How long do you keep your No-claims years?
No-claims years are recorded in the name of the regular driver and do not keep indefinitely. Anyone who ends a policy without paying attention to this starts a good deal higher in premium later.
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In letter
Dutch Insurers record no-claims years centrally, in the database used between companies for that purpose. If you switch, the new insurer collects the number from there itself. You do not have to supply anything and a no-claims statement is usually not needed. What matters is what is recorded: the years belong to the regular driver of the vehicle, not to the car and not to the household. If your Partner covers most of the mileage, they should be named on the policy as the regular driver too.
If you end the Insurance, for instance because you dispose of the car or live abroad for a while, the years built up remain usable for a limited period. Many companies apply a period of about a year for that; others Accept a longer break, sometimes with an explanation of the reason. Because this differs per insurer and is not laid down by law, the only reliable route is: ask your insurer or broker in advance and have the answer recorded in writing. If you suspend the registration with the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority), the policy usually remains in an adjusted form and the record does not disappear.
The build-up stops and reverses as soon as the insurer pays out under the policy. Every claim paid on your own policy that cannot be recovered in full from another party leads to a fall back on the no-claims scale. Losses recovered do not count, and that is precisely why it pays to record the other party's details in full. Glass damage, theft and assistance stay outside the scale at many companies, but that is not a rule; check it in the conditions. If you have no record yet, look at it Insuring a car without no-claims years. The structure of the premium itself is set out at Car insurance.
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What to look out for
Four situations in which No-claims years disappear unintentionally or do not count.
The years are recorded in one person's name
Transferring them to a Partner, child or housemate is in principle not possible. The record belongs to the regular driver. A few companies have an arrangement for the surviving Partner after a death, but that is an exception with its own conditions. So register a second car in the name of whoever actually drives it, so that a record builds up on that policy too.
Lease, abroad and Business driving
If you drive a lease car, the Insurance is usually in the leasing company's name and nothing is recorded in your name. Years you built up abroad do not appear in the Dutch record and have to be shown with a statement from that foreign insurer. Not every company takes them over. Ask about this before you switch, not afterwards.
Falling back and the no claims protector
A No-claims protector stops you falling back a stepafter one claim, but not always the recorded number of years from dropping. If you then switch, the new insurer can go by the actual number in the database and your premium works out higher after all. When you have a claim, ask exactly what will be passed on before you decide whether to claim or to pay it yourself.
An incorrect declaration works against you
On the application you declare the number of years, the regular driver and the claims record. That is a duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code. If it turns out after a claim that the declaration was wrong, the insurer can reduce the payment or terminate the policy under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code. So check when taking out the policy that the number taken over matches the record.
What does your premium depend on?
- Number of no claims years: determines the step on the No-claims scale
- Age of the regular driver: young drivers fall into a different rate
- Zip code: claims and theft figures per area
- Annual mileage: declared when taking out the policy and Open to checking
- Type of cover: third-party liability, third-party, fire and theft, or comprehensive
- Excess: a higher excess brings the premium down
Insurers weigh these details differently. That's where your saving is.
What the claim costs you
| Situation | Covered on the policy | Costs you no claims years |
|---|---|---|
| You reverse into a bollard and have the dent repaired on your own-damage cover | Yes | Yes |
| You hit a parked car and only half the loss is recovered from someone else | Yes | Yes |
| Your car is stolen from the drive and the insurer pays the market value | Yes | Provided that |
| A marten chews through the wiring and the repair runs through third-party, fire and theft | Yes | Provided that |
| A collision where the other party is liable and their insurer pays everything | Yes | No |
| You pay for a small parking dent yourself and do not report it to the insurer | No | No |
On a small claim the difference in premium over the following years often weighs more heavily than the amount of the loss itself.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Do my No-claims years lapse if I have No car for a while?
Not straight away, but there is a limit. After a policy ends, the recorded years remain usable for a limited period; many insurers apply about a year and some accept longer. Because this differs per company, ask about the period before you cancel. If you sell the car temporarily, suspending the registration with the RDW is often more favorable than canceling altogether.
Can I give my years to my Partner or child?
No, transfer is in principle not possible because the record attaches to the regular driver. You can take out a second policy in the name of whoever actually drives the vehicle, so that they build up their own. Some Insurers have a starting discount for that based on a family member's years. That is something other than a transfer.
Does glass damage count towards my No-claims years?
At many companies it does not, certainly not where a chip is repaired instead of the glass being replaced. It is not a rule of law, though, but a choice by the insurer, set out in the conditions. The same applies to theft, assistance and damage from a collision with an animal. Check this before you report.
What if the other party is guilty?
If the loss is fully recovered from the other party's insurer, that has no consequences for your no-claims years. If recovery only partly succeeds, the remaining part does count. So always record a fully completed accident statement form with the registration number, Insurance details and witnesses; without that information recovery is difficult and your own policy pays.
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