Should you submit an insurance claim if no other car was involved?

It's all really up to you. I'm assuming you're asking this in regards to a full coverage policy. Anyhow, get some estimates for your vehicle and compare the estimates to your deductible. If you got a dent and it costs $700 to fix, you might as well pay the entire $700 since the insurance company will only pay out $200 with a $500 deductuble. The possible insurance increase wouldn't make any sense in that case. If you have the extra cash to pay for a repair bill, you might want to pay for it yourself. Remember, anytime you submit a claim to insurance for damages, you are essentially "billing" them for the repairs, and they might raise your insurance accordingly. No. Every time you report an incident to your carrier, their underwriting department records same and will use it to increase your premiums at a later date.