No Claim Bonus In Two Wheeler Insurance

NCB in Bike Insurance in India

If you have a bike insurance plan and you don’t make any claims during a year, the bike insurance provider will offer you a benefit known as the No Claim Bonus (NCB). The NCB is nothing but a discount on the Own Damage (OD) cover premium.

It allows you to reduce your bike insurance premium and can lessen your financial burden. For the first claim-free year, the No Claim Bonus in bike insurance that you get is 20%.

And for every consecutive year of not making any claims, you get to accumulate NCB, which tops out at a maximum of 50%. So, if you continue with your claim-free years, you can avail up to 50% discount on your OD cover premium after the end of the 5th year.

Come to think of it, the No Claim Bonus in bike insurance is essentially a reward that insurance providers offer for driving safely, cautiously, and responsibly. By providing a discount on bike insurance premiums, insurance providers basically encourage policyholders to drive safely by way of the NCB.

How is No Claim Bonus Calculated in Two-Wheeler Insurance?

Now that you have a fair idea of what NCB in two-wheeler insurance is, it is time to check out how exactly this benefit is calculated. Let’s take the help of an example.

There are two individuals - Adarsh and Ranvir. Both purchase the same two-wheeler - Royal Enfield Classic 350 at around the same time. They’ve also opted for the same comprehensive bike insurance policy from the same insurance provider for a first-year premium of Rs. 15,000.

While Adarsh completed the first year successfully without making any claims, Ranvir got into an accident and had to make a claim. At the end of the first year, Adarsh became eligible for a 20% No Claim Bonus in bike insurance, while Ranvir didn’t get the advantage of NCB.

Here’s a table clearly explaining the effect of the No Claim Bonus.

As you can see from the above calculation, Adarsh was able to save around Rs. 2,400 by driving safely and not making a claim in the first year. Ranvir, on the other hand, didn’t get the benefit of NCB and had to pay the full premium.

Why is NCB important for two-wheeler insurance?

NCB is important for two-wheeler insurance as it helps you to save money on your policy payment. Under NCB, you can earn a discount on your policy premium upon policy renewal after each claim-free policy term. After five consecutive claim-free policy terms, this can result in a reduction of the policy premium of 50%. As a result, you can save money by drastically reducing the amount you spend on bike insurance.

How Does No Claim Bonus Impact Your Premium Calculation?

The No Claim Bonus in bike insurance is only offered after the completion of the first year of not making any claims. And for every claim-free year since, the NCB percentage in bike insurance continues to go up till it reaches 50%, which is the maximum bonus offered by insurance providers.

The table below can help you understand the impact that the No Claim Bonus has on your premiums.  

How Does No Claim Bonus Impact Your Premium Calculation?

At the time of policy renewal, the owner of the insured bike receives great leverage. If no claim (in a policy year) is raised by the insured bike's owner, the benefit of no claim bonus is offered in the form of a policy renewal discount. Depending on the terms of the particular insurance company, you may receive up to a 20-50% discount on the renewal premium for your bike insurance. 

This discount on the renewal premium affects the overall insurance investment of the bike owner. Apart from this, one may also get additional benefits as per the norms of the particular motor insurance company. 

How To Transfer An NCB Policy?

You need to keep in mind that the No Claim Bonus belongs to the policyholder and not the vehicle. So when you sell or buy a new/ prior owned vehicle, there is no transfer of NCB from vehicle to vehicle. 

However, you have the option to transfer the NCB when you are switching insurers. In case you wish to buy a new/ prior owned vehicle and you have some accumulated NCB you can get it transferred. When renewing the policy you would have to inform the insurance company about the same. In case you are selling your car/ bike you would have to cancel your existing insurance policy. Submit the documents given below, after which your current insurance company would approve the NCB retention: 

• Copy of Insurance policy

• Form 51- Certificate of Insurance

• Policy cancellation request

• Form 29- Transfer of ownership

• Copy of Registration Certificate, RC

• Proof of new vehicle’s delivery

NCB Policy Addons

To be eligible for an NCB discount, consumers must not file any claims during the last insurance term. This no-claim bonus can be reduced to zero in case you have filed even a single claim. To maintain your accrued NCB rebate, buy an add-on cover to protect your NCB.

This add-on cover allows you to file a maximum of two claims during the insurance without having to forfeit your accrued NCB. It also helps you to take full advantage of the insurance policy without paying a high amount of premiums the following year.

The best part is that the NCB Protect add-on does not affect your collected NCB balance in any way. The NCB discount remains the same and will not change whether you choose to use any additional add-on coverage or not.

How to claim NCB policy

Basically there are two scenarios to claim your NCB policy,

1. Renewal of policy from same insurance provider
   In case you are renewing your two-wheeler policy from the same insurance provider

Mention on your renewal form that you already have an accumulated no-claim bonus. The NCB will be deducted from the premium owed for the following insurance period.

1. If you changing your insurance provider

You must submit proof or a certificate acquired from your previous insurance provider to retain NCB with your proposed insurance plan if you're changing insurers. In case you've bought a new bike and you want to use NCB for the same, you need the NCB retention proof here as well.

Please note, that you can only request the NCB retention certificate once you have filed a cancellation request. IRDAI determines the rate of NCB discount that is offered annually on your 2-wheeler insurance plan.

When do I lose the NCB?

It is extremely important to be aware of the situations that can lead to the No Claim Bonus in bike insurance getting lost. It can help you stay clear from such instances and make sure that you protect your NCB.

You can end up losing all of your accumulated NCB percentage in your bike insurance plan if you make a claim during a year. Also, if you also fail to renew your bike insurance on time, you will forego the No Claim Bonus benefits.

Benefits of NCB in Bike Insurance

The benefits that you get to enjoy by accumulating No Claim Bonus in bike insurance are aplenty. Here’s a quick look at a few of them.

• NCB can help lower the premiums of the Own Damage (OD) cover in your bike insurance policy by up to 50%.

• The No Claim Bonus in bike insurance is applicable for the policyholder and not the vehicle. This effectively means that you can transfer your accumulated NCB to a new bike or to another insurance provider.

• Since NCB is essentially a reward for cautious driving, it encourages policyholders to adopt safe driving measures.

Limitations of NCB in Bike Insurance

Just like the benefits, No Claim Bonus in bike insurance also has a few limitations that you should keep in mind. Let’s take a look at what they are.

• No Claim Bonus in bike insurance is only available for Own Damage (OD) covers and not third-party covers.

• Even a single claim during a year can lead to you losing all of your accumulated No Claim Bonuses.

• The maximum percentage of NCB that you can avail is capped at 50%.

Wrapping it up

Hope you have now understood the meaning of NCB in bike insurance and the kind of profound impact it has on your bike insurance premiums.

One of the many ways through which you can retain your NCB is by refraining from making small claims. Instead, you can pay for the expenses out of your own pocket. This way, you can ensure that the NCB for your bike insurance policy remains intact.

Or alternatively, you can choose to opt for the optional NCB Protect add-on for your bike insurance plan as well, which can allow you to retain your No Claim Bonus despite making a claim during a year.

If you wish to check out bike insurance plans that offer the optional NCB Protect add-on, head over to the Bajaj Markets website. You can browse through the list of plans that offer the add-on, compare them, and choose the one that satisfies your needs.  

When is NCB terminated/ cancelled/ not available?

Your No Claim Bonus can get cancelled in the following situations: 

1. If a claim has been made during the term of the policy

2. If the policy has not been renewed within 90 days of its expiry date

3. You are eligible for an NCB only when you have a comprehensive insurance policy. You would not get any NCB in third-party liability-only insurance.

Things to remember about NCB in India

Keep the following things in mind when it comes to NCB in insurance in India:

1. Only when you opt for comprehensive insurance would you be eligible for a no claim bonus, and not with third-party liability

2. In case a claim is made during the policy year, the NCB will be nullified

3. Make sure you do not delay renewing your policy as all accumulated NCB will be terminated in case the policy is not renewed within 90 days of the expiry date

4. The NCB that is acquired can not be transferred to another policyholder, however, the transfer is transferable when you are switching insurers or vehicles

5. Cancelling an insurance policy in the middle of the term may also cancel the NCB that has been acquired.

Check Out Bike Insurance Plans Available at Bajaj MARKETS