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What are the consequences of not informing my insurance of an accident?
I heard insurance premiums skyrocket after a car accident, and I can’t afford for that to happen. I may or may not have recently been involved in a little fender-bender. What are the consequences if I don’t mention it to my insurance company?
Emily Maracle · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Considering
how much your insurance goes up after an accident
, I get your reluctance to call attention to it. However, disclosing a collision is as much a part of the terms of your car insurance policy as making your payments on time. If you withhold that information, your insurance provider could deny coverage.Without
liability coverage
, an at-fault car accident could make you responsible for paying for all the damages to the injured party (or parties). Without personal injury protection (PIP) coverage
, your and your passengers’ medical bills could go unpaid. Depending on your state, a lack of coverage could even prevent you from claiming compensation from the other driver’s insurance company—even if you weren’t at fault!Your insurance company will likely learn about the collision when the other driver's company calls to discuss it. It’s best to tell your provider about the accident yourself, ideally within 24 hours.
Tell them that you don’t want to file a claim. Paying for repairs yourself will keep your rates from rising and help you build a
no-claims discount on your car insurance
at the same time.MORE: How long do I have to report an accident to my insurance company?
View full answer
- Gregory R.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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