How to claim on your motor trade insurance

claiming motor trade insurance


If you run a business in the motor trade, it’s important that you and your employees are aware of the steps you need to take to make a claim on your motor trade insurance policy in the unfortunate event of a traffic accident. Following the correct procedure will help the claims process go as smoothly as possible and could even help to prevent any costly motor trade liability claims.

Motor trade insurance policies may include road risk cover, even for those businesses where driving a customer or business vehicle is quite minimal. If you are involved in a vehicle accident, it’s essential that you tell your insurer as soon as possible so as not to invalidate your motor trade insurance cover.

Here is our quick guide to the steps you need to take to make sure you get the most out of your motor trade insurance policy.

1. Check to see if anyone is injured
Before you do anything else, ensure that everyone in your vehicle and the other vehicles involved is okay. If anyone is injured, immediately call for an ambulance and the police. The police should also be called if the vehicles involved in the accident are obstructing the road. They will carry out a breath test of all drivers, as well as interview everyone involved and witnesses.

2. Exchange details
If you have been involved in an accident and need to make a claim, exchange your car insurance details with the other driver. The information you will need is:

•          Name, address and telephone number of the other driver

•          Make and model of the other vehicle including registration number

•          Their insurance details and policy number

If a driver leaves the scene of an accident without giving you their details or the other driver involved is not insured, you need to call the police to report the incident. If there are no other drivers involved, for example, you hit a parked car, you should leave your details on the windscreen.

3. Gather evidence

There is generally a lot of discussion about who is to blame directly after an accident. In the case of a dispute, you need as much evidence as possible for your insurance provider. Take some photographs immediately after the incident to help you remember events and verify your statement. It’s even better if you have dashcam footage or can make a drawing, noting the time, date and location of the accident

At this stage, avoid saying sorry or admitting fault for the accident until you are clear about what actually happened. It’s a good idea to try and find any witnesses in case the pictures taken are inconclusive.

4. What to tell your insurer when making a claim

Contact your insurer as soon as possible after an accident, even a minor one and make sure you have all the evidence and details to hand. Motor Trade Insurance policies will often have many vehicles registered, so it’s important to provide the exact details of the vehicle involved in the collision.

 If the evidence is clear that it wasn’t you or an employee who was to blame for the accident, the other party’s insurance provider will cover the costs. If the evidence isn’t conclusive, the claim may take a little longer to be resolved.

The details you will need when calling your insurer:

  • The vehicle registration number of your company vehicle that was involved, as well as the name of the driver involved.
  • The vehicle registration number of the other car and insurance details.
  • Name, address and telephone number of the other driver

5. What happens next?

When you contact your insurer, they will lead you through the process and explain what you need to do. If other people were involved in the accident, your insurer will contact the insurance companies of the other people to resolve the claim

If it can be proven that the accident wasn’t your company’s fault, you may not have to pay any excess as your insurance company can recover the money from the other driver's insurance.

Now you know what to do after a car accident, it’s time to make sure you’re properly covered. To get a low-cost motor trade insurance quote from the specialist insurers at Tradex, please call 0333 3131111

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