Motor insurance claims
A car or two-wheeler claim can involve three parties besides you: the insurer, the surveyor who assesses the loss, and the garage. The pages here cover the main points of dispute — whether the loss is covered at all, how much depreciation is deducted, what the surveyor allowed, and theft or total loss, where the vehicle's IDV sets the limit.
For retail motor claims, IRDAI's 2024 master circular sets the pace: a loss of ₹50,000 or more must be surveyed, a surveyor should be allocated within 24 hours, the report is due within fifteen days of allocation, and the insurer must decide within seven days of receiving it or after fifteen days from allocating the surveyor, whichever is earlier. A general insurer also cannot reject a claim for a breach of condition that is not relevant to the loss.[1]
If someone else's vehicle or person was hurt, that third-party claim follows a different route: one insurer's summary sheet says such claims are settled in the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal. Own damage or third party explains which route you are on.[2]
Start here
- Car or bike insurance claim rejected — what the reason means and how to respondMotor claim rejected? Match the reason to the clause, test it against IRDAI's limits on rejections, then go to the insurer, Bima Bharosa or the Ombudsman.
- Don't agree with the surveyor's assessment? How to question a motor survey reportDisagree with the surveyor's assessment of your car or bike claim? The survey rules, how to object item by item, a letter outline, and where to escalate it.
- Why was depreciation deducted from my car insurance claim?Why a car claim pays less for replaced parts: depreciation rates in a standard policy, what nil-depreciation cover changes, and how to check the assessment.
Questions people ask
- Motor claim rejected because the driver's licence was 'not valid' — what to checkCar or bike claim refused because the licence was 'not valid'? Check the driver's clause, the licence class and dates, and IRDAI's rule on unrelated breaches.
- Can the insurer reject a motor claim because I reported the accident late?Reported a car or bike accident late? What IRDAI's rules say on delayed intimation, what your policy asks, and how to answer the ground in writing.
- Cashless car repair: why the garage still asked me to pay at deliveryWhy a cashless car repair can still leave a bill at delivery: the compulsory deductible, depreciation, consumables and items outside the insurer's assessment.
- Engine damaged in waterlogging or a flood — claim rejected as 'consequential damage'Car engine damaged in a flood and the claim refused as consequential damage? What a standard policy covers and excludes, what engine cover adds, and next steps.
Step-by-step guides
Explained
- Car declared a total loss — how is the payout worked out from the IDV?How a car total loss is measured: what IDV is, when repair costs make a constructive total loss, the wreck value, and the add-ons that change it.
- Own damage or third-party claim — which applies, and where is each decided?Own-damage and third-party motor claims compared: where each is decided in India, and what to do if someone else claims against you after an accident.
Free tools
Sources
The official documents this page relies on. Rules change: where it matters to your claim, check the current version at the source.
1. IRDAI (scanned copy of the circular, hosted by caalley.com)
Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests, 2024 – Ref IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024 dated 5 September 2024 (full scanned text with IRDAI letterhead; OCR text layer)Dated 2024-09-05 · Accessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: IRDAI Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests (IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024, 5 Sep 2024), Section 1, Part C (Retail General), V.4 para 1, printed pages 45–46; IRDAI Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests (IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024, 5 Sep 2024), Section 1, Part C (Retail General), V.4 para 2, printed page 46; IRDAI Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests (IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024, 5 Sep 2024), Section 1, Part C (Retail General), V.4 para 4, printed page 46; IRDAI Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests (IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024, 5 Sep 2024), Section 1, Part C (Retail General), V.4 para 5, printed page 46; IRDAI Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests (IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024, 5 Sep 2024), Section 1, Part C (Retail General), V.4 para 6(a), printed page 46
Read from a copy hosted at caalley.com · Official page
2. The New India Assurance Company Limited
Private Car Package Policy – Customer Information Sheet (UIN IRDAN190RP0042V01100001)Accessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: New India Assurance, Private Car Package Policy Customer Information Sheet (UIN IRDAN190RP0042V01100001), items 11–12, third-party claims note; New India Assurance, Private Car Package Policy Customer Information Sheet (UIN IRDAN190RP0042V01100001), legal disclaimer printed on each page
ClaimAssure is an independent private platform. It is not an insurer, IRDAI, Bima Bharosa or the Insurance Ombudsman, it never files anything on your behalf, and it cannot promise any outcome. What it does is read your documents and show you what they say.