Claim vs Pay Yourself Calculator

Is a small claim worth it? Compare the payout with deductibles and the NCB you would lose.

Runs in your browser — nothing is stored Rules checked: October 2026 No sign-up, no phone number

The hidden cost of a small claim

When you claim, the insurer pays the repair bill minus depreciation (unless you have zero-dep) and deductibles. That is the visible part. The invisible part is your No Claim Bonus: it drops to zero at the next renewal and takes five claim-free years to rebuild. The extra premium you pay over those years can exceed what a small claim paid out.

How the calculator decides

Claim payout = repair bill − parts depreciation − compulsory deductible − voluntary deductible.
It rebuilds your base own-damage premium from what you pay now and your NCB.
It compares two NCB paths over the next three or five renewals — with and without the claim — and adds GST to the difference.
Net effect = payout − extra premium. Positive means claiming is worth it.

Example

A ₹18,000 bumper-and-light repair with ₹3,000 depreciation and a ₹1,000 compulsory deductible pays ₹14,000. With 35% NCB and an own-damage premium of ₹6,500, losing NCB costs about ₹11,800 over three renewals (including GST). Claiming still wins, but only by about ₹2,200 — and a ₹12,000 repair would not have been worth claiming.

Always claim when there is third-party injury or property damage, the vehicle is stolen, or the damage is large. The calculator is for discretionary own-damage repairs.

FAQs

If I pay for a repair myself, do I need to tell my insurer?

Not for a repair you handle privately without a claim. Keep the garage invoice in case the same part is damaged again later.

Does NCB Protection change the answer?

Usually yes. With NCB Protection the claim does not reset your NCB (within the number of claims the add-on allows), so the cost of claiming is much lower.