Neighbours handbrake failed

If your insurance would have provided a courtesy car then yes she needs to cover a hire car for you. If not then you’d have been in the same
position if you went through insurance so not really her fault if you’re without a car.

This is what insurance is for.

That’s not necessarily true, it depends on your policy. Many of them require you to pay your excess up front and then they claim it back from the other party.

Your insurance probably won't go up. Mine didn't when a moronic neighbour did the same to ours and wrote it off as it was an old car. I put it through her insurance, got a hire car for 2-3 weeks whilst they evaluated the damage before writing it off, and got a settlement far higher than I'd have got if part exchanged. I disclose the accident in renewals ever since, but not noticed any hike in premiums at all because of it.

Go through insurance. That’s what it’s for!

You won't have to pay any excess if it's not your fault.

Quite a few car accident repair places offer a courtesy car, they are very used to people turning up and paying to repair the other person's car in this kind of situation. As long as you are sure it is just a small dent/cosmetic it will probably be quicker.
I had to do the same recently, by the time I'd repaired my car and the other guy's it was over £600, honestly I do wonder if I should have used my insurance!

I would just book it in for after the hols. But equally, I'd manage fine without a car for 2 days.

I don't know much about all this, but my DH accidentally damaged a nice neighbour's car recently and they both tried for ages to sort out some way of not going through insurance, but had to give up and take that route in the end.

I would just go through insurance in case there's more serious damage to your car than the dent. If it's not your fault, I don't think your premiums will necessarily go up and if they do, car insurance is one of those things it pays to shop around for on renewal.

Either go through your insurance or say she will need to hire you a car so that you don’t have to go through insurers

Always go thru insurance if someone hits you. No benefit to you not to.

Always go thru insurance if someone hits you. No benefit to you not to.

I would go through the insurance. Our car was hit in a carpark when the other driver either forgot the handbrake or it failed. We didn’t have to pay the excess as it wasn’t our fault and had a hire care the whole time. Our premium didn’t go up but I suspect it depends on your insurer.

It was very close to being a write off though which was a bit nerve wracking for a bit. It’s really hard to know how much damage has been done before a garage has looked at it.

And yes, your premium may go up a little, but if you don't tell them and your car is a write off, or ends up costing thousands and she refuses to pay the bill, you're screwed anyway.

Go through insurance - that’s what it’s for and your car could have damage that makes it a write off.

Just go through insurance. What would happen if you drop off your car, then she refuses to pay the repair bill?

I’d say I’ve taken advice and for the amount of damage it needs to go through the insurance

I got into an accident on Friday acrually, I lost my footing, couldnt brake, and bumped into the car in front at a traffic light

I was so embarrassed and offered to pay out of pocket - then he started saying he thought his sensors would need replacing - bear in mind I was going 10mph if that

So i text him and went through insurance

It's you that will have to pay your excess though, her premiums will go up and she'll lose her no claims

It's best that way, as you can't be without your car x

It's not up to her whether you go through insurance or not.

Personally, I would let my insurers handle it. You're supposed to tell them about any accidents anyway, and if they find out further down the line, you could have your policy voided.

I'd be really wary about this. Someone went into the back of my DP (admittedly a stranger not a neighbour). They wanted to get it fixed outside insurance. The guy that caused the accident paid the garage up front which sounds great but because It had already been paid for there was no urgency on the part of the garage and we waited weeks for what should have been a quick repair. I would never try to do someone a favour again and always go through insurance.

This happened to us and our car was a write off as the suspension was damaged from the car being pushed forward. So don't assume it will just be the dent.

I'd love to say our premium didn't go up because it obviously wasn't our fault, but it did! However I'd still go through insurance tbh in case of any complications.

Ask her to cover the cost of a renal car, and take you to pick it up and drop it off again

I would have no problem going through insurance as long as the car was fixed and I wasn't inconvenienced by having no car.

I agreed to someone doing this after a very minor ding that was entirely their fault : but we went to a garage that gave me a courtesy car for two days

Either she hires a car or it goes in the garage at a time that is convenient to you.