Can they increase my insurance premium?

I have fully comprehensive insurance. A car pulled out of a junction into my path. Fortunately, I was not injured other than bruising but my bike and leathers were damaged. The driver admitted it was her fault and her insurers fixed my bike and paid towards new leathers. I told my own insurers about it but as I did not claim from them I thought no more of it. I recently tried to renew my bike insurance but they are charging much more than before because of the accident. What is going on?

Clive S, by e-mail

Answer

Unfortunately, this is a problem that frequently happens after a non-fault claim. It is a statistical fact that people who have had one accident are more likely to have a second, even if they were in no way to blame for the first. Therefore, having had this accident your insurer is statistically more likely to have to pay out on your policy in the future hence the increase to your premium.

Insurers use different risk assessment models and as a point of policy, some insurers will not penalise a non-fault accident victim. It is a good idea when looking around for bike insurance to compare quotes from as many insurers as you can to make sure that you are getting the best deal which should help you reduce any increase as a result of this accident. You could try a comparison site.