No-claims years and no-claims discount

How they work

Every year without an at-fault claim earns you a no-claims year. Those years give a discount on your premium, rising to seventy or eighty per cent with a long history.

The first years give the biggest steps. After that the discount levels off.

What happens when you claim

With a an at-fault claim you step back several years &mdash. Often five. That works through into your premium for years, even if you drive claim-free after that.

With a claim for which someone else is liable and which is successfully recovered, nothing changes to your years.

The calculation with a small claim

If the damage is just above your excess, work out what stepping back will cost you over the coming years. With a claim of eight hundred euros, paying yourself can be cheaper than claiming.

You may always report a claim; claiming is a separate choice that you can calculate.

Check your registration

Your years are recorded in Roy-data, the insurers' central register. Mistakes do occur: a claim wrongly recorded as an at-fault claim, or years that were not carried over when you switched.

Request your registration and check it. It can be corrected, but only if you notice.