If you have a road accident and it’s your fault, it could impact the price of your green slip. If you also incurred demerit points or made an insurance claim, this will push up the price. This is why safe driving, with no accidents, helps keep the price of your green slip down.
Whose fault was it?
CTP insurers ask whether you have had an at-fault accident in the past 2-5 years. A road accident can be distressing and it’s not always clear afterwards who caused it. This is a matter for your greenslip insurer to decide. The law says at fault means you were 100% at fault or you contributed more than 61% to the accident (known as contributory negligence).
On top of the accident, you may also have incurred demerit points for a driving offence. If it was related to alcohol or drugs, you may get a licence suspension (temporary loss of licence for a fixed period). Each of these factors increases your risk to the insurer and will push up the price of your green slip.
How much more could your greenslip cost after a road accident?
First example – station wagon
We used the greenslips.com.au Calculator as at 1 December 2023 for a man, 42, with a station wagon in the Metro area. In one case, he was a safe driver, in the other case, he had a recent at-fault accident.
| Average greenslip price | Price range | |
| Safe driver | $561 | $429-$733 |
| At-fault accident | $681 | $429-$734 |
| Extra paid | $120 (+21.4%) |
Second example – ute
Once again, we used the greenslips.com.au Calculator as at 1 December 2023 for a woman, 34, with a ute in the Metro area. In one case, she was a safe driver, in the other case, she had a recent at-fault accident.
| Average greenslip price | Price range | |
| Safe driver | $831 | $674-$1,126 |
| At-fault accident | $1,044 | $674-$1,128 |
| Extra paid | $213 (+25.6%) |
After a recent at-fault road accident, the ute driver had to pay an average 25.6% more, while the station wagon driver had to pay 21.4% more, for their green slips. However, the price range shows not all insurers treat an at-fault accident in the same way. It pays to compare green slip prices.
Note, these greenslip prices don’t include any demerit points. If the ute driver had also incurred 2 demerit points, her average green slip price was $1,127. This means she would have paid an average $296 or 35.6% more than the safe ute driver.
Our research shows 68% of visitors to the greenslips.com.au Calculator in the first 9 months of 2023 saved money because they had no demerit points. Over 24% of visitors had 1 to 4 demerit points and will have to pay extra for their greenslip for 3 years. See our blog about the real cost of demerit points.
Over time, any effects of a road accident on the price of your green slip will start to reduce. But until they do, your green slip is probably going to be more expensive.
See more about how your driving record affects your greenslip price.
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