No claims bonus (NCB) protection is an add-on that lets you make a certain number of claims without losing the discount you’ve built up.
How NCB Works
| Years No Claims | Typical Discount |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0% |
| 1 | 30% |
| 2 | 40% |
| 3 | 50% |
| 5 | 60% |
| 9+ | 65-75% |
NCB Protection Explained
| Without Protection | With Protection |
|---|---|
| Make one claim → lose 2+ years of NCB | Make one claim → NCB protected |
| Premium increases from lost discount | Premium increases but discount stays |
| May need to rebuild NCB from 0-2 years | Keep your accumulated NCB |
| Typically 0-2 claims allowed | Usually 1-2 claims protected per policy period |
What It Costs
| Typical Premium | NCB Protection Cost | Extra % |
|---|---|---|
| £500 | £15-30 | 3-6% |
| £800 | £25-50 | 3-6% |
| £1,200 | £35-70 | 3-6% |
When Protection Makes Sense
| Scenario | Worth It? |
|---|---|
| 9+ years NCB (65%+ discount) | Yes — losing this is expensive |
| Expensive premium already | Yes — protects large discount |
| Newish driver (1-2 years NCB) | No — small discount to lose |
| Very cheap insurance (< £400) | No — protection cost is proportionally high |
| You never claim anyway | No — self-insure instead |
The Maths
Without Protection, After a Claim
| Before Claim | After Claim |
|---|---|
| 9 years NCB | Reset to 0 |
| Premium: £300 | Premium: £900+ |
| Saving lost: £600 |
With Protection, After a Claim
| Before Claim | After Claim |
|---|---|
| 9 years NCB | NCB stays at 9 years |
| Premium: £300 | Premium: £350-450 |
| Protection cost: £25/year | Saving: £450-550 per claim |
The Self-Insurance Alternative
Instead of paying £25/year for protection:
| Years | Paid in Protection | Could Self-Insure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £25 | £25 saved |
| 5 | £125 | £125 saved |
| 10 | £250 | £250 saved |
If you never claim, self-insuring saves you the protection cost.
The Catch
Even with NCB protection:
| Your premium may still increase | Why |
|---|---|
| Because you made a claim | Claims increase risk rating |
| Because your NCB is the same | Protection doesn’t prevent premium rising from the claim itself |
| Because of other factors | Inflation, risk pool changes |
NCB protection keeps the discount. It doesn’t freeze the premium.
Which Insurers Offer It?
| Insurer | Protection Cost | Claims Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Line | £20-30 | 1 per year |
| Aviva | £25-35 | 1 per year |
| Admiral | £25-35 (with MultiCar) | 1 per year |
| LV= | Optional extra | Varies |
| Churchill | Included in some policies | 1 per year |
Bottom Line
NCB protection is worth it if you have 5+ years of no claims — the discount is valuable enough to protect. If you have fewer than 3 years, or your insurance is already cheap, the cost of protection isn’t justified. And remember: protecting your NCB doesn’t prevent your premium from rising after a claim — it just preserves the discount.
Deciding Whether to Add It
The decision to add NCB protection comes down to a single calculation: is the discount I am protecting worth more than the annual cost of protection, over the realistic chance I will claim?
If you have nine or more years of no claims, you are protecting a 65-75% discount on a premium that is already likely to be substantial. Losing that discount after a single claim would add hundreds of pounds to your renewal — in the worked example above, a £300 premium jumping to £900+. In that scenario, paying £25-£35 a year for protection is a very cheap insurance policy for a very expensive loss. Direct Line, Aviva, Admiral, LV=, and Churchill all offer it, typically for £20-£35 a year.
The picture is very different for a newer driver with one or two years of NCB. A 30-40% discount on a modest premium is not a huge amount to lose, and you are unlikely to have accrued the years of history that make protection attractive. Similarly, if your premium is already cheap — under £400 — the protection cost of 3-6% is proportionally high. In both cases, the smarter default is to self-insure: put the protection premium aside each year, and if you never claim, you keep the money.
The one caveat that trips people up is expectation management. Protection is not a free pass to claim. It preserves the discount but not the premium, and with a worst-case, higher-risk period the premium can still climb significantly after a claim. Treat NCB protection as a hedge against losing a hard-won discount, not as cover that cancels the financial consequences of an accident.