Cashless vehicle insurance is designed to make sure that your car repairs run smoothly while getting financial assistance from the insurer. In this process, both policyholder and insurer follow a defined repair and approval process through authorised car repair garages. To help you get through this process and secure a seamless claim, we’ll discuss how this system works and when the ideal time is to use a cashless facility from your car insurance.
What Is a Cashless Cover?
Cashless motor insurance works by having an agreement between the insurers and the chosen garages, which are pre-approved. In case of a comprehensive insurance claim, the garage is paid directly by the insurer for covered repairs. The policyholder will only be liable to exclusions like deductibles, depreciation and what is not provided in the policy.
How Do Network Garages Work?
The process of network garages is followed by a few defined steps. Here is a detailed look at how each of the following stages is evaluated:
- You can find a network garage by visiting the insurer’s websites or by calling their helpline lines, so that you can have easy access to the nearest approved automobile workshop.
- Drive or tow your car to the network garage and inform the mechanic about the underlying problem that you are experiencing.
- The garage will register the car and a surveyor will examine all losses and damages to come up with an estimate.
- Fill in the claim form in the garage and deliver it together with the reference number that you received after having the car diagnosed in the workshop.
- The estimate is submitted to the insurer to be approved and you will get both SMS and email updates on the claim being processed. You’ll also get major updates during the servicing of your car.
- Once your car has been repaired, you can pay your share on those things not covered in the insurance and the remaining amount will be paid by your insurer.
- While exiting the garage, collect the vehicle and the claim computation sheet that includes a full breakup of costs. Keep this document in a safe place for future reference.
Required Documents
Here are a few documents you may need to submit prior to repair your vehicle:
- Claim Form
- Copy of Driving License
- Copy of Registration Certificate
- Final repair bills
You may also need to submit more documents depending on the region and your vehicle’s condition.
Important Points To Follow During The Claim Procedure
While repairing your car, be aware of the following points:
- File an FIR at the nearest police station in case of property damage, bodily injury, theft and major damage.
- During major accidents, report the incident immediately before you remove the vehicle from the spot.
When To Avail Network Garage Services?
A network garage is the right choice in certain situations, so you can get authorized vehicle repair while getting the benefits of your car insurance policy. The following are a few reasons to choose cashless repairs:
- If the repair includes common accident damage, such as body panels, bumpers, or lights, that are normally covered under the policy.
- When insurers can easily manage inspection, repair approval, and payment coordination with the garage.
- Cashless systems allow you to get full car repair with major cost handling from the insurer’s end, so that you can pay only deductibles and non-covered items.
- To get car repairs from insurer-approved authorised methods and standard replacement of parts.
- If the authorised garage is nearby and has the facility to complete repairs within normal turnaround times.
Own Damage Claim Process Timeline
Planning ahead for your car repairs can help you get timely repairs. To get more clarity about such services, here is an approximate timeline of each stage:
| Factors | Timeline |
| Intimation to the surveyor assignment | 2 – 3 working hours |
| Surveyor assignment to vehicle inspection | 4- 5 working hours |
| Vehicle inspection to bill generation | This duration depends on the car workshop |
| Bill submission to claim submission for approval | About 24 working hours |
| Claim approval | About 48 working hours |
| Payment disbursement | About 24 hours |
Tips to Get Smoother Cashless Claims
The following are a few factors that can assist you in getting faster car insurance claims:
- Carry originals and copies of the documents listed above when visiting the garage. This reduces back-and-forth requests.
- Ask the garage to send the estimate and approval reference to you so that you can monitor the status using the portal or helpline of your insurer.
- Select insurers that have high accessibility to cashless garages. For instance, insurers like HDFC ERGO provide access to more than 12,200 cashless garages.
- Keep all invoices, delivery notes and final claims computation sheet for your records and future reference.
Final Thoughts
Cashless car insurance allows you to get access to network garages, which simplifies the repair process by reducing paperwork needs as well as saves time for reimbursement. Following an organised set of steps, keeping required documents handy and availing the service at the right time can help you get easier car repairs. On top of that, proper planning and timely claim intimation, cashless claims can offer you transparency, convenience and peace of mind for vehicle repairs.
