Trustpilot
Show More

Ask an Expert

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 £535.17 on their Car Insurance. The saving was calculated by comparing the cheapest price found with the average of the next four cheapest prices quoted by insurance providers on Seopa Ltd’s insurance comparison website. This is based on representative cost savings from May 2026 data. The savings you could achieve are dependent on your individual circumstances and how you selected your current insurance supplier.

Related guides

Car Insurance with an IN10 Conviction

It's against the law to not be insured at least to the minimum level (third party), whether you're driving on a public road or even just parked. This guide will walk you through the details of an IN10 conviction, a notice you may be given if your car is uninsured.

Non Disclosure Car Insurance Explained

Non-disclosure is, through intent or ignorance, failing to disclose essential information to your insurance provider when getting a quote for a new policy. By entering an insurance contract, both parties have a duty to be honest with each other.Deliberately choosing to not disclose information counts as fraud and is a criminal offence. But what types of information? And what happens if you don’t disclose something? Find out all about non-disclosure in our handy guide.

Business Car Insurance

If you're using your car for business, driving to various offices and sites on a regular basis, in addition to your daily commute, then you'll need to take out a specialised business car insurance policy on your vehicle.Such a policy will give you cover above and beyond that of a conventional car insurance policy, which will only account for social, personal and domestic uses of your vehicle.