Auto and Car Insurance

Anyone heard of an auto insurance claim scale?

I recently got into a car accident. Does the amount of increase in your auto insurance premium depends on the total amount of your claim? I reside in CA and insured with Allstate.

Public Comments

1. In most states, yes. Most states have a "threshhold", where if your claim is under XYZ dollars, it's not surchargable. Some states have it say, under XYZ it's a minor accident with this surcharge, over it's a major accident. The threshhold can be anywhere from $500 to $5,000, I don't know what it is in CA.
2. Not sure about Cali, but the other post was pretty accurate. Usually the company has a threshold. Could be 500, could be 1000, could be anything. Could be that your rate is not "surcharged" but you lose something like a good driving (claims free) discount, which is just about the same as a surcharge, either way your rates go up. There's nothing out there published because it's all based on guidelines for the company's underwriting dept.
3. Each company has it's own set of underwriting guidelines approved by the state insurance commisioner. You will need to ask the good hands people how much more you will be paying.
4. It depends on your insurance company. with allstate, most likely you will have to have your rates increased. check with your insurance agent, for they should know what to expect.