Can I get car insurance with an open claim?

You can apply. An open claim is declared like any other, with the date, what happened and the fact that it is not yet settled, and each insurer decides how to price it. GMIB.ie puts your details to 14 different insurers.

What happens to my no-claims bonus while a claim is open?

It is undecided until the claim closes. The CCPC notes that a claim, or a claim made against you, may reduce or remove the bonus even where you were not at fault, and that it may be restored if the insurer recovers its costs from the other party. Your renewal notice will show where it stands.

Does a claim I did not make count?

A claim made against you counts and must be declared where the proposal asks. The CCPC notes that it may affect your no-claims bonus in the same way as a claim you made, unless the insurer recovers its costs from the other party.

Should I claim for a small amount?

Weigh it. The CCPC notes that you cannot claim for amounts below the excess, and that a claim may reduce or remove your no-claims bonus unless it is protected. A small claim can cost more in lost bonus than it pays out; ask before you decide.

What if insurers refuse me because of my claims?

Ask each for the reason in writing. Once three insurers have refused, the Declined Cases Agreement, administered by Insurance Ireland, applies: in general the insurer you approached first must quote. Insurance Ireland says refusal letters are valid for six months.

What do I need to get a quote?

For the Quick Quote: the car’s registration and value, your area, name, date of birth, licence type, no-claims years, mobile number, email, cover start date and Eircode. For the full quote: the date, circumstances and status of each claim or incident in the period asked, and your no-claims bonus letter.

Car insurance with an open claim or a claims history

You can apply for car insurance with an open claim or with several claims behind you. Our full quote asks about claims, and each insurer decides how it prices them. What matters is declaring them accurately: which were your fault, which were made against you, which are still open, and the dates. GMIB.ie puts your details to 14 different insurers, and where the form cannot give a price straight away one of our agents reviews them and calls you back with the options. Enter your details below to get a quote in under 60 seconds.

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What an open claim is, and what counts as a claim

An open claim is one that has been reported but not yet settled: the repair is not paid, the third-party injury claim is not resolved, or fault has not been agreed. It still has to be declared. Until it closes your no-claims bonus is undecided, because the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), the State’s consumer watchdog, notes that the bonus may be reduced or lost if you make a claim or if a claim is made against you, even where you were not at fault, and may be restored if the insurer recovers its costs from the other party.

What counts. Any claim you made, any claim made against you, and, where the proposal asks, any accident or loss whether or not a claim followed, over a set number of past years. Under the Consumer Insurance Contracts Act 2019 you must answer the insurer’s questions honestly and with reasonable care, and the CCPC warns that a policy can be cancelled for undisclosed details and that you may then find it difficult to get cover. Give each one for the period asked, with the date, what happened, whether it was your fault and whether it is still open.

Our full quote asks for the number of claims in the period as well as the details, and each insurer decides how it weighs them. Three windscreen claims and three collisions are different histories with the same count, so give the full picture when the agent calls.

Your no-claims bonus after a claim, and getting quotes

The CCPC explains that no-claims bonus protection is an optional extra that keeps the bonus after a claim, and that step-back protection means you lose part of the bonus rather than all of it. It advises checking the policy documents, because some policies protect the bonus only for fire and theft claims or for a limited number of claims over a set period.

Put the same details to a range of insurers at once, because each insurer decides how it prices a claims history. If insurers refuse to quote, ask each for its reason in writing; once three have refused, the Declined Cases Agreement means that, in general, the insurer you approached first must quote. Related pages: penalty points, convictions.

Have ready the date and circumstances of each claim or incident in the period asked, whether it was your fault, whether it is settled or open, the claim reference, and your latest no-claims bonus letter. To talk it through, call 0818 92 92 42, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.

Sources: CCPC – car insurance; Consumer Insurance Contracts Act 2019; Insurance Ireland – Declined Cases Agreement. Last reviewed September 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get car insurance with an open claim?
You can apply. An open claim is declared like any other, with the date, what happened and the fact that it is not yet settled, and each insurer decides how to price it. GMIB.ie puts your details to 14 different insurers.
What happens to my no-claims bonus while a claim is open?
It is undecided until the claim closes. The CCPC notes that a claim, or a claim made against you, may reduce or remove the bonus even where you were not at fault, and that it may be restored if the insurer recovers its costs from the other party. Your renewal notice will show where it stands.
Does a claim I did not make count?
A claim made against you counts and must be declared where the proposal asks. The CCPC notes that it may affect your no-claims bonus in the same way as a claim you made, unless the insurer recovers its costs from the other party.
Should I claim for a small amount?
Weigh it. The CCPC notes that you cannot claim for amounts below the excess, and that a claim may reduce or remove your no-claims bonus unless it is protected. A small claim can cost more in lost bonus than it pays out; ask before you decide.
What if insurers refuse me because of my claims?
Ask each for the reason in writing. Once three insurers have refused, the Declined Cases Agreement, administered by Insurance Ireland, applies: in general the insurer you approached first must quote. Insurance Ireland says refusal letters are valid for six months.
What do I need to get a quote?
For the Quick Quote: the car’s registration and value, your area, name, date of birth, licence type, no-claims years, mobile number, email, cover start date and Eircode. For the full quote: the date, circumstances and status of each claim or incident in the period asked, and your no-claims bonus letter.