Home / Two-wheeler Insurance / Articles / Tips to File a Successful Bike Insurance Claim

Tips to File a Successful Bike Insurance Claim

Team AckoJan 18, 2024

Insurance companies promise to help you out in challenging circumstances involving the insured bike. They do this in exchange for the premium. This promise is fulfilled via the Claim Settlement process. Different insurance companies can have a different set of protocols for this process. For example, ACKO has an online claim settlement process whereas some other insurer might have an offline one. Irrespective of the process, there are certain things you need to keep in mind for successful claim settlement. Read ahead to know more about claim settlement and tips to follow for a successful bike insurance claim.

Contents

Ways to Ensure a Successful Bike Insurance Claim Settlement:
Top Add-ons for Better Claim Settlement:
Frequently Asked Questions:

What is Bike/Two-wheeler Insurance Claim Settlement?

Bike Insurance Claim Settlement is a process through which your insurance company assists you financially concerning bike repairs or legal liabilities. The process involves the following three stages:

Intimating the insurance company about the reason for raising a claim.
Verification and investigation of the claim by the insurer.
Settlement of the claim as per the policy’s terms and conditions.

Ways to Ensure a Successful Bike Insurance Claim Settlement:

Here are some tips that will help you to file a claim against a Comprehensive Bike Insurance Policy that can be accepted and settled swiftly by the insurance company.

1) Early Intimation

The sooner you inform the insurance company about the incident for which you want to raise a claim, the better it is for you. A delay in such intimation can lead to claim rejection. For example, if your bike is damaged due to flooding, it is advised to inform the insurer immediately about the same and apply for a claim. Do not repair the bike without informing the insurer. In such cases, the claim application will not be entertained.

2) Collect Information

Gather as much information as you can to substantiate your claim. Such type of evidence includes pictures, videos, newspaper cuttings, links to articles on the internet, etc. For example, if your bike is damaged due to vandalism, click pictures and shoot a video of the damaged bike. Submit newspaper clippings or online articles that have reported about the incident in your locality. Such information will strengthen your claim and help the insurer to validate your claim application.

3) Right Documentation

Usually, there’s not much need for documentation while filing claims. However, certain documents are essential for certain types of claims. You might need a First Information Report (FIR) for a claim involving a major bike accident, a No Trace Report for a bike theft claim, and repair receipts from the garage if you opt for a Reimbursement Claim process. In the Reimbursement Claim process, you get the bike repaired and then claim insurance; whereas in a Cashless Claims Process, the insurer pays the repair cost directly to the garage as per the policy’s terms.

4) Cooperation

You must cooperate with executives from the claims team during the Claim Settlement process. Whether it is answering questions about a particular dent on a bike or explaining how the bike got into an accident, be patient and cooperative and explain things honestly.

Information/Documents Required for Two-wheeler Insurance Claim:

As mentioned above, the exact submissions requirements can vary as per the nature of the claim. Here’s a list of basic information/documents that are usually required for raising a two-wheeler insurance claim.

Valid Two-wheeler insurance policy (it should have been active when the accident/incident for which the claim raised had occurred).
Applicable money transfer information such as bank details.
Your legal name, address, and other contact details such as the mobile number and email ID.
Reports and receipts from relevant authorities as applicable.

How to Avoid Bike Claim Rejections?

Here’s how you can avoid bike claim rejections.

Raise a claim for instances mentioned as inclusions in your bike insurance Policy Wordings.
Keep your policy active by performing timely renewals, and claim against a valid policy.
Do not claim for damages that cannot be substantiated with proofs.
Do not misrepresent facts.
Follow the insurance company’s stated process.

Also, read: List of Mandatory Documents to Ride a Bike in India

Top Add-ons for Better Claim Settlement:

Here are the top three add-ons to get more out of your bike insurance policy’s Claim Settlement process.

1) Zero Depreciation

With this add-on, the depreciated value of the bike’s parts shall not be considered while repairing or replacing them. Thus, you will get a higher payout from the insurer. This add-on is highly recommended for new vehicles.

2) Invoice Protection

Insurers consider a bike to be a Total Loss if it is damaged beyond repair or stolen. In such a scenario, you are paid the Insured Declared Value (IDV) of the bike. However, with this additional cover, you will get the invoice value of the bike, which is higher than the IDV.

3) No Claim Bonus (NCB) Protect

This add-on safeguards the NCB component even if you raise a claim. This way, you get to raise a claim and benefit from the renewal discount as well.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Here’s a list of common questions and answers related to bike insurance claims.

1) Does a successful claim mean a reduction in the No Claim Bonus?

Yes, if you raise a claim, it will negatively impact the No Claim Bonus, which is a renewal discount. It falls to zero if you raise a claim, unless you have the NCB protect add-on.

2) If my bike is damaged because of fire, do I have to raise a Third-party Claim or a Comprehensive Claim?

Since you are raising a claim for Own Damage (damage to your bike), you will have to raise a claim against your Comprehensive Two-wheeler Insurance Policy.

3) Will raising a claim increase or decrease my payable premium for the next year?

Technically, raising a claim will increase the payable premium due to the impact on NCB. However, over a year, your bike’s value will reduce and the Insured Declared Value will be comparatively less, which will lower the payable premium.

4) What happens if my bike is stolen and the police officials give a No Trace Report for it?

Once you receive the No Trace Report, you need to submit it to the insurance company. They will settle the bike theft claim by offering you the two-wheeler’s Insured Declared Value (IDV).

5) Can I claim against a bike insurance plan twice in a policy period?

Yes, you can claim twice during the policy period if you meet the applicable terms and conditions.

Disclaimer: The content on this page is generic and shared only for informational and explanatory purposes. It is based on industry experience and several secondary sources on the internet; and is subject to changes. Please go through the applicable policy wordings for updated ACKO-centric content and before making any insurance-related decisions.