If you have a comprehensive policy: Ask your insurance company
for advice. Take your car to a competent repairer and tell
your insurance company immediately. If your insurance company
recommends a garage then take your car there if possible.
This may avoid the need to get a separate estimate and could
speed up the repair considerably.
Many insurers' recommended repairers will be able to provide
you with a courtesy car whilst your vehicle is being repaired.
Unless your insurer has special arrangements, send a repairer's
estimate to them. They will check it and if it is agreed they
will authorise repairs subject to your completing a satisfactory
claim form.
When you collect the car after repairs you will have to pay
the first part of the claim if you have an excess on your
policy. You pay this money direct to the garage, whether or
not you were to blame for the accident. Your insurers may
also ask you to pay a part of the cost of repairs if your
car is put into a better condition than before the accident.
If you are registered for VAT, pay any VAT due to the garage
and claim it back from Customs and Excise. If you are not
VAT registered your insurer will pay it.
The cost of repairs is your responsibility until your insurers
have agreed to pay. For your peace of mind, you may want to
obtain confirmation from your insurer that they accept liability
and will pay the cost of repair.
If you have chosen third party fire and theft cover, your
policy will not cover accidental damage to your car. You therefore
have to pay the repair bill yourself or claim from the other
driver if he or she was legally liable for the damage.
Write to the other driver saying that you intend to claim
from him/her. Say that you hold him/her responsible and ask
him/her to tell their insurers.
Write direct to their insurers, if you have details, quoting
the other driver's policy or certificate number. Send a repairer's
estimate as soon as possible - their insurers may well ask
you for additional estimates. Tell your own insurers that
you are claiming against the third party.
The other driver should tell their own insurer of the accident.
They will only be able to deal with your claim if the other
driver asks them to. They can only act on the instructions
of their own policyholder.
On receipt of your letter the third party may settle your
claim themselves or may pass the matter to their insurers.
If they consider their policyholder entirely to blame they
will pay your claim provided they have full information. If
they consider that you were entirely or partly to blame they
may refuse your claim or suggest a compromise.
The third party may refuse to co-operate at all in which
case you should seek advice from your insurance company, insurance
adviser, motoring organisation or solicitor. You may, at the
end of the day, have to take legal action against the other
driver; your policy may have a legal expenses section which
will cover your costs.
Recommended Repairers
Many insurance companies have lists of approved repairers.
When you tell your insurance company about the accident ask
them for the name and address of the nearest recommended repairer.
You are not obliged to use a repairer recommended by your
insurance company although this will speed up handling of
your claim and you may not need to obtain a repairer's estimate
at all. Many insurers have arrangements with their recommended
repairers whereby you may be able to use a courtesy or hire
car free of charge whilst repairs are carried out.
Similarly, many insurers have arrangements with specialist
windscreen replacement companies. Keep a note of these in
the glove box of your car.
