Here are some of the situations in which you can claim insurance cover:

• Accidents
• Natural calamities like floods, earthquakes etc.
• Theft
• Riot 
• Injury to you while driving 
• Injury to someone else 
• Injury to someone else's property

There are certain cases in which you cannot claim insurance cover for the above-mentioned situations. For instance, in the case of drunken driving or if you are driving the car without a valid license you will not get any insurance cover for damages incurred.

How to Claim Insurance

1. Register your motor insurance claim via the insurance company's customer service centre. You will receive a claim number.

2. The insurance company's surveyor will then get in touch with you. You will have to submit the claim form along with the required documents for making the claim to him.

So here are the documents you need to keep at hand when registering your claim.

• Copy of registration papers
• Copy of your driving license
• Copy of the insurance policy
• Estimate of damages
• Invoice from garage and payment receipt (if not cashless)

In case of an accident, you will also need a copy of the FIR filed at the nearest police station. If your car has been stolen, you will also require a no trace report from the police to state that the vehicle has not been found.

3. The surveyor will come and assess the damage on the spot. He will decide how much of the damages the company will bear and you will have to pay the remaining. They will usually bear 80% of the damages after taking into account the selling price of the vehicle and the depreciation of the vehicle.

4. The insurance company will pay their share of the damages directly to the garage if the repairs are done at one of the garages recognised by them. Otherwise, you will have to produce proof of payment and get the amount reimbursed.

Sandeep Shanbag gives you tips for claiming motor insurance.

• Always have your car repairs done at a garage recognised by your insurer. This way you can avail of the cashless facility for damages instead of waiting for reimbursement.
  
  
• If you haven't claimed insurance during the policy period, you will be given a No Claim Bonus after renewing the insurance policy. So avoid making insurance claims for minor scratches and dents. Wait for something more serious to happen so you can do up everything together. 
  
  
• Be present at the meeting between the garage and the insurance company's surveyor so you can intervene if necessary.

(With inputs from ICICI Lombard)