Do I need to make a claim? Common car insurance claim scenarios explained.

It depends. Here are a few scenarios we get asked about a lot.

I damaged another vehicle but there’s no damage to my car. Do I need to make a claim?

Since your vehicle wasn’t damaged, you might not be making a claim for your own car. But, causing damage to another person's vehicle or property would be considered an incident, so you still need to let us know. Most provinces also require collisions to be reported to the police.

I hit a pedestrian/cyclist but there’s no damage to my vehicle. Do I need to make a claim?

Yes. This can be a pretty serious situation, so you still need to tell us about the incident even if your car isn’t damaged. The pedestrian or cyclist you struck may have injuries or damages to their property (like to the cyclist’s bike), and your auto policy might have to respond to the injuries or damage.

My friend was driving my car and crashed it. Do I need to make a claim?

Yes, you would need to report the incident to us and make a claim for damages to your vehicle. If your friend was injured in the crash, this should be reported as well since we’d need to assess if your car insurance policy or theirs (if they have one) would respond.

In all these scenarios, the most important thing you can do is contact us. We’ll be able to advise you if there are any next steps you need to take. If you’ve been assigned an adjuster in the case of a claim, they will be able to answer any additional questions.