Understand the car insurance claim process for different scenarios

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•Survey of damage: The insurance company will likely send a surveyor to record the damage and estimate the cost of repair that will be sanctioned. This might even happen at the garage where you repair the car.

•FIR: Subject to the kind of claim you might also need to file an FIR with the local police.

The following sections describe the claim process for different types of scenarios.

Claim process in an accident - Own damage
One scenario is if you have been involved in an accident and want to claim for damage caused to your car. Apart from the above common steps the following might be needed:

1.Get the car towed: Get the car towed and sent to a workshop. The tow charges can later be claimed from the insurance company if your insurance covers this. A comprehensive insurance policy provides for towing charges from the place of accident to the workshop.

2.Review of the car by surveyor: A surveyor from the insurer's side will review the car's condition and take photographs to assess the expenditure that could be involved in the car's repair.

3.Submit documents: Within 24 hours of registering the claim, the insurance company contacts the insured party for collection of documents. A representative from the company collects the documents and gets them verified with the originals.

4.Approval and payment: The insurance company evaluates how much amount should be paid in lieu of the damages. Depending upon whether you choose a cashless or reimbursement claim, the insurer will pay the garage directly or reimburse your for your out of pocket expenses. A balance amount, if any, is paid to the insured person as per the terms and conditions of the policy.

Claim process in a third party damage
Third party claims protect other people who have been injured or damaged due to your fault.