Report an accident or damage
Everything you need after an incident with one of our cars: the accident statement form, how to fill it in, and a report form that reaches our claims desk straight away.
Anyone hurt or in danger?
Call 112 first. It is Iceland's emergency number for police, ambulance and fire, 24 hours a day. The paperwork can wait.
At the scene, in short
- 1
Make the scene safe
Hazard lights on, everyone away from traffic, warning triangle out if you have one.
- 2
Tell the police after an accident
Under the rental terms (clause 19) you must tell the police and us straight away after an accident, and stay at the scene until the police arrive, say they will not attend, or we tell you that you can leave. In an emergency, call 112.
- 3
Photograph everything
Both cars from all sides, the license plates, the road, signs, skid marks and the wider scene.
- 4
Fill in the accident statement together
With the other driver, on paper, at the scene. Both sign; each keeps a copy. Do not admit fault or sign anything you do not understand.
- 5
Call us
Call or WhatsApp +354 779 9499 any time, day or night. We tell you what to do next and open the file with you.
The full guide, including breakdowns and Iceland-specific hazards: Accident & breakdown — what to do.
The accident statement
The European Accident Statement (the two-column form used across Europe and in Iceland) records what happened without deciding who is at fault. The rental terms (clause 19) ask you to complete it with the other driver, get both signatures, keep a copy and send it to us right away. We pass it to our insurer, and it is the document the claim is settled from.
European Accident Statement, Icelandic edition in English · 3 pages · 145 KB
Print a copy for the glovebox before you set off, or open the PDF on your phone at the scene and copy the boxes onto paper. Both drivers sign the same sheet.
How to fill it in, box by box
The form has one column per vehicle. Use column A for the rental car and column B for the other vehicle (or the other way round; it does not matter, as long as each column stays with one car). Write clearly in block capitals and fill in every box, even if the answer is “none”.
1. Date and time
Date and time of the accident.
2. Place
Where it happened: road number, nearest town or landmark, and the country (Iceland).
3. Injuries
Tick yes even for a slight injury, and say who.
4. Damage to other things
Anything damaged other than the two vehicles: a fence, a sign, a parked car, luggage.
5. Witnesses
Names, phone numbers and addresses of anyone who saw it. Passengers count; note that they were passengers.
6. Policyholder
For the rental car, write the rental company: Ring Road Cars ehf., Bogatröð 1, 262 Reykjanesbær, Iceland (kennitala 620914-0100). The details are printed below so you can copy them.
7. Vehicle
Make, model and registration number of the rental car, all on the rental agreement and the license plate. For the other car, copy them from its plate and papers.
8. Insurance company
For the rental car: Sjóvá-Almennar tryggingar hf. (details below). Ask the other driver for their insurer's name and policy number.
9. Driver
Your own details: name, address, date of birth, phone, driver's license number, and the country and date it was issued.
10. Point of impact
Mark on the small car drawing where the vehicle was first hit.
11. Visible damage
A short, factual list: “front bumper cracked, left headlight broken”. Photos do the rest.
12. Circumstances
Tick every box that applies to each vehicle, then write the number of boxes ticked at the bottom of each column. This is the part insurers read first, so take your time.
13. Sketch
A simple drawing: the road layout, arrows for the direction of each car, their positions at the moment of impact, road signs and street or road names.
14. Remarks
Anything the boxes do not cover, for example “the other driver said they did not see me”. Disagree with the other driver's version? Write it here instead of arguing.
15. Signatures
Both drivers sign. Signing confirms the facts recorded, not who is at fault. Then separate the sheets: each driver keeps one.
The back page (boxes 16–35: speed, road and weather conditions, police, workshop) is for you alone, after the scene. Fill it in as soon as you can while the details are fresh, and send us both sides.
For box 8: the rental car's insurer
Our cars are insured for third-party liability with:
- Insurer
- Sjóvá-Almennar tryggingar hf.
- Address
- Kringlan 5, 103 Reykjavík, Iceland
- Phone
- +354 440 2000
- 24-hour claims line
- +354 440 2424
- Policyholder (box 6)
- Ring Road Cars ehf., Bogatröð 1, 262 Reykjanesbær, Iceland · kt. 620914-0100
- Policy number
- The policy number is on the rental agreement. If it is not to hand, leave the box empty; we add it when we receive your form.
You do not need to contact the insurer yourself. Send the statement to us and we handle the claim with them.
Send us your report
Tell us what happened as soon as you can, ideally the same day. Attach photos of the damage and, if you have it, a photo of the signed accident statement. The report goes straight to our claims desk and main inbox.
What happens next
- 1
We confirm receipt
By email, usually the same day. If the car is not driveable, call us: we arrange recovery.
- 2
The claim goes to our insurer
We send the accident statement, your report and the photos to Sjóvá and, where relevant, to the other driver's insurer. You do not need to deal with either insurer yourself.
- 3
The damage is assessed
The repair is priced at the actual repair cost (the repair invoice or, before the repair, a repair shop's itemized estimate), never above the Price List for the items it lists, and compared with the condition recorded at pickup. You get notice by email with the photos and the estimate or invoice within 10 days of the return, and nothing is charged until 20 days after that notice unless you agree in writing. Within those 20 days you can ask for an independent Cabas assessment, which binds us.
- 4
Your excess applies
Where a waiver covers the damage, your share is limited to the excess of your cover option (BASIC €3,000 · BASIC + SCDW €1,000 · PLUS €1,000 · MAX €0), plus the damage administration fee each time damage is charged — unless you declined CDW, or an exclusion in the rental terms applies, for example off-road driving, a river crossing or damage involving an animal.
- 5
If someone else was at fault
We pursue the claim with the other party's insurer and keep you informed; the part of your excess recovered from them is passed back to you.
Quick answers
Do I have to fill in the accident statement if the damage is minor?
Yes, whenever another vehicle or a third party is involved, however small the damage. It is the document both insurers work from. If only the rental car is damaged (a stone chip, a scrape on a post), the online report with photos is enough.
The other driver refuses to fill in or sign the form. What now?
Do not argue. Photograph their license plate, the damage and the scene, note their name and phone number if they give them, and call the police and us. Fill in your side of the form anyway and write in box 14 that the other driver declined to sign.
What if I hit a sheep or another animal?
Stop if it is safe, call 112 if the animal is on the road or injured, photograph the scene and report it to the police and to us without delay (that is a term of the rental). The police contact the animal's owner. No cover option, not even MAX, covers damage caused by or involving animals.
Do I contact Sjóvá myself?
No. Send everything to us. We handle the claim with our insurer; you only need the insurer's details to fill in box 8 of the form.
How long do I have to report?
Immediately, per the rental terms: call us from the scene and send the statement the same day if you can. Late reports make it harder to establish the facts, and where a delay seriously hampers assessing or recovering the loss, it can reduce what your waiver covers.
Do I report a theft or a break-in the same way?
Yes. Report theft, vandalism and damage involving animals to the police and to us without delay, and send us your report with photos. The Theft Waiver applies with every cover option if the car was locked with the windows closed, the keys are returned and the theft was reported without delay; it does not cover theft of parts or belongings, and vandalism is not covered by any waiver.