Everything you need to know about no-claims years
By no-claims years we mean the number of years in which a policyholder has not claimed for any damage from the insurer. If you go a year without a claim, you build up one year. If you make a claim, you lose (several) no-claims years. There is a relationship between the insurance premium and the number of no-claims years. This page describes the situation in the Netherlands.
The relationship between no-claims years and premium
The premium that the policyholder pays monthly or annually for car insurance depends on several factors. What matters for the premium includes, for example, the type of car being insured, how heavy it is, what its new value is, where the car is kept most of the time and the age of the regular driver.
By using their no-claims years, policyholders can get a discount on their premium. With almost all insurers, the policyholder gets a discount if they go a few years without a claim. This works by means of the no-claims ladder (bonus-malus ladder).
The no-claims ladder
Every year in which a policyholder makes no claim, and the car is insured, they move up one step on the no-claims ladder. This comes with what is known as a no-claims discount. If the policyholder causes damage, they lose a number of no-claims years. In the past, this number was roughly 3 to 6 years. The number of years you lost depended on the damage.
This situation came to an end on 1 January 2016. Since then, every insurer has used the same system. If you make a claim, you lose 5 no-claims years. An example: a policyholder has built up 7 no-claims years. Because of an accident, the policyholder has to make a claim. After the claim, the policyholder has only 2 no-claims years left.
If you have not yet built up enough no-claims years, you go into the negative. This is called malus. In short: the no-claims ladder does not show the number of no-claims years, but the discount the policyholder receives. How this ladder works differs per insurer.
No-claims discount
Is no claim made for a year? Then the policyholder moves up the ladder. As a result, the no-claims discount also goes up. This is a discount the policyholder receives for driving without claims. By using a no-claims protector, policyholders can make one claim without it affecting the premium. The number of no-claims years does go down, but on this one occasion the policyholder will not notice it in the insurance premium.
Conditions for no-claims years
Conditions apply to no-claims years. You can find these conditions in the policy conditions of the insurance. For correct information, it is advisable to look up the conditions or contact the car insurer.
How long they remain valid
To keep their no-claims years, motorists would have to keep switching to another insurance policy. That is not desirable. That is why the validity of no-claims years is limited. In most cases, no-claims years remain valid for another year after an insurance policy is cancelled. With some insurers this is even 3 or 4 years. It is good to keep this in mind when taking out new car insurance.
No-claims years in your own name
No-claims years only apply to the policyholder. They are registered in that person’s name. In principle, therefore, they cannot be transferred. This is only possible by way of exception. That is why taking out car insurance is often expensive for young people: the number of no-claims years starts at 0. No new car owner can avoid this. When you apply for car insurance, you have to state the driver who drives the car most. So insuring the car in your parents’ name is not possible.
Can no-claims years be taken to another insurer?
It is possible to take your no-claims years to another insurer. When the insurance is cancelled, the no-claims years are recorded in a national database. Other insurers can also consult this database. This is useful when someone takes out a new policy.
Anyone who has driven a company car or a lease car can request a statement of no-claims years from their employer or the leasing company. Not all insurers accept this statement. That is why it is advisable to ask about this first, before taking out a policy.
Proving your no-claims years
When switching to a new policy, the new insurer will want to know how many no-claims years have been built up. This can be proven in several ways:
- Through the insurers’ central database (Roy-data). The policyholder then requests the details from the insurer;
- A cancellation statement (royementsverklaring): for a policy that ended before Roy-data was in use. Data has been supplied to Roy-data since 1 July 2007 (Dutch Association of Insurers (Verbond van Verzekeraars), Bedrijfsregeling 11 Roy-data, article 12). The old insurer then draws up a document that can be shown to the new insurer. The document is issued only once and is valid for one year.
- By means of an employer’s statement: if the new insurer accepts an employer’s statement, the employer can use it to show how many no-claims years their employee has driven. Few insurers accept this.
- Lease statement: have you had a lease car? Then with many insurers it is possible to submit a lease statement. You can request this statement from the leasing company.
What happens with negative no-claims years?
In the event of damage, a policyholder may end up with negative no-claims years. In that case we speak of a malus registration. Not all insurers accept this. Unfortunately, in many cases it is not possible to take out a policy. That is why it is so important to drive as carefully and attentively as possible. No-claims years are very important for future insurance.
No idea how many no-claims years you have built up? Then you can request this from your current car insurer.
Years built up with another vehicle
Have you built up no-claims years driving a vehicle other than a car? With most insurers, it is not possible to transfer these no-claims years from moped or scooter insurance to car insurance. Riding a moped or scooter has a different risk profile from driving a car or riding a motorcycle. To be sure, ask the insurer whether this is possible.
The other way round is possible: converting car insurance into moped or scooter insurance. This is not recommended. If you have a (minor) accident on the scooter or moped, you lose valuable no-claims years. As soon as you need to take out car insurance, the number of no-claims years may be too low to get insured, or only at a high premium.
If you are sure you will never get behind the wheel of a car again, you can choose to take your no-claims years with you to your scooter or moped insurance.
Read also: Claim for car damage or not?
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Written by Ronald de Waard, insurance editor. Last updated on 9 November 2026. WA.nl provides general information, not personal advice.