Car Insurance Claim Inspection: Four Things You Must Know

Here is everything you should know about car insurance inspection for settling a claim:

When you buy insurance for a 4-wheeler, the insurer explicitly lists the claim process, which involves claim inspection. Car insurance inspection is the process of verifying the authenticity of the claim and the extent of damages caused to the car.

The insurer sends an authorised claim inspection officer, known as a surveyor, who assesses if your insured vehicle is damaged in real and that the damage occurred due to any unforeseen cause, such as an accident.

For instance, you file a claim for your car insurance policy stating that the car bumper is damaged because of a road accident. The insurance company accepts the claim and send an inspection offer to verify if your claim is accurate. The surveyor examines the damage to the bumper and whether it was due to an accident or purposely caused. The claim officer also evaluates if the nature of the claim is excluded under the car insurance policy.

A car insurance claim form inspection is the first step of the claim process, which eventually decides if your claim is accepted or rejected. Hence, it is critical to file your claim carefully and truthfully to avoid any claim rejections.

Four Things You Must Know About Car Insurance Inspection

• Before raising the car insurance claim

Before you intimidate your car insurance company about the claim, you should assess the type of policy you own. The comprehensive car insurance policy provides financial protection against any damage or loss of the vehicle. It also protects against third-party liabilities.

Alternatively, a third-party car insurance policy only offers financial protection against third-party liabilities and does not cover any financial loss to your vehicle. Hence, before raising insurance for a four-wheeler, determine your policy type, assess the exclusions and inclusions, and check if your claim is eligible.

Apart from this, check if you followed all requisite rules, such as driving with a valid driving license, not driving under the influence of alcohol or any intoxicant, etc. It is vital to assess if you have followed the law and not broken any driving rules. This will increase your chances of claim acceptance.

That said, in case an accident has damaged your car and also left you injured, your comprehensive car insurance policy will cover such claims too. Further, insurance for four-wheelers also offers protection against total loss and damage of vehicles because of theft, natural disasters, man-made disasters, etc.

If you have purchased any add-ons to enhance your policy, check their inclusions and exclusions before filing for a claim.

• At the time of accident

If you meet an accident, the first thing to do is check if everyone in the car is safe. Post this, assess if there has been damage to a third-party life or property. Call for medical assistance, if required.

Once you evaluate the well-being of everyone involved, examine the damages sustained by your car. Click pictures and make videos of all the damages, dents, etc., from every angle. Ensure the images are all clear and you have exhaustively covered every damage. You may need to present these pictures to the surveyor during the car insurance claim form inspection.

After clicking all the necessary pictures, intimate the insurance company and explain the entire situation. If your car is in working condition, the insurer might ask you to take it to the nearest garage for repairs. If your car insurance policy covers roadside assistance, you can avail of the facility and get the car towed to a network/non-network garage.

To register your claim, call on the toll-free number on the insurer website (Tata AIG toll-free number is 1800-266-7780) or file your claim online. Ensure to file the claim within the stipulated time, which is disclosed in the documents when you buy online car insurance.

• After the accident

After you intimate the insurance company about the accident and the extent of damages, the insurer will register your claim and send a surveyor to initiate the car insurance inspection.

During the car insurance claim form inspection, the surveyor will ask you several questions regarding the incident, how did it happen, damage caused, any injury, etc. Answer all questions truthfully and do not hide any facts. The surveyor might ask you for the pictures and videos of the car and the damages sustained. You would also need to provide your documents, such as car registration, driving license, etc.

The car insurance claim form inspection can take place at the garage where you sent your vehicle for repairs, or in case the vehicle is unmovable and is on the accident spot, the surveyor will do the car insurance inspection on the accident site itself.

Once the surveyor completes the car insurance inspection, they file an inspection report with the insurance company.

• Claim decision

According to the car insurance inspection report submitted by the surveyor, the insurer decides if your claim is valid or invalid. You might need to submit some additional documents.

If your claim is valid, the insurance company will approve the claim and settle the bill with the network garage. However, in the case of a non-network garage, the insurer will reimburse the repair sum to your authorised bank account.

Overall, to ensure that your car insurance inspection is smooth and hassle-free, follow these steps diligently to avoid any mistakes. When getting a quote for car insurance, do not only focus on the premiums, instead, assess the overall claim process of the insurer. It is advisable to take insurance for a four-wheeler from a company that has a straightforward claim process and a high claim settlement ratio. Therefore, read all car insurance policy documents and carefully file for a claim to avoid any rejections.

With a Tata AIG car policy, you do not have to worry about the claim process. Tata AIG has over 650 claim experts across India to assure your car insurance claim filing, inspection, and approval are easy and quick. Tata AIG recorded a 98% claim settlement ratio in FY 2020-21, assuring high claim settlement.