The car insurers who drag their heels processing claims REVEALED: Are you covered by one of the worst performers?

Some car insurers are woefully slow when it comes to claims, new research shows. 

A survey of over 4,700 car insurance claimants has found that many firms are prolonging the ordeal of making a claim for motorists.

Nearly two-fifths of respondents had to chase their insurer to progress their claims, the poll by consumer watchdog Which? found.

Customers were asked to rate their provider for the speed at which they dealt with claims.

Shockingly, around a third of the 19 firms rated were awarded just two stars out of five.

This follows previous research from Which? into Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) – which mediates complaints firms have not been able to resolve with customers – that found more distress and inconvenience was caused in complaints related to claim delays than any other type. 

Car insurers are generally more reliable than other sectors for accepting customer claims.

Data from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that motor insurance providers accepted 99 per cent of claims last year, fully or partially, versus just 63 per cent of claims for buildings-only cover.

However, despite this generally positive statistic there remains an ongoing issues with claim delays. 

The six insurers that were awarded just two stars for claims processing speeds were: 1st Central, Admiral, Age Co, Ageas, Esure and RAC.

On the flip side, LV and NFU Mutual were awarded a full five star scores for how rapidly they dealt with insurance claims.

Yet only NFU Mutual managed to score four stars when it came to updating claimants regularly during the process.

Aviva, Direct Line, Lloyds Bank and LV managed three stars but the rest (14) received just two.

And to make matters worse, speed and communication weren’t the only issues reported. 

For settlement value (how much insurers settled claims for), 12 insurers received just two stars. Only NFU Mutual scored five while LV, Saga and Direct Line all garnered four stars. 

Worryingly, the FCA has repeatedly warned car insurers not to make unfairly low settlement offers in claims where a cash settlement is offered to replace the vehicle in total loss claims. 

But based on the results of Which?’s survey, it sadly may be the case that some insurers have yet to up their game and offer claimants settlement sums that they feel satisfied with.

And to add further stress to the claims process it wasn’t even a case that the different cogs of the claimant process worked together well either; the majority of insurers (10) received only two stars for how well different parties (e.g. insurers, repairers, claims handling companies) had worked together to resolve their claim. 

Naming and shaming the worst surveyed insurers, Ageas, Age Co, esure and RAC all received just two out of five stars in each of these individual service areas of the survey.

They were also the four worst according to Which?’s overall claims score – which rates how satisfied claimants are overall with their insurer, and how likely they would be to recommend it – based on how it handled their claim. 

Jenny Ross, Editor of Which? Money, said: ‘Consumers only find out how good their insurer is when it comes to making a claim. 

‘Whether it’s a bump or scratch or completely written off vehicle, drivers will rightly expect to see their claim dealt with efficiently. However, our research shows that some firms are stuck in reverse.

‘It’s crucial that the regulator monitors how well firms handle claims, taking enforcement action against those found to be falling short.’