But the length of time it takes insurers to process claims is another matter.
According to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), claim delays are one of the leading reasons that complaints about car insurers increased last year. And among those in our claimants survey, a substantial 39% reported that they had needed to chase their insurer to make their claim progress.
We also explore other key issues dividing the best from the worst, and give some pointers on what to do if your claim grinds to a halt.
The best insurers for speed of dealing with claims
We asked claimants with 19 brands to rate their provider for its speed in dealing with their claim.
But nearly a third (six) of providers shuffled along with just two stars. Click on the links to see our more detailed reviews.
Other ways claims go wrong
When it came to settlement value – how much the insurer settled claims for – the majority of insurers (10) rated earned two stars, with only NFU Mutual getting five stars.
Nearly three quarters (14) of the firms compared received two stars when rated for giving customers communication updates on claim progress. The top performers were NFU Mutual with four stars, and Aviva, Direct Line, Lloyds Bank and LV managing three stars.
The majority of insurers also received two stars when claimants fed back on how well different parties (for example, insurers, repairers, claims handling companies) had worked together to resolve their claim.
Find out more:How to get back on the road faster
While it might feel like there's little you can control going into the process, following these tips below can help reduce the odds of a claim running into gridlock:
1. Check our car insurance tables
Find out more:2. Get detail about what happened
When you report a claim to your insurer, the more detail and evidence you can supply about the circumstances of the incident, the more efficiently and effectively it can handle your claim.
This is especially true if the incident involved multiple parties and there's a potential dispute around how an accident occurred.
3. Keep your own records
From repairers to claims handlers to legal advisors, lots of different people and companies can become involved in processing a claim, meaning there's always a chance of confusion.
Try to keep records of correspondence between you and people involved in claims. This might make it easier to clear up misunderstandings where they've happened or to flag any mixed messages before they become problems.
4. Make sure the settlement offer is fair
If your claim becomes a total loss claim – meaning the car is beyond economic repair and must be replaced – the insurer is likely to make a cash offer. This will reflect the trade-in value of the car immediately prior to the accident or theft, so if it's lost value (as is likely) since you bought it, you'll probably be offered less than what you paid for it.
However, if you think the insurer's offer seems unreasonably low, ask it to explain the figure it's arrived at. And if you can provide evidence that the car has a higher value than the insurer's estimate, it may be prepared to reconsider.
Check trade quotes for similar models in a similar condition to yours to see how they compare. And if you can, getting an expert to value your vehicle can also add weight to your case.
5. Complain
If something goes wrong in your claim – whether it's a decision it's made or how the claim has been handled – a powerful tool that can help put things right is a complaint. Tell the insurer in writing why you're unhappy with the service you've received and would like to complain, and try to outline what you think it should do to put things right.
Once it's received a complaint the insurer must respond within eight weeks. Complaints are often resolved in far less time than this and in the majority of cases, the insurer accepts some fault.
Find out more:Support our campaign to End the Insurance Rip-Off
We think too many insurance companies are letting customers down when they need them most, so we're campaigning to put pressure on the FCA to make the industry fairer and to provide better value for policyholders.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/the-fastest-and-slowest-car-insurers-for-dealing-with-claims-aa12h7g5elhL