It’s a question your insurer will never answer: how much does your car insurance go up after a claim?

Complex algorithms, individual circumstances, the nature of the accident and a list of other factors are all in play, making a definitive answer hard to come by – especially when your premium often rises each year regardless.

Two insurance experts we spoke to on the record couldn’t offer any firm guidance – though they did lift the bonnet on the processes involved and how any increase might be calculated.

Perhaps the only reliable indicator is anecdotal evidence – so we asked Money blog readers for their stories, many of which we’ve included at the bottom of this piece.

They show huge disparities, with some facing 10% to 50% increases, while others were – counterintuitively – quoted a cheaper price when they came up for renewal.

One reader’s premium increased by as much as 207% – and around one in five ended up paying at least 170% more.

A recurring theme was that initial renewal quotes jumped significantly, but some of the edge was taken off by shopping around.

Can you sort it out without involving an insurer?

All of this might make you wonder if it’s cheaper, after a minor accident, to sort things out directly between both parties.

It can be done – but it’s a risky road to go down.

As one insurance insider told us, agreements a few hours after an accident regularly dissolve.

“They all say they’re happy, and then…”

Injuries, real or exaggerated, are not always apparent in the immediate aftermath, and what appears to be superficial damage on, say, your bumper, can end up requiring a new radiator.

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So this route can leave you in a tricky spot, legally and financially – you need to be really sure about who you’re dealing with and it’s always best to seek independent advice.

Don’t forget, too, that most policies will be invalid if you have an accident and don’t report this to your insurer. That doesn’t mean making a claim – you can tell them for “information only” – but, as some of your stories below prove, a note on your file could affect future quotes.

Fault or no-fault – it doesn’t always matter

One thing that might surprise people is that fault isn’t always a decisive factor in how much a premium may rise.

Jenny Ross, editor of Which? Money, told us: “If you’re involved in an accident or something happens to your car, this affects your risk profile whether it’s your fault or not.

“The reason is, risk isn’t a statement of how good or conscientious a driver you are, or how likely you are to cause accidents – but a statistical estimate of how likely you are to be involved in an incident that might lead to a claim.”

For example, a recent incident could be reflective of difficult traffic conditions where you tend to drive, and this will be the factor that pushes up a premium.

Someone else’s accident can impact your premium

Stuart Masson, editorial director at The Car Expert, told the Money blog a premium may be affected if people with a similar profile to you have an accident.

“Insurance companies use demographic data to calculate premiums based on accident data – and that can penalise you indirectly,” he said.

For example, your postcode, type of car and job title are all factors that can influence your premium costs.

“If there has been an accident (regardless of fault) involving someone with your job, living in your postcode and driving your model of car, it will inevitably factor into the algorithm as an increased accident risk and therefore increase your premium,” said Masson.

Does no-claims discount protection work?

Many people pay extra to protect their no-claims, but they may not realise this protection will (usually) only withstand a limited number of claims per year.

And while NCDP is likely to lessen the impact of any rise in your premium, it won’t stop it altogether.

“The reason is, it’s not directly protecting your premium (which will probably increase if you claim), but the discount applied to it,” said Ross from Which?.

She gave this example:

If your premium was £1,000, and you had a discount of 50%, you’d pay £500. If you claimed, and the underlying premium rose to £1,200, without NCDP your discount might fall to 30% – meaning you’d pay £840 (an increase of 68%). If you had NCDP preserving your 50% discount, you’d pay £600 – still an overall increase of 20%.

Loyalty does not pay

If your renewal quote does rise, it’s important to shop around – both our experts and most of the readers who wrote in concur.

“Don’t give your insurer any loyalty, because they won’t show you any,” said Masson.

Your stories

My premium went from £387 to £569 for a no-fault claim that isn’t closed yet and hasn’t gone to court, even though the other driver claimed responsibility. Had I not added the claim to my insurance quote, my premium this year would have been £418. If it’s not my fault, I don’t understand why I have to pay more.
Bharat – 47% increase

Shortly after leasing our car somebody hit it in a supermarket car park and drove off. We called our insurer to check if we could claim and how that would affect our premium. We didn’t in the end and paid for the repair ourselves (about £300). When we came to renew, the quoted premium had gone from £550 to more than £1,200 so we shopped around and settled on a policy with a £530 quote. When we were finalising the payment, the agent ran a check and said there was an incident noted on “CARE” and that the policy was now going to be £650.
Steven London – 18% increase

I had an accident in February – an at-fault claim. My insurance went up from £700 to £850 a year, which I thought was reasonable. 33M, Porsche Macan, £400 excess, £1,600 total claim value for repairs to both vehicles.
Anonymous – 21% increase

I had an accident where I was deemed at fault in March. At renewal time in May, I was still quoted £100 less than the previous year, even with this claim settled. Maybe my age (now 25) brought it down.
William Ferguson – decrease

A woman driving a large SUV came out of a side road without stopping and wrote my car off. Her insurers, Direct Line Motability, straightaway admitted full liability as I was not at fault. Later, after I bought a Ford Fiesta, my Aviva premium jumped from £249.86 last January to a quotation of more than £1,000 because I was “in an accident”. I used all the comparison sites to get new quotations (some did not even bother to ask who was to blame for the accident!). Premium quotes ranged from over double (Admiral – £510.41) to well over five-fold my January premium – all because I was “involved” in an accident!
Christopher, Chester – 104% increase

My car insurance with John Lewis went up from around £650 to £1,150 after a claim for a no-fault accident. This after paying for protected NCB and being with them for years. I had to shop around and got cover elsewhere for £690.
Anonymous – 6% increase

After 15 years claims-free, my car was damaged overnight by an unknown driver. Since I couldn’t prove a responsible party, I was deemed at fault. My premium skyrocketed from £280 to £860 after that single incident. The repairs cost just £500. I would have been better off footing the bill privately.
Anthony, Portsmouth – 207% increase

Having had no claims for 20 years, I was unfortunate to be on the receiving end of two instances of bad driving, and another of just bad luck, in a few months. Having added these no-fault claims to my AA quote, the price went up to more than £480 (from £297). I phoned to ask why, arguing the premium shouldn’t go up as I was 64, retired and doing fewer miles. I was effectively told that retirees are considered higher risk, and my claims history, despite the circumstances, still showed I was higher risk.
Carol Sim – 61% increase

In 2023, when I was 20, I had an accident in my 2018 1.5 Mini Cooper when a driver went into the back of me at a roundabout. My insurance went up from £655.25 to £1,001.25. But seeing as I had changed vehicle to a 2021 Cooper S as well as changed locations from Cornwall to Kent (which added £130.70 to the price), I didn’t think this was too bad.
Ross – 53% increase

I reinsured my Audi A7 after a rear-end shunt that was my fault. I have a good driving record with full no-claims discount. It was going to cost me £300 more to renew, but using comparison websites I got it £50 cheaper than before the bump (£480). I do have no-claims protection which is taken into account, as well as my age, 59.
Neil Pannett, West Sussex – 10% decrease

My quote with Admiral was reasonable considering the extras. I was 32 and my wife was 29 when I bought the car. Insurance was roughly £760, which went down over the years to about £480. In 2023, a driver who had passed their test two days earlier hit our vehicle. All documents were sent off and my insurance said it clearly wasn’t my fault – it went down as a non-fault. A year later when my insurance was due for renewal, Admiral wanted just shy of £1,300. Needless to say, after being with them seven or so years from a previous vehicle, I went to Hastings Direct which gave me the same policy for £560.
Ross Curtis, Kent – 17% increase

After a claim where I struck a post at a coffee drive-through (it was a newly erected post and in my nearside blind spot) my renewal premium went from around £370 to just over £1,000! It was my only claim ever with a maximum non-claims discount on record.
Graeme – 170% increase

I was hit from behind by a car that had left no gap and had been tailgating me for a while – I went from paying £44 to £77 a month on renewal. The accident was classed as a no-fault on my insurance. My motorbike insurance also increased from £90 to £240.
Tony Reilly – 167% increase

I had an accident in London near Edgware Road where I was found to not be at fault. But during the investigation my premium went up from £400 to £660. After a year and being forced to pay the extra £160, I got my no-claims bonus back and my insurance went down to the £400 region again.
M’hamed Naana – 65% increase

I have had to make two no-fault claims (October 2023 and June 2025). I have just come to renew my insurance, but the price increased by more than £100. Using comparison sites I found a premium almost £200 cheaper. I rang to confirm the second no-fault claim, but it increased the quote by £65. The person on the phone apologised as “although I am not at fault, the rules are it increases the risk”.
Barry Horne – decrease

I had two non-fault claims over a year. Both times I wasn’t in the car and both times the full amount was recovered from the other party. Despite this, my protected no claims insurance policy went from £334 to £960 a year.
Martin – 187% increase

My vehicle was involved in an accident last year which was determined to be no-fault to me and the third party paid the claim. When I came to renew this year I got some quotes, first without declaring the claim, then declaring the claim. The second lot of quotes were consistently 10% higher.
Ian – 10% increase

I made a no-fault claim through Admiral Insurance when a car ran into my Audi. The other driver and his insurer admitted it was entirely their fault. My car was written off by Admiral. Two months later my renewal quote went up from £678 to £1,059.
MC, London – 56% increase

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After Alabama beat Tennessee 37-20 on Saturday night, coach Kalen DeBoer wanted to make sure his players enjoyed their postgame cigars to celebrate another win in their storied rivalry.

There is still a long road to go, but what Alabama has done to get to this point is worthy of a celebratory cigar, too.

After a Week 1 loss to Florida State, Alabama has stacked one victory after the next, winning six straight, finding an edge and different ways to motivate themselves. Proving they were better than that team that opened in Tallahassee is certainly one of those reasons. But there were others — proving they could win on the road and doing so against Georgia. Beating Vanderbilt after losing to them last year. And Saturday night, regaining the edge against Tennessee after losing to them last year, too.

The result? Alabama is the first team in SEC history to win four straight games, all against ranked teams, with no bye week mixed in, according to ESPN Research.

“They’ve got an edge to them still, and haven’t lost it since the beginning there after week one. That’s hard to do,” DeBoer said afterward. “It’s really hard to do. As you go through the weeks, there’s been enough reasons, different motivation factors, to get up for games, and our guys, each and every week, find a way to do it. So we’ve got to keep the pedal down.”

The key turning point happened just before halftime. Tennessee was on the Alabama 1-yard line with eight seconds left in the quarter, down 16-7. Joey Aguilar dropped back and threw right toward tight end Miles Kitselman, who appeared to be open in the end zone. But Zabien Brown jumped the route and intercepted the pass, returning it 99 yards for the score to give Alabama a 23-7 lead.

“The ball fell right in my hand,” Brown said. “I [saw] open field and I started running. I’m like, if I get tackled, the time [will] go out. So I gotta find a way to get in that [end] zone.”

It was a triumphant day for the defense, which had struggled at times to limit explosive plays throughout the course of the season and put their stamp on a game. Alabama also had a safety in the first half and made life uncomfortable for Aguilar all night. Tennessee came into the game as the highest scoring offense in the SEC, but Alabama held them to a season-low 20 points and 410 total yards. The Vols only scored on two of their five red zone chances.

Alabama fans lit their cigars in stadium well before the game ended. It was Alabama’s 11th straight home win in the series, and also ran DeBoer’s record at home to 11-0 since his arrival last year. He has also won six straight since switching to a black hoodie on the sideline, something that has become a major talking point among the Alabama fan base.

When asked if he was giving the fans what they wanted by continuing to wear the black hoodie, DeBoer said, “This isn’t new. I’ve done this for years. But we’re going to ride the momentum. I told the guys not to get any [cigar] ashes on it.”

The Crimson Tide sit at 4-0 in SEC play and are one of two unbeaten teams left in the league, along with Texas A&M. Up next is a trip to South Carolina before an open date.

“I think we understand the week of preparation gets you mentally in the right space to where you’re confident going out on the football field,” DeBoer said. “When you’re confident, you got a little more energy. And that’s really what I see with our guys, and that fires me up.”