How being hit by an uninsured driver affects your car insurance

Conditions and clauses for an uninsured driver claim

You might need to meet a few conditions to be eligible to claim if you’re hit by an uninsured driver, like:

• The accident wasn’t your fault
• You’ve got the details of the uninsured vehicle and of the driver
• You’ve got the contact information of witnesses

While your claim is being settled, your insurer will reduce your no claims bonus and ask you to pay your excess.

If the claim is settled in your favour, and insurer has an uninsured driver promise, your no claims discount won’t be affected, and it may refund your excess.

What if the accident was your fault?

Even if the other party is uninsured, if the accident is your fault then you’ll be responsible for their repair costs.

This should be covered by basic third-party insurance, however, repairs to your car will only be covered under comprehensive insurance.

If the uninsured driver is prosecuted and their car is sezied or crushed, there’ll be no car to repair. Your insurer still might have to pay their injury compensation though.

What if the responsible party can’t be traced?

Failing to stop after an accident is an offence, so you can report the other driver to the police within nine months of the accident happening.

You’ll have to pay an insurance excess fee if you claim for damages to your vehicle or personal injury.

There are certain situations where insurance claims will be rejected, such as:

• Out of date information
• Accidents caused by driver negligence
• Unroadworthy vehicles
• Incorrect cover

Reasons for claim rejections can vary, so read up on your insurers claims procedure and exclusions before starting the process.

Third party insurance and the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB)

If you’ve got third party only or third party, fire and theft car insurance, you can’t claim for your damages.

You might be able to submit a claim to the MIB, which was set up to compensate victims of uninsured and untraced motorists.

It’s funded by insurance companies, which is why uninsured drivers push up the cost of your car insurance.

Investigations can be slow, depending on the complexity, and it’s only recommended that you claim with the MIB if you don’t have comprehensive car insurance to claim on.

The MIB won’t pay out if the accident was your fault though, even if the other driver had no insurance.

MIB exemptions

While the MIB will try to help you, there are circumstances that will void your claim, such as:

• If you were a passenger in a car that you knew wasn’t insured
• If you were driving under the influence, or a passenger of someone who was
• The accident didn’t happen on a public road that the public has full access to

If any of the MIB’s exemptions apply to you, you’ll have to pay for repairs and medical fees yourself, which is why it’s so important to get the right car insurance cover, just in case.