Advice7 min read6 views
Updated 28 October 2026 · Written by the Wahanaya.lk team
Report the accident to the police and your insurer immediately, take photos, get the vehicle assessed, then submit your claim form, police report, licence, RC book and policy copy to the insurer.
Stop the vehicle safely, check for injuries, and call the police before you do anything else. Don't move the vehicles unless they're blocking traffic dangerously or someone needs urgent help - the position of the vehicles matters for the police report and for the insurer's assessment. Call your insurer's claims hotline next; most companies have a 24/7 number, and some run a "click to claim" option where you send photos from your phone for a quick assessment.
Take your own photos too, even if the police or an assessor is coming: wide shots of both vehicles, close-ups of the damage, the road, any skid marks, and the other vehicle's number plate and the other driver's licence. If there are witnesses, get their names and phone numbers. None of this takes more than a few minutes, and it protects you if the other party's story changes later.
Yes, in practice. The Motor Traffic Act requires every road accident to be reported to the nearest police station, and insurers treat a missing police report as a reason to delay or refuse a claim. This applies even to a minor scratch or a cracked tail-light - it's not just for serious crashes. If you were a passenger rather than the driver, you have 24 hours to give your name and address to the police confirming you were in the vehicle, but the driver's duty to report is immediate.
Go to the police station nearest to where the accident happened, not your home station, and ask for a copy or reference number of the entry - you'll need this when you submit your claim.
Most insurers ask for a similar set of documents:
Keep copies of everything you hand over, and get a receipt or acknowledgement from the insurer confirming they've received your claim.
Once the insurer's assessor has valued the damage, you're usually given a choice. You can take the assessed amount as a cash settlement and get the car repaired wherever you trust, or let the insurer pay a garage directly, including any cashless partner garages the company has a network with. Cash gives you flexibility and lets you shop around for a better repair price; letting the insurer deal with an approved garage is simpler if you don't want to manage the paperwork or chase payment yourself. Either way, don't agree to a repair cost figure you don't understand - ask the assessor to explain the estimate before you sign anything.
The most common mistake is not reporting to the police, or reporting late, thinking it's "not worth the hassle" for a small bump. The second is moving or repairing the vehicle before the assessor has seen it, which gives the insurer grounds to query what actually happened. Third, people sometimes under-report the circumstances of the accident - for instance, not mentioning that the vehicle was being used for a purpose outside the policy's terms, or that the driver didn't hold a valid licence for that vehicle class. If any of that comes out later, the claim can be rejected entirely. Finally, people forget that their policy only covers what it says it covers: if you only have third-party cover, you cannot claim for damage to your own vehicle - only for the other party's loss.
If you're not sure what your policy actually includes, read the schedule page of your policy document rather than relying on memory - cover levels, excess amounts and add-ons vary by insurer and by plan.
Most insurers in Sri Lanka reward claim-free years with a No Claim Bonus, often starting around 20% and rising with each further claim-free year. If you make an own-damage claim, that discount is usually lost and resets for the next renewal. A third-party claim where the other driver was at fault - and you didn't claim against your own cover - generally does not affect your NCB. Some insurers sell an "NCB protection" add-on that preserves your discount even after one claim a year; ask about it when you renew, since terms differ between companies.
If your vehicle is stolen, go straight to the police and file a complaint - get a copy of the entry, since this is the core document your insurer will ask for. Theft is only covered if you have a comprehensive policy; a third-party-only policy will not pay out for your own stolen vehicle. Inform your insurer in writing as soon as you've filed the police complaint, and expect them to wait a reasonable period (to see if the vehicle is recovered) before finalising a theft settlement.
If your car ends up a write-off and you need to shop for a replacement, browse listings on /vehicles or check what a similar model is going for with /price-check. If you're financing the next one, /leasing has a monthly payment calculator to help you plan. Selling the damaged vehicle as-is or upgrading afterward is easy to post through /post-ad, and it's worth a read through /safety-tips before you're back on the road. If you want a second opinion on your specific situation, Sri Lankan vehicle owners are active on the Wahanaya forum - a good place to ask before you sign off on an assessor's figure.
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