Make a Car Insurance Claim

You must notify us immediately of any incident involving your car that may lead to a claim.

It’s also advisable to formally lodge your claim as soon as possible, to avoid any complications a delay might cause.

Any theft or malicious damage to your car must be reported to the police as soon as possible. They’ll give you a reference number, which you’ll need to give us when you claim.

You must give Budget Direct a copy of a police report (or report reference number) when you make a car insurance claim for:

• theft
• malicious damage
• an accident in which another driver failed to exchange details

For all other claims, a police report is not required.

If you make a claim, your car insurance premium may increase, depending on the circumstances.

For example, if you cause an accident it’s likely your Budget Direct insurance premium will increase to reflect your higher risk rating.

On the other hand, if your car is damaged by a storm and you make a claim, your premium will not be affected by the claim.

Find out more about how the cost of car insurance is calculated.

Unless you or another driver of your car have a no-fault accident , you’ll be required to pay:

• your Basic Excess: the amount depends on the state/territory in which your car is kept;you may be able to increase it to lower your comprehensive insurance premium (and vice-versa).

…as well as any additional excesses that apply, namely:

• driver is under 21 years of age
• driver is 21 to 24 years of age inclusive
• driver has not held a full Australian or open licence for 2 or more years
• driver is not listed on your Insurance Certificate
• car has exceeded the kilometres per year selected, no odometer reading was provided or an invalid odometer reading was provided (applies only to Gold Low Kilometres Comprehensive policies).

The dollar amounts of your Basic Excess and the additional excesses are shown on your Insurance Certificate and can also be viewed in your online account.

You do not have to pay an excess if you have a no fault accident.

A no fault accident is one that meets the following criteria:

• we decide the driver of another vehicle (or another person) was entirely at fault, and
• you tell us, or we obtain, the at fault driver’s full name, address, and vehicle registration number.

When you report the incident to us, we’ll arrange for your car’s damage to be assessed.

On acceptance of your claim, we’ll authorise the repairs or pay you a cash settlement.

Throughout the claims process, you can expect to receive the same level of service we give our own customers.