Insurance Tips
What counts as a car accident?
The legal definition of a road traffic accident
Ryan Barham
Last updated: 11/06/2026
Ryan Barham
Last updated: 11/06/2026
From bumps in car parks to scrapes in narrow lanes and being clipped by a vehicle that drives off, there are so many potential incidents when driving. But how many of these count as an accident? And should you tell your insurer about them?
The short answer is probably yes - on both points. Although you may believe that a scrape, bash or bump is different to a loud and impactful crash, the UK’s legal definition of car accident is actually quite broad:
“A collision involving a mechanically-propelled vehicle on a road or other public area which causes:
Under Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, drivers have a duty to stop, report and give information or documents if any of the above occurs, no matter how minor the incident may have seemed.
If a car is involved in an accident, insurers use four damage categories to decide what happens to it next. Understanding the following can be useful if you're buying or selling a car that's had previous damage, or if your own car has been written off.
If you’re thinking of buying a category S or N car, you could ask an independent garage or mechanic to take a look before purchasing.
You might be confused by the terms used and wondering what exactly is the difference between a car accident and car incident. Although they may be used interchangeably in conversation, for insurance purposes they have slightly different meanings:
You should declare any accidents and incidents from the last five years when getting an insurance quote.
| Situation | Counts as a car accident? |
|---|---|
| Hitting a bollard | Yes, damage to property. |
| Cracked windscreen | Yes, damage to your vehicle. |
| Supermarket trolley ding | Yes, damage to your vehicle. |
| Theft or attempted theft | Yes, counts as an incident. |
| Reversing into a wall | Yes, damage to property. |
| Another car clips yours | Yes, collision with another vehicle. |
No matter how small your injury may be, you should report it. This is because some physical injuries (e.g. whiplash) won’t be obvious right away and may take days to appear. Minor injuries like cuts and bruises should always be reported.
If an injury has ended in hospitalisation, this should be documented the moment you report the accident. This is because it’s likely to form the basis of any personal injury claim.
Do not discount the psychological impact of the accident either. If you experience driving anxiety or shock, these are both recognised factors when reporting an accident or making a claim. You should speak to a medical professional if you’re struggling mentally after an accident.
There are various types of injuries that should be officially recorded, including:
Following an accident, no matter whether you're at fault or not, you should do the following:
You should report the accident to police within 24 hours if:
| Reporting | Claiming | |
|---|---|---|
| What it means | Telling your insurer about an incident | Making a claim (asking your insurer to pay for it) |
| When to do it | Any incident, no matter how small | When you want your insurer to cover costs |
| Effect on no claims discount | None (the majority of the time) | Yes, unless you have extra protection |
| Required by your policy? | Almost always | Your choice |
There are different types of damages you can claim for following a car accident (where another driver is at fault).
Yes, you should report a car scratch even if you’re not planning on making a claim.
Even if you believe your accident was minor and there is no damage to either car or any injuries, most insurance policies will state you must report any incident within 24 hours, even if you’re not planning to make a claim.
Reporting a minor scratch or scuff caused by another driver will help your case if they later claim you caused some damage or something more serious. You can report issues like this ‘for information only’ to help protect your version of events. This will not affect your premium or any existing no claims discount.
Timings vary when it comes to settling a car accident claim. This is because it depends on the complexity of the claim. If it’s uncontested, it could be resolved in a few weeks. If it’s a personal injury claim, it tends to take longer - anything from a few months to over a year depending on the nature of the injuries and whether liability is disputed.
You can check with your insurance company for an approximate guess on how long it should take.
The main thing to remember is when it comes to insurance, nothing is too small to mention.
If you’re driving someone else’s car with temporary car insurance and unfortunately have a minor incident, you won’t have to worry about their no claims discount being affected. This is because temporary insurance is a completely separate policy.
Yes, passengers can provide witness statements if you were involved in a car accident. Witnesses are anyone who saw what happened including bystanders and cyclists. Try to get their contact details at the scene as they can be significant for settling a dispute, especially if there’s no dashcam footage or CCTV.
Yes, all incidents should be reported to the insurer, even if it is for information only.
If you have an accident, you should swap insurance details with the other driver involved and get the contact details of any witnesses. You can also swap contact details, registration plate numbers and makes and model of vehicle.
Related tags:
Temporary Car Insurance