02/26/2026
If you’re involved in auto accident, but don’t file a claim, will it still impact your auto insurance rates?
We get asked this question a lot. I’m basing my answer on about 15 years of experience as an agent, research, and I personally asked one of my carrier reps today in person. If the accident is reported, like a police report or notifying your carrier, it’s going to go on your report that all carriers have access to and review when determining your rates. It will count as an incident against you, more than likely raising your rates, even if you pay out of pocket and don’t file a claim. An at-fault accident will have a bigger impact on your rates than a not-at-fault accident (the latter doesn’t always impact rates, but it can). Most carriers look back 5 years, a few only look back 3 years. If you or the other party files a claim, that will be counted against you as well. So in summary, a reported accident will mostly likely impact your rates whether you file a claim or not, but filing a claim will generally make the rates go up even more. Unfortunately, agents aren’t able to tell you the exact increase amount because so many factors impact rates and a lot can happen between the incident and renewal (like overall rate increases and rating variables).
Some carriers offer an optional endorsement for accident forgiveness, it cost you extra to add this coverage to your policy. To qualify, you usually have to have a clean record and it’s generally limited to forgiving one accident in a certain time period. The rules vary from carrier to carrier. You can’t add this endorsement after an accident occurs, it must be on your policy beforehand. It’s also beneficial to have a 12 month policy instead of a 6 month policy so your rates are locked in longer, they can’t raise your rates for an accident until renewal. Not all carriers offer this benefit.
My main advice is to always talk to an independent/non-captive agent before filing a claim so they can advise you about the possible impact. Be aware that a captive or direct agent may have to report the incident to the carrier before answering any questions. Feel free to reachout to me, even if you’re not my client, and I’ll help as much as possible.
