Drove into the back of someone - how much will it cost me?

[selflove]

Stationary at a roundabout and went into the back of someone when they pulled off then hesitated - totally my fault, I went into the back of them. I have a black box fitted in my car because I have only had an insurance policy in my own name for one year so it made it cheaper (was a named driver on ExH's before this), and the bump was such low speed it didn't even register on my black box.

Gave my details to the woman, who was angry and aggressive, and I'm happy to go through insurance, she reckons there is damage (none visible), but what will it cost me from a money perspective to pay now? My excess? My excess AND her excess? Anything else?

I suspect she'll come back with a "let's not go through insurance and you give me X cash" perspective, and whilst she was awful and I think a bit of a chancer, I also don't want to cut my nose off to spite my face, so wanted to know what costs I would be liable for if I insist on going through insurance. Can anyone shed any light?!

[Santastealer]

Did you take photographs at the scene of any damage?

You should notify your own insurance company but I know many don’t and try to cover it themselves to save higher premiums.

[Hoppinggreen]

Unfortunately nobody on here can possibly know how much damage you did to the car or what this lady will do.
Generally it is better to go through Insurance as there are some people who will try and rip you off

[Santastealer]

As the cost…: how long is a piece of string? Depends on damage, car type etc.

Someone did exactly the same to me at a roundabout years ago. It was a small bump with just a slightly dent to my boot door. However it had buckled underneath which wasn’t visible at first and stopped the boot opening and closing. The insurance company wrote it off because it was an old car and paid out £800.

[ChatterMonkey]

I think its just your excess you would pay, and you would lose any no-claims.

Tbh if you are getting chancer vibes from her already then its probably better to go by the book so she cant claim more than the damage is.

Should say though that no visable damage doesnt mean there isnt expensive damage. Someone went into the back of me at slowish speed, only damage visable was a cracked bumper, but once it was in the garage, a lot of chasis damage was found. Car was nearly a right off which no one could believe.

[Letsallscreamatthesistene]

Its imppssible to know how much it'll cost.

Did you take pictures? Did you see her drive the car after the accident? I went into the back of someone once who tried to say his car was undrivable after the accident. My insurance company phoned me to ask if id seen him drive after the accident - I had because we both drove to a layby to exchange numbers. I didnt hear anything else but im assuming he was trying to get more money than he was due.

[selflove]

I don't care how much it costs my insurance if we go through insurance - I want to know what costs I have to pay now if it were to go through my insurance.

Do I pay my excess before it all begins? Do I have to pay hers or does the insurance cover that? Essentially, if we go through insurance, what costs do I have to cover out of my available money?

[delilahbucket]

Even with no claim you still have to report it to your insurers as I think the wording is often "collision even if no claim was made" or something to that effect. Did you take pictures to show there was no damage? Is there damage to your car? She may have to have her bumper removed to check there is no damage underneath it and watch out for a whiplash claim. Any witnesses you got info from? Dashcam footage? It is good that it was so slow it didn't register on your blackbox.
With your claim, you are just liable for an excess if you claim for your car. They will be liable for their own excess. Your insurer will cover their bills. This is normally the case but check your policy.
Your premiums are going to rocket regardless unfortunately.

[gobbynorthernbird]

It'll cost you your excess (if you claim for damage to your vehicle) and whatever your premiums increase by.

[Candyapple49]

I did something very similar and when I went to look there was no damage either . I passed on my insurance details but when I phoned them she hadn’t contacted them . The next day her husband , I assume , phoned me demanding cash and being aggressive . I said no I wanted to go through the insurance . A week later she still hadn’t contacted my insurance company or answered calls from them . I can only assume that as soon as she saw no damage she wanted cash for the non existent damage .
Also , be careful as you should still declare any accidents , even if you don’t claim , or you could invalidate future claims if they find out . My advice - don’t do cash .

[gobbynorthernbird]

Also, you usually only pay your excess once your car is fixed.

[Roselilly36]

Taking photos is a good idea. Ins company will usually deem you are at fault, with this kind of claim. If she is a chancer she will claim whiplash injury too I expect. Let the ins company deal with it, they are used to such matters. If she wants cash, as many do, say no, you have reported it to your insurers.

[selflove]

No damage to my vehicle. Neither of us took pictures at the time (stupid I know, but only time I've ever been in an accident and she was so angry, she just wanted my mobile number and drove off).

So if there's no damage to my vehicle, it won't cost any money to me directly right now, apart from increased premiums down the line??

[HeddaGarbled]

Your excess only applies if you claim for damage to your own car. Your insurers will pay her excess. So no upfront cost to you at all. Where you may lose out is if it affects the cost of your insurance when you renew it. Definitely, worth going through insurers just not to have to deal with her at all from this point on.

[HeartIess]

Well mine was same situation and £1000

And they’ll have to go through insurance as structural damage can be caused that isn’t visible to the eye

So my premium went up quite a bit

I had rolled into her at about 4mph so felt pretty aggrieved

[pumpkinpie01]

You only pay your excess if you claim for your damage . Putting in a claim will cost you nothing now but you will lose this years bonus

[Candyapple49]

To answer the cost question , I only pay the excess if I want my car fixed . The insurance company deals with hers . If your policy is the same you won’t have any costs ( except future higher insurance ) unless you claim to fix your car .

[selflove]

She messaged me asking what my excess is - why is this relevant then? Do I need to give her this information?! I gave her my name, address, insurance company and policy number

[RollaCola84]

I went into someone at low speed years ago, I think it was staged cash for crash as they started off then braked and the car in front of him was his mate but nothing I could prove. No visible damage to his car in the pictures I took, no damage to my car. Didn't cost me a thing up front though my insurance company paid out more than £6k in repairs, hire car whilst his was being repaired and personal injury for the THREE MONTHS he had off work with whiplash.

Took about five years for my premiums to get back to where they been.

Bad luck OP.

[SoupDragon]

@selflove

She messaged me asking what my excess is - why is this relevant then? Do I need to give her this information?! I gave her my name, address, insurance company and policy number

Don't tell her this. I think she is going to say "oh, I had a quote from ABC Bodywork and it will cost less than that to fix it. I'm happy to just take the money"

[gobbynorthernbird]

@selflove

She messaged me asking what my excess is - why is this relevant then? Do I need to give her this information?! I gave her my name, address, insurance company and policy number

You don't have to give it to her. And I'll bet she wants to know so she can propose a cash figure that's less than your excess.

[HeddaGarbled]

She probably doesn’t understand how it works either. You’ve given her all the information she needs.

[selflove]

But if I don't even need to use my excess (which I don't, because there is no damage to my own car) then surely it's irrelevant if my excess is £150 or £650, no?!

[ratspeaker]

Inform your insurance now.
If you are not claiming for damage to your car then you shouldnt have to pay any excess though your preniums may rise.

The insurance will probaly want pictures of your car,
front,
front RH side,
side,
back RH side
back
back Back LH side
other side
front LH side
and pics showing VIN number and mileage if I recall correctly

one of the DC reversed into a car last year in DH car, insurance dealt with it all

[thinkingaboutitall]

In future if this happens definitely take a video of the scene (you can screenshot the video to produce photos).

Realistically it’s better to go through insurance as you’re less likely to get scammed. This woman hasn’t given you a quote as she probably hasn’t got one - she’s just going to magic up a figure based on your excess. It’s like a payday for her

[D0D0]

@selflove

But if I don't even need to use my excess (which I don't, because there is no damage to my own car) then surely it's irrelevant if my excess is £150 or £650, no?!

Your excess doesn’t apply only to your car?

It’s the amount you’ll have to pay in the event of a claim

I wouldn’t be telling her this … as a PP says, she could use it to propose a cash figure slightly under.