Motor Claims History
Motor claims history records the frequency, cause, at-fault status and cost of past motor liability and own-damage claims for a vehicle or fleet, giving underwriters the core empirical input for no-claims rating and fleet risk grading.
- Category
- History
- Data type
- List
- Risk drivers
- Frequency, Severity, Moral hazard
- Underwriting impact
- Premium, Deductible, Condition/Warranty
Typical proposal-form questions
- Please list all motor liability and own-damage claims of the last 5 years per vehicle, stating date, cause, at-fault status and paid amount.
- How many claims-free years does the driver or fleet currently hold, and has the bonus-malus level changed at any renewal?
- Have any claims involved bodily injury, and are any claims still open or reserved?
Evidence
- Bonus-malus/no-claims confirmation from the prior insurer
- Fleet loss run report by vehicle and driver
- Police or accident reports for material claims
Why it matters for underwriting
Motor claims history is the most predictive rating factor in vehicle insurance because past at-fault claim frequency correlates strongly with future claim frequency for both an individual driver and a fleet as a whole. Underwriters distinguish at-fault from not-at-fault events, separate liability from own-damage causes such as collision, theft or glass breakage, and track how many consecutive claims-free years a risk has accumulated, since this directly feeds the bonus-malus level applied at renewal. For fleets, the pattern across drivers and vehicle types also reveals whether losses are concentrated in specific routes, vehicle classes or individual drivers.
Capturing the attribute and evidence
Proposal forms ask for a per-vehicle or per-driver listing of motor claims over the preceding years, distinguishing liability from own-damage losses and stating fault, cause and paid amount. Insurers verify the disclosure against a formal bonus-malus or no-claims confirmation issued by the prior insurer, a fleet loss run report broken down by vehicle and driver, and, for significant accidents, the police or accident report. Discrepancies between the declared bonus-malus level and the confirmed record are a common trigger for further underwriting review.
Effect on coverage, premium and conditions
A sustained claims-free record moves the risk up the bonus-malus scale and secures the most favourable premium tier, while at-fault claims reset or worsen the level and increase the rate applied at the next renewal. Fleets with concentrated frequency in specific vehicles or drivers commonly face driver-specific deductible loadings, telematics or driver-training conditions, or exclusion of the worst-performing units from cover.
Mitigation measures
Insurers typically respond to adverse motor experience by requiring a driver-training programme, telematics-based monitoring for high-frequency drivers, tightened vehicle-assignment and maintenance policies, and periodic review of the fleet’s claims trend at each renewal.