NCB in Car Insurance
NCB (No Claim Bonus) in Car Insurance
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What is No Claim Bonus (NCB) in Car Insurance?
No Claim Bonus, commonly known as NCB, is a reward that car insurance companies offer to policyholders who complete a policy year without making any claim. Instead of paying this reward as cash, insurers apply it as a discount on the Own Damage premium when the policy is renewed.
In India, this discount begins at 20% after the first claim‑free year and gradually increases to a maximum of 50% after five consecutive claim‑free years. The discount is applied only at renewal and only to the Own Damage portion of the policy.
Why is No Claim Bonus Important for Car Owners?
The No Claim Bonus (NCB) is a reward you earn for driving claim‑free during your car insurance policy period. Each year without a claim increases your NCB slab, which reduces your renewal premium. Over time, this benefit can become significant.
What many car owners don’t realise is that NCB isn’t just a one‑year saving. Once you reach a higher NCB slab, it works as a long‑term pricing advantage.
A higher NCB slab:
Lowers your renewal premium every year
Helps you avoid sudden premium increases
Creates compounding savings over multiple policy renewals
This is why losing NCB has a bigger impact than it appears. A single claim can reset or reduce your NCB, which means higher premiums not just at the next renewal, but for several future renewals until the slab is rebuilt.
Because of this long‑term impact, experienced drivers don’t see NCB as a “bonus” in the usual sense. Instead, they treat it as a pricing benefit that rewards consistent, claim‑free driving over the life of their car ownership.
How Does No Claim Bonus Work in Car Insurance?
Every time you renew your car insurance, your driving history plays an important role in deciding how much you pay. One of the biggest ways insurers reward careful, claim‑free driving is through the No Claim Bonus (NCB).
NCB works on the principle of continuous claim‑free ownership. If you complete one full policy year without making a claim, you earn an NCB discount on your next renewal. When you continue renewing on time and avoid claims, this discount increases year after year.
However, making even a single Own Damage claim can reset your accumulated NCB to zero unless it is protected through a specific NCB Protector Add-On.
How is NCB Calculated in Car Insurance?
NCB in India follows standard slabs based on claim‑free years.
For Example:
Your Own Damage premium is ₹15,000, a 50% NCB means you save ₹7,500 every year at renewal. Losing this discount due to a small claim can therefore be far more expensive than it appears initially.
When is a No Claim Bonus in Car Insurance Applied?
Is It a Good Idea to Make Small Claims and Lose No Claim Bonus?
Benefits of No Claim Bonus in Car Insurance
No Claim Bonus reduces your long‑term car insurance cost by rewarding consecutive claim‑free driving and giving you pricing advantages that continue across years, cars, and insurers.
How to Retain NCB After Filing a Claim?
NCB can be retained after filing a claim by opting for an NCB Protection Add‑on while you buy a policy. NCB Protection allows you to make a limited number of claims during a policy year without losing your accumulated No Claim Bonus. This add‑on is particularly useful once you have reached higher NCB slabs, where losing the bonus would significantly increase your premium.
NCB Protection can be purchased only with a Comprehensive policy or a Standalone Own Damage cover and requires payment of an additional premium.
What are the Exclusions of NCB Protection Cover?
NCB Protection does not apply in specific situations where policy conditions are not met or misuse is detected.
When Does No Claim Bonus Get Cancelled?
Your No Claim Bonus is cancelled when specific policy conditions are breached.
1. Making an Own Damage Claim During the Policy Year: If you raise any claim under the Own Damage section of your policy, your accumulated NCB becomes zero at the next renewal. This applies regardless of whether the claim amount is small or large.
2. Not Renewing the Policy Within 90 Days of Expiry: NCB remains valid only if the policy is renewed on time. If renewal is delayed beyond 90 days from the expiry date, the bonus automatically lapses and cannot be recovered.
Once cancelled, No Claim Bonus cannot be restored. You must start earning it again from the first slab, beginning with 20% after one claim‑free year.
How to Get an NCB Certificate?
At the time of buying an insurance policy, the policyholder is provided with an NCB certificate, and it now depends on the policyholder whether he makes any claims or not in the policy year. If he claims, then he will not be entitled to the NCB benefit for the next year but if he doesn't claim for the entire year, he will be eligible for the NCB benefit.
To get a No Claim Bonus (NCB) certificate, the policyholder can contact the insurance provider and request one. For that he needs to provide your policy number and personal and vehicle details. After verifying the details, the insurer will issue the NCB certificate.
What are the Documents Required for NCB Transfer?
You have to provide the following documents along with the application: After the submission of the below documents, no claim bonus will be transferred to the new car. Based on the existing NCB certificate the customer can avail the benefit of the discount on the insurance premium for the new car.
Acknowledgement letter of your sold car
Insurance policy of the old car
Booking form of the car
Transfer application
Buyer-seller agreement (Forms 29 & 30)
Copy of old RC
NCB certificate from the insurer
What Happens to NCB When the Car is Sold?
If you have NCB on your existing policy and decide to sell your car in the middle of the year or, in another case, buy another car, there are two cases you need to know:
Case 1: You Buy Another Car
NCB can be transferred to the new car by informing your insurer and submitting the required documents.
Case 2: You Change Insurers
Declare your existing NCB, old policy number, and insurer name. The new insurer verifies and applies the discount.
Important: NCB remains valid only if the policy gap does not exceed 90 days.
How to Claim Your No Claim Bonus for a New Vehicle Insurance Policy?
This depends on whether you’re buying your new car insurance online or through an agent, or offline.
In case you are buying your new car insurance policy offline or via an agent, you will need to transfer your No Claim Bonus by submitting your buyer-seller agreement- Forms 29 and 30 along with a letter requesting the transfer of your NCB from your existing insurance company. The respective insurer will then issue an NCB certificate which you’ll need to submit to your new car insurance company.
However, if you’re going to buy your new car insurance online, you don’t need to do any of this. All you need to do is declare the right NCB and old policy number and name of the insurer and your new insurance company will manage the rest of the process.
What Happens to NCB if the Car is in an Accident or Stolen?
If the insurer pays a claim, NCB resets unless recovery is made or NCB Protection applies.
- Claim for Accident Repairs: If your insurer pays for repairs after an accident under the Own Damage cover, your accumulated NCB becomes zero at the next renewal. This applies even if the accident was minor.
- Claim for Total Loss: In case of a total loss, where the insurer settles the full value of the car, the No Claim Bonus is completely lost. Since a claim payout is involved, the NCB cannot be carried forward.
- Claim for Car Theft: If your car is stolen and the insurer settles the theft claim, your NCB resets to zero. Theft claims are treated the same as other Own Damage claims for NCB purposes.
When NCB May Not Be Lost Your No Claim Bonus may still be retained if:
Recovery is made from the third party: If the insurer is able to recover the full claim amount from the responsible third party, your NCB may remain intact.
You have an active NCB Protection add‑on: This add‑on allows you to retain your accumulated NCB even after a claim, subject to policy terms.