Minor car accident, not my fault, can I take cash from ins co. instead of repairing the car?

[Jonboygoodnight]

Somebody scratched the rear bumper of my car and broke a light.
The damage to their car is a bit more and theirs is an almost new car.
They admit liability and are putting it through their insurance.
My car is 9 years old so I'd rather get a few hundred in cash and fix the light and live with the scratch.
Is that possible or will they insist on paying the money to the garage I get a quote from?
I'm not trying to 'do' anybody but don't see the point in somebody spending hundreds on an old car , probably worth a grand, when I'd prefer to get a smaller sum in my pocket.
Any thoughts appreciated.

The only way you’ll get cash is if they write it off, (if they do you can buy it back off them and repair it yourself but it will be a cat D etc.) otherwise they’ll insist on repairing it at an ‘approved’ i.e. insanely expensive garage. At least that’s what happened with my car, £1500 for a new bonnet and radiator, that would be £600 at my usual garage if it had been 12 months older they would have written it off.

That's a shame.

The other party now say that they want to do it without the insurance companies involvement but I had already informed mine. I told my insurance company afterwards that we would deal with it privately and they said that was fine and that it wouldn't count as a claim etc which is good I think.