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Complaint to a motor insurer about a claim (UK)
England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales · in English · for consumers
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14 questions · about 6 min
Made for use in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
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For a policyholder in the UK unhappy with how a car insurer has handled a claim: a delay, a low offer, a refusal or a write-off valuation. The letter sets out the complaint and what you want, and reminds the insurer that under the Financial Conduct Authority's rules it has eight weeks to send a final response. If you are still unhappy, or eight weeks pass, you can take the complaint free to the Financial Ombudsman Service within six months of the final response. Send it by email and keep a copy.
- Made for use in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
- Last updated October 28, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- Your car insurer in the UK is taking months over your claim and you want to complain formally.
- The insurer has written your car off and offered far less than it was worth.
- Your claim was refused for a reason you do not accept and you want a final response.
- You want to complain to your car insurance company so you can go to the Financial Ombudsman if needed.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Your full name
- Your address (flat, house number and street)
- Town or city
- Your postcode
- Date
- Insurer
- Insurer's address for complaints, with postcode (or its complaints email)
- Policy number
- Claim number
- What the claim is about (for example a collision, a theft, storm damage)
- Date of the incident
- What has gone wrong with the claim (dates, what you were told)
- What you want the insurer to do to put it right
- Attachments
Common questions
- Do I have to complain to my car insurer before going to the Financial Ombudsman?
- Yes. The Ombudsman looks at a complaint once the insurer has sent its final response or eight weeks have passed since it received the complaint. Many insurers have an online complaints form, which is free and enough on its own; this letter gives you a dated, complete record of what you asked for. Quote the policy and claim numbers.
- How long do I have to take a car insurance complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service?
- Normally six months from the date of the insurer's final response, which must tell you so. The service is free for consumers and can accept a late complaint only in exceptional circumstances, so do not wait. There is also an outer limit: six years from the event, or three years from when you knew you had cause to complain, if that is later.
- What can the Financial Ombudsman order a car insurer to do?
- It can tell the insurer to pay the claim or a fair amount, add interest, and compensate you for distress and inconvenience. From 1 April 2026 its award limit is £455,000 for complaints about acts on or after 1 April 2019 and £205,000 for earlier acts. If you accept its final decision, it binds the insurer; if you reject it, you keep your right to go to court.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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