of the Insurance Compensation Fund.
The total amount the Fund can pay out for a claim is 65% of the amount due to the person making the claim. If you have commercial insurance you cannot claim under the Fund.
If your insurance company goes out of business, you should contact the liquidator directly for more information.
How do you make a complaint about car insurance in Ireland?
If you’re unhappy with your insurer, you can complain directly to them directly first. If their response is not satisfactory, you have the right to contact the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman. Get more information on to how to make a complaint to a financial services company.
