Why do car insurance claims take so long?

Question

Alice T · Accepted Answer

A few reasons. Straightforward, clear-fault claims with good evidence can settle in days to a couple of weeks. Delays creep in when liability is disputed (insurers negotiating who’s at fault), when there’s an injury claim (which takes longer to assess), when engineers need to inspect a vehicle or assess a write-off, or when paperwork and evidence are missing and have to be chased. The biggest avoidable delay is incomplete information. You speed things up by reporting promptly, giving complete and consistent details, and providing all your evidence (photos, the other party’s details, witnesses, dashcam) up front so the insurer isn’t waiting on you.

Dave R. · Answer

Mine dragged because the other driver’s insurer was slow to admit liability. Nothing I could do but chase — having the dashcam clip ready helped push it along.