What is the car repair or replacement process after a crash? 

Being involved in an incident or having your car stolen can be a stressful experience. Fortunately, it can be made a little easier with the right information. 

What you need to do after a car accident

• If you damaged someone else’s property, let us know.
• Let us know about any demands placed on you to pay compensation to others, any court actions, or any offers of settlement.
• If you don’t tell us about the above items, and you incur further costs, then you may have to pay those costs.

What you’ll need to do to process a car insurance claim

If you lodge a claim with GIO and we accept it, you may be required to do the following, depending on the circumstances: 

• Talk to or meet with any experts we choose, such as a claims assessor, investigator, or repairer.
• Assist us in handling your claim. This can include agreeing to be interviewed and providing documents we ask for, such as proof of ownership.
• Drive your car to one of our repair facilities, if it is safe to do so, or let us move it there.
• If rectification work is required, we may need you to take your car back to the original repairer.
• Allow us to recover, salvage or take possession of your car.
• Attend court to give evidence if we ask you to.

How a car insurance claim is settled

If you make a successful claim for loss, theft, or damage to your car, you’ll be able to:

• repair the damage
• replace the damaged parts of your car
• get paid what it would cost to repair or replace the damaged parts of your car
• settle your claim as a total loss, and/or
• get paid up to the maximum you are entitled to.

Of course, there are limitations and exclusions plus eligibility requirements for each of these options. Please read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for more details. 

When your car becomes a total loss 

Your car is considered a total loss if one of the following occurs: 

• If it’s stolen and unrecovered after 14 days and we agree to accept your claim for theft.
• If we decide it is uneconomical, impractical, or unsafe to repair, including where the combined repair costs and salvage value are likely to be more than the amount covered.

We will also make an assessment on whether your car should be written off. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for more information on extras like ‘New car after a total loss – for cars less than 2 years old’ and ‘Lifetime new car replacement’.

For all other matters of car replacement, GIO may pay you the amount covered as shown on your certificate of insurance – less any deductions that apply.

If your car has been stolen and needs to be replaced

You should notify the police and obtain a report from them before making a claim when your car has been stolen.

If your car is found within 14 days of it being stolen and is damaged, follow the process of ‘If your car is damaged’ in the Car Insurance PDS. You may be entitled to a hire car for up to 21 days under the additional feature ‘Hire car after theft’. Get an additional 21 days if you have purchased the optional cover ‘Hire car after an event up to 21 days.’

Again, read the GIO Car Insurance PDS for more information. GIO Platinum customers can claim under the ‘GIO Platinum hire car’ additional feature.

Need to make a claim?

Make a claim online now with GIO’s new mobile app. It takes about 10 minutes and we’ll give you an instant claim number and email confirmation. Upload all your photos and documents and track your claim progress.

You’ll need your GIO insurance policy number plus details about when the event occurred and what happened.

Make a claim

Read more:

• What you need in your car emergency kit
• Common car breakdown scenarios and how to avoid them
• How to know when to say goodbye to your car

Insurance issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as GIO. Read the Product Disclosure Statement before buying this insurance. The Target Market Determination is also available. Go to gio.com.au for a copy. This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situation or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.