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How long does a car accident stay on your insurance record?

When you’re filling out paperwork for a car insurance policy, you’ll need to report any car accident you’ve been involved in in the recent past, including ones that weren’t your fault. But how far back do you have to go?

Usually, insurers want to hear about your driving history over the past five years, but some are only interested in the previous three years. Sometimes, insurers will want to know about accidents from even longer ago - up to seven or ten years - although this is quite rare.

You’ll also be asked to disclose any other claims you’ve had to make on your car insurance, including for things other than road traffic accidents, such as vehicle theft or storm damage. Insurers typically want information about all claims within the past three to five years, including their value. 

During the three to five years an accident or another claim remains on your insurance record, you should expect to pay more for cover, especially if the accident led to a costly claim or was your fault.

*51% of consumers could save £518.14 on their Car Insurance. The saving was calculated by comparing the cheapest price found with the average of the next five cheapest prices quoted by insurance providers on Seopa Ltd’s insurance comparison website. This is based on representative cost savings from June 2025 data. The savings you could achieve are dependent on your individual circumstances and how you selected your current insurance supplier.

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